17 4 And he beat down the tower of * Penuel, and ſlew the men of the city- | |
18 Then ſaid he unto Zeba and Zalmunna, What manner of men « were they whom ye ſlew at Tabor x? if And they anſwered, As thou art, fo were they ; each _ | one 7} reſembled the children of a king y. | + Heb: ac= ||
# 1. e. Foroutward ſhape and quality. x Whither he underftood cording 0 they fled for ſhelter, vpon the approach of the Mid:anites; and where the form, he jearnt that ſome were ſlain, which he ſuſpe&ed mighs be they. &c- | y Not for their Garb, or outward Splendor, for the Family was but | mean 5 bur for the Majeſty of their looks : By which com- mendation they thought co ingratiate themſelves with their Con- | queror,
19 And he ſaid, They were my brethren, even the | fons of my mother : as the LORD liveth, if ye had | faved them alive, I would not ſly you z. |
z For being not Canaanites, he was nor obliged ro kill them ; but they having killed his Brethren, and that in cool blood, he was by Law the avenger of their Blood.
20 And hefaid unto Jether his firſt-born, Up, and flay them #4 2 but the youth drew not his {word: for he feared, becauſe he was yet a youth.
a Partly, that he might animate him to the uſe of Arms for his GOD and Countrey, againſt their Enemies and to the Exerciſe of
OS — —
Chap. VIII
- : Kings
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be more thameful and painful; and partly, that he might have ſome ſhare in the honour of the Vittory.
21 Then Zeba and Zalmunna ſaid, Riſe thou and fall upon us: for as-the man , ſo is his ſtrength b. And Gideon aroſe, and flew Zeba and Zalmunna, and took
away the || ornaments that were on their camels necks. |} Or, orna- b Thou excelleſt him, as in Age and Staturey ſo in Strength ; and ments like 1t 15 more honourable, as well as caſfie, to die by the hands ofa vali- the 100 ant man.
22 © Thenthe men of Iſrael ſaid unto Gideon, Rule
and with briers, : | k Which grow abundantly in the neighbouring Wilderneſs; I ; will chaſtiſe or bear your naked Bodies with Thorny Roos,2venunto
Death: Or, I will lay you down upon Thorns, on the ground; and |
bring the Cart-wheel upon you, which w1ill both rear your fleſh, |
and bruiſe you to death. | 8 © And he went up thence to Penuel /, and ſpake unto them likewiſe : and the men of Penuel anſwered him as the men of Succoth had an{wered +4im, | I Another City beyond Jordan ; of which ſee Gen 32: 30, ' I Kings
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9 And he ſpake alſo unto the men of Penuel, ſaying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower 2.
m Your confidence in which, makes you thus Proud and Pre- ſumptuous. He implies that he would afcerwards deſtroy their P:rions, 2s is expreſſed, v. 17+ ;
io T Now Zeba and Ralmunna were in Karkor,and
their hoſts with chem, about fifreen chouſand mer, all
that were lefc of all the hoſts of che children of the eaſt:
| Or, = for there fell |} an hundred and twenty thouſand men
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hinted that drew {word = and twenty ,, 5 e. Perſons expert and exerciſed in War, beſide the retainers thouſand, to them, Tudges Ft E, Seine « ir T And Gideon went up by the way of them that ſard,* dweltin terits 0, on the eaſt of Nobah and Jogbehah p, and {mote the tzoſt : for the tiolt was ſecure g. 0 i. e. Of the Arabians, fo ferching a compaſs, and falling upon them where they leaſt expeQed it. p Of which Cities ſee Numb: 32, 35> 42. q Being now got late over Jordan, and a great way from the place of Battel ; and probably, tuppoſiag Gideon's Men to be ſo tired with their hard Service, and the great Slaughter which they had made, that they would have neither Strength nor Will to pur- ſue them ſo far. 12 And when Z<cba and Zalmunna fled, he purſued * Pal: after them,and * took the two kings of Midian,Zeba 8:1; and Zalmunna, and F diſcomficed chem. | ay 13 5 And Gideon the ſon of Joaſh returned from bat-!
tel betore the fun was up r. ry By which it may be gathered, that tte came upon them in the Night, which was moſt convenient for him who had ſo ſmall a number with him; and moſt likeiy both to {urpriſe and terrific them by the remembrance of the laſt Nights ſad work, and the expeQati- on of another like 2t. . | 14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and.enquired of him : and ic + deſcribed unto him the princes of Suecoth /, andri-< viders thereof, even three-! {core and ſeventeen men.
T fb,
Wit,
ly.
you f, neither ſhal my ſon rule over you ; the LORD
ſhal ruleover you g.
| man the ear-rings of his prey.
, uſe; bur of part of it, the reſt being probably employed about
; gious ule, for which alone the Ephod was appointed. The caſe
. time and occaſicn,thought it nuchrt be centinued fer ordinary ule ;
thou over us c, both thou, and thy ſon, and thy ſons {on alſo 4: for thou haſt delivered us from the hands ef Midian e.
c Not as a Judge, for that he was already made by God ; but as 3 King. d Let the Kingdom be Hereditary to thee, and ro thy Fami.
e This miraculous and glorious deliveranc2 by thy hands des ſerves no leſs from us.
23 And Gideon ſaid unto them, I will not rule over
f To wit, as a King, which you deſire. g In a ſpecial manner, as he hath hitherto done, by Judges, whom God did particularly appoint and dirett, even by Ur:m and Thunmmim, and aſſiſt upon all oc- caſtons; whereas Kings had a greater Power, and only a general de- pendance upon God, as other Kings had. Compare 1 Sam: 8: 6, 7.
24 T And Gideon faid unto them, I would deſire a requeſt of yon, That ye would give me every man the ear-rings of his prey, ( for they had golden ear-rings, becauſe they were Ihmaelites h. )
h Obj. They are called Mi4:amites before. Avſe Here ſeems to have been a mixture of People, Judg: 6* 3. which are all called by one general name, 1hmaelites, or Arabians, who uſed to wear Ear-'
rings, Gen: 35: 4. but the greateſt, and the ruling part of them were Midianites.
25 And they anſwered, We will willingly give thenss And they ſpread a garment, and did caſt therein, every
26 And the weight of the golden ear-rings that he requeſted, as a thouſand and ſeven hundred ſkekels of gold, beſide ornaments,and || collars,and purple raiment that yas on the kings of Midian, and beſide the chains that vers about their camels necks.
27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof z, and put it in his city &, eves in Ophrah : and all Ifrael went thith:c a whoring after it /; which thing became a ſnare m un- to Gideon, and to his houſe.
;# Nor of all of it; for then it would have been too heavy for
Or, ſwee: Jewels. ,