Judges 8:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing.

NIV: Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.

NASB: Then Gideon and the three hundred men who were with him came to the Jordan and crossed over, exhausted yet still pursuing.

CSB: Gideon and the three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it. They were exhausted but still in pursuit.

NLT: Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy.

KJV: And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

NKJV: When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.

After the initial rout of the Midianites (Judges 7:22–25), Gideon called more men to help chase down the fleeing enemy before they could escape into the wilderness. The narrative suggests the men of Ephraim were able to stop at least some of the Midianites who made it to the Jordan River. Now, though, we learn others escaped. Gideon is committed to hunting them down and destroying them, even on the eastern side of the Jordan.

Gideon's forces have once again been reduced to the original 300 men selected to begin the battle with him (Judges 7:8). Together, they will continue to pursue the escaping Midianites. At this point, though, they are exhausted and running on empty stomachs. Gideon will ask some of his countrymen for help, but their response will be harsh.

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 5/7/2024 9:34:00 PM