Judges 8:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the officials of Succoth said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?"

NIV: But the officials of Sukkoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?"

NASB: But the leaders of Succoth said, 'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?'

CSB: But the princes of Succoth asked, "Are Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hands that we should give bread to your army?"

NLT: But the officials of Succoth replied, 'Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your army.'

KJV: And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?

NKJV: And the leaders of Succoth said, “ Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?”

The Israelites living in Succoth give a surprising response to Gideon's request. He's asked for loaves of bread for his exhausted men. This task force of 300 is pursuing the Midianites who have been plaguing the nation (Judges 6:1–5). But these Israelite locals refuse. They point out that Gideon has not yet captured or killed Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings being pursued. The implication is that if Gideon is defeated by the Midianites, the people of Succoth might be punished for helping Gideon's men.

The people of Succoth are part of the nation of Israel. They should want Gideon's men to put an end to the raids of the Midianites. Instead, they reveal how fearful they remain of their oppressors from the east. It is likely that Israelites living to the east of the Jordan were most vulnerable to attacks from Midian. Those in Succoth did not want to risk the consequences rising against their oppressors.

With 300 fighting men, Gideon might have been tempted to take food from Succoth by force. Perhaps he felt it best to reserve their strength. Perhaps he didn't want to wait. Or, he might simply have balked at the idea of raiding the people he was trying to rescue from raids. In any case, Gideon promises to hold the people accountable for their fearful choice not to help his men in a time of great need.

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).