Judges 8:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he said to the men of Penuel, "When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower."

NIV: So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower."

NASB: So he said also to the men of Penuel, 'When I return safely, I will tear down this tower.'

CSB: He also told the men of Penuel, "When I return safely, I will tear down this tower!"

NLT: So he said to the people of Peniel, 'After I return in victory, I will tear down this tower.'

KJV: And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

NKJV: So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower!”

The people of two Israelite towns—Succoth and Penuel—have refused to give bread to Gideon's exhausted 300-man fighting force. Gideon's troops need food so they can continue to pursue escaping Midianites. The retreating enemy is led by two kings known as Zebah and Zalmunna (Judges 8:4–6, 8). In doing so, both towns showed more fear of the Midianites than loyalty to their fellow Israelites.

Gideon promised the people of Succoth that he would return once God gave the enemy kings into his hands; he will return to demonstrate that they should have feared him (Judges 8:7). He declared his intention to flog the people of Succoth with thorny briers and wilderness plants.

Here, he tells the men of Penuel that he will break down their tower once he returns victorious. Gideon's implication is that Israel will be at peace as soon as Midian is defeated—but not the people of Penuel. They will be left unguarded and unprotected by their defensive tower. During this era, towers were used to allow people both to see an enemy approaching and to hold a higher position in a conflict.

Gideon seems to be changed since his timid initial responses to God (Judges 6:15, 17, 36–40). Now he promises harsh retribution on those who do not stand with him. Commentators debate whether he is acting out of personal anger or continuing to represent the Lord through these displays of strict discipline.

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).