Judges 8:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "Where are the men whom you killed at Tabor?" They answered, "As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king."

NIV: Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince."

NASB: Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, 'Where were the men whom you killed at Tabor?' But they said, 'You and they were alike, each one resembling the son of a king.'

CSB: He asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "They were like you," they said. "Each resembled the son of a king."

NLT: Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, 'The men you killed at Tabor — what were they like?' 'Like you,' they replied. 'They all had the look of a king’s son.'

KJV: Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

NKJV: And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?” So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.”

Gideon and his men pursued Zebah and Zalmunna across the wilderness on the east side of the Jordan River (Judges 8:5). They have defeated the remnant of the Midianite army and have taken these two kings captive (Judges 8:10–12). Gideon has made a point of punishing the people of Succoth and Penuel: towns who refused to help their fellow Israelites during the pursuit (Judges 8:14–17).

With that complete, Gideon appears to return home. This incident includes a mention of Gideon's son, who has no battle experience (Judges 8:20). Having brought back captive enemy kings, he interrogates them. The exchange contains a surprising revelation. Here, again, is an example of Scripture including a detail without much background information. The context of the passage, itself, is all we have to determine what's being said.

Gideon begins by asking the pair a sarcastic question: where are the men they killed at Tabor? Earlier descriptions of Midianite raids did not mention Tabor (Judges 6:1–5). Gideon appears to be asking about a specific incident that took place on Tabor Mountain, north of the Valley of Jezreel, where the Midianite army was camped. In some way—apparently directly—these two men were responsible for the death of some Israelites in that place. This doesn't seem connected to a battle but is an isolated incident.

What could Zebah and Zalmunna say in response to this question? Gideon is not asking for the location of the bodies. Nor is he expecting the dead men to be returned to life. Rather, he is about to hold these two kings responsible for those deaths.

To calm Gideon's anger, the kings attempt flattery. They describe the men they killed as being like Gideon, resembling the son of a king. This remark is meant to compliment Gideon and imply respect for the men who died. Whether the two Midianite kings genuinely recall the incident is not clear. What's almost certain is that they don't realize the ironic truth of their own words: the dead men were, in fact, related to Gideon (Judges 8:19).

Judges 8:1–21 begins with a confrontation between Gideon and the men of Ephraim. Gideon defuses the situation with diplomacy. With his original 300 fighters, he chases down the remnant of the Midianite army led by two kings known as Zebah and Zalmunna. Once the Midianites are defeated and the kings are captured, Gideon punishes the men of two Israelite towns who refused to help him. He then reveals to the captured kings that they murdered his own brothers at Mount Tabor. He kills them and takes their distinctive jewelry as spoils of war.

Gideon soothes the anger of the men of Ephraim. Then, with his 300 fighting men, he chases the remnant of the Midianite army. After a difficult pursuit, he finally catches and defeats them in the wilderness. Gideon then returns to two Israelite towns who refused to help him along the way. He flogs the leaders of one town and kills the men of the other. He then executes the captured enemy kings. Gideon collects tribute from Israel but declines to become their official king. He lives to gain seventy sons, many wives, and at least one Canaanite concubine. When Gideon dies, Israel immediately returns to idol worship.

Judges 8 follows the great victory described at the end of the previous chapter. This passage begins with Gideon awkwardly soothing the anger of Ephraimites while trying to chase down an escaping enemy. After capturing the Midianite kings, Gideon punishes two towns for failing to aid their fellow Israelites. Gideon refuses to become a literal king but collects tribute from the people and lives like a king all his days, with many wives and sons. The people return to idol worship after his death. Soon after, the concubine's son, Abimelech, murders Gideon's other sons and briefly rules before meeting a gruesome death.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).