Judges 8:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives.

NIV: He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives.

NASB: Now Gideon had seventy sons who were his direct descendants, for he had many wives.

CSB: Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, since he had many wives.

NLT: He had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives.

KJV: And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

NKJV: Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives.

Victory over the Midianites made Gideon a very wealthy man. This would partly be thanks to gold he received when he requested a tribute from spoils of war (Judges 8:24–26). Gideon used some of that gold to make an object that became a false idol worshiped in Israel (Judges 8:27). He would have had plenty of other money, however, including the goods he took from the conquered Midianite kings.

Gideon used his wealth and fame to take many wives. Those wives bore Gideon seventy sons, and presumably a substantial number of daughters. The resources necessary to support so many wives and children would have been enormous in any era, but especially in the ancient world. That Gideon could live "like a king:" in luxury and prosperity, despite not literally being a king (Judges 8:22–23) suggests Gideon held profound influence in Israel.

Judges 8:29–35 describes Gideon's enormous family after God's power defeated Midianite raiders. Wealthy and influential, Gideon takes many wives and has seventy sons. This includes one son by a Canaanite concubine. Unrestrained by a deliverer after Gideon's death, the people of Israel dive deeper into worshiping false idols. They abandon God and worship Baal-berith. They also stop caring for Gideon's family. This sudden change factors into the sordid events recorded in chapter 9.

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 5/4/2024 6:41:40 PM