Episode 89: The end of Gideon

(Judges 8)

Gideon tortures the men of Succoth

8 ¹ The men of Ephraim said to Gideon,

Why didn't you ask us to help fight the Midianites?

² Gideon answered them, saying,

What did I do compared to you?

Aren't your grapes better than the vintage of Abiezer?

³ God delivered Oreb and Zeeb into your hands.

And they calmed down after hearing that.

⁴Gideon and 300 men crossed the Jordan and came to Succoth.

⁵ Gideon said to the men of Succoth,

Give us some bread, for we are weak after chasing the kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna.

⁶ They said to him,

Have you captured Zebah and Zalmunna?

Is that why we should give you bread?

⁷ Gideon said,

When God delivers them into my hand, I will tear your flesh with thorns and briers.

⁸ Then Gideon went to Penuel and asked them for food.

When they refused to give him any, he said,

⁹ When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

¹⁰ Zebah and Zalmaunna were in Karkor with an army of about 15,000, which was all that was left of their army, since 120,000 were previously killed by God and Gideon.

¹¹ Gideon captured Zebah and Zalmunna and killed their army.

¹⁵ Then he returned to Succoth and said,

Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, whom you criticized me for not capturing, saying,

Did you capture Zebah and Zalmunna?

If not, we won't give you bread.

¹⁶ And he took the 77 elders of the city and tortured them with thorns and briers.

He destroys the tower and kills the men in Penuel

¹⁷ Then Gideon went to Penuel and beat down its tower and killed the men in the city.

And kills Zebah and Zalmunna (After his son refused to do it)

²⁰ Gideon said to his oldest son, Jether, "Kill them." (Referring to kings Zebah and Zalmunna)

But Jether was afraid to do it, because he was just a boy.

²¹ So Gideon killed them.

Gideon's golden ephod (that all of Israel went a whoring after)

²² Then the men of Israel came to Gideon and said to him,

Rule over us, you and your son and your son's son.

Because you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.

²³ Gideon said to them,

I won't be your king, and neither will my son. God will be your king.

²⁴ I would like something from you, though.

Give me all the earrings of the dead Midianites.

²⁵ And they collected all the gold earrings from the dead Midianites and spread them on a garment.

²⁶ The weight of the gold earrings was about 1700 shekels

²⁷ Gideon made an ephod from the gold earrings. And all of Israel went a whoring after it.

Gideon dies (leaving many wives and 70 sons)

²⁸ All was quiet for forty years during the time of Gideon.

³⁰ Jerubbaal (aka Gideon) had seventy sons because he had many wives.

³¹ He also had a concubine in Shechem who bore him a son named Abimelech.

³³As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites went a whoring after Baalim and made Baalberith their god.