Judges 8:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to them, "What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?

NIV: But he answered them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?

NASB: But he said to them, 'What have I done now in comparison with you? Is the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim not better than the vintage of Abiezer?

CSB: So he said to them, "What have I done now compared to you? Is not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?

NLT: But Gideon replied, 'What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t even the leftover grapes of Ephraim’s harvest better than the entire crop of my little clan of Abiezer?

KJV: And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

NKJV: So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

The men of Ephraim are confronting Gideon. Instead of celebrating their great victory over the Midianites, the Ephraimites are angry. In their view, Gideon called on them to help only at the last minute, when there was no other option. Their questions are really accusations: why did he do this to them? It's possible they thought Gideon was trying to keep them from sharing in the spoils of the battle.

Gideon's answer reveals something about him. He doesn't do what one might expect: telling the men of Ephraim the story of how God allowed him only 300 men for the initial attack. Nor does he point out that God had given them the victory. Instead, he speaks like a seasoned diplomat. The positive interpretation of this is that Gideon chooses a soft answer to dial down the anger of the Ephraimites (Proverbs 15:1). A more cynical impression is that he deftly uses flattery and distraction to get out of this confrontation.

He begins by emphasizing the role played by the men of Ephraim to this point. He downplays his own success, implying their accomplishments are greater. To hear Gideon tell it, the glory for the battle is theirs, and he was merely a small player. From that perspective, they were the real heroes. Whether one feels this is entirely honest is subject to debate, but the tactic is effective.

Next, Gideon compares the reputation of his tribe to that of the people of Ephraim. His statement is not literally about grapes, or harvests. The implication is that Israel already perceives which clan is "better," so these men don't need to worry about their image. They're already a respected clan, and no one in Israel would put Gideon over them. This part of the conversation is pure flattery, which also seems to ease the tension.

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).