Judges 8:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.

NIV: Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.

NASB: Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.

CSB: Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the Ascent of Heres.

NLT: After this, Gideon returned from the battle by way of Heres Pass.

KJV: And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

NKJV: Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres.

By God's power, Gideon has won the battle against Israel's enemies (Judges 6:14). He has destroyed those who had oppressed his people for so long (Judges 6:1–5). The man who once described his clan as the weakest of his tribe and himself as the least in his father's house (Judges 6:15) has become Israel's relentless deliverer (Judges 2:16).

This verse cast Gideon in a heroic, almost epic way by using his full name: Gideon the son of Joash. He returns victorious from the decisive battle against Midian by way of something called the "ascent of Heres." It's unknown now where or what this is, but the picture of Gideon making his way up and out is a noble one.

Gideon is not entirely done with his list of tasks, however. He chooses to use this route so he can fulfill a grim promise to the towns of Succoth and Penuel (Judges 8:4–9).

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).

Accessed 5/5/2024 8:12:28 AM