Judges 8:21

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Zebah	זֶ֣בַח Ze.vach	H2078	Zebach · proper noun, a man's name
Zalmunna	וְצַלְמֻנָּ֗ע ve.tzal.mu.Na'	H6759	Tsalmunna · conjunction + proper noun, a man's name
said	וַיֹּ֜אמֶר vai.Yo.mer	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Rise	ק֤וּם kum	H6965	to rise (in various applications · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
fall	וּפְגַע u.fe.ga'-	H6293	to impinge · conjunction + verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine singular
man	כָאִ֖ישׁ kha.'Ish	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
strength	גְּבוּרָת֑וֹ ge.vu.ra.To	H1369	force (literally or figuratively) · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Gideon	גִּדְע֗וֹן gid.'on	H1439	Gidon · proper noun, a man's name
arose	וַיָּ֣קָם vai.Ya.kom	H6965	to rise (in various applications · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
slew	וַֽיַּהֲרֹג֙ vai.ya.ha.Rog	H2026	to smite with deadly intent · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Zebah	זֶ֣בַח Ze.vach	H2078	Zebach · proper noun, a man's name
Zalmunna	צַלְמֻנָּ֔ע tzal.mu.Na'	H6759	Tsalmunna · proper noun, a man's name
away	וַיִּקַּח֙ vai.yi.Kach	H3947	to take (in the widest variety of applications) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
ornaments	הַשַּׂ֣הֲרֹנִ֔ים ha.Sa.ha.ro.Nim	H7720	a round pendant for the neck · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
camels’	גְמַלֵּיהֶֽם ge.ma.lei.Hem	H1581	a camel · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
necks	בְּצַוְּארֵ֥י be.tza.ve.Rei	H6677	the back of the neck (as that on which burdens are boun… · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
Judges 8:26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and…
Isaiah 3:18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like th…
Judges 9:54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman…
1 Samuel 31:3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
1 Samuel 31:5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
Psalms 83:1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
Revelation 9:6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 8:18-21

Judgment began at the house of God, in the just correction of the men of Succoth and Penuel, who were Israelites, but it did not end there. The kings of Midian, when they had served to demonstrate Gideon's victories, and grace his triumphs, must now be reckoned with. 1. They are indicted for the murder of Gideon's brethren some time ago at Mount Tabor. When the children of Israel, for fear of the Midianites, made themselves dens in the mountains (Jdg 6:2), those young men, it is likely, took shelter in that mountain, where they were found by these two kings, and most basely and barbarously slain in cold blood. When he asks them what manner of men they were (Jdg 8:18), it is not because he wa…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 8:20

he said unto Jether his first-born, Up, and slay them--The nearest of kin was the blood-avenger; but a magistrate might order any one to do the work of the executioner; and the person selected was always of a rank equal or proportioned to that of the party doomed to suffer (Kg1 2:29). Gideon intended, then, by the order to Jether, to put an honor on his son, by employing him to slay two enemies of his country; and on the youth declining, he performed the bloody deed himself.

John Gill on Judges 8:21

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, rise thou and fall upon us,.... Since they must die, they chose rather to die by the hand of so great a man and valiant a commander as Gideon, which was more honourable than to die by the hand of a youth: for as the man is, so is his strength; signifying, that as he was a stout able man, he had strength sufficient to dispatch them at once, which his son had not, and therefore they must have died a lingering and painful death: wherefore as they consulted their honour, so their ease, in desiring to die by the hand of Gideon: and Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna; nor was it unusual in those early times for great personages, as judges and generals, to be…

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Keil & Delitzsch

Dictionary and topics

Chain — (1.) A part of the insignia of office. A chain of gold was placed about Joseph’s neck (Gen. 41:42); and one was promised to Daniel (5:7). It is used as a symbol of sovereignty (Ezek. 16:11). The…
Midian — Strife, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah, the father of the Midianites (Gen. 25:2; 1 Chr. 1:32).
Penuel — Face of God, a place not far from Succoth, on the east of the Jordan and north of the river Jabbok. It is also called “Peniel.” Here Jacob wrestled (Gen. 32:24-32) “with a man” (“the angel”, Hos.…
Tire — an old English word for headdress. It was an ornamental headdress worn on festive occasions, (Ezekiel 24:17,23) and perhaps, as some suppose, also an ornament for the neck worn by both women, (Isaiah…
Tires — “To tire” the head is to adorn it (2 Kings 9:30). As a noun the word is derived from “tiara,” and is the rendering of the Heb. p’er, a “turban” or an ornament for the head (Ezek. 24:17; R.V.,…
Zalmunna — One of the two kings of Midian whom the “Lord delivered” into the hands of Gideon. He was slain afterwards with Zebah (Judg. 8:5-21). (See ZEBAH.)
Zebah — Man-killer, or sacrifice, one of the two kings who led the vast host of the Midianites who invaded the land of Israel, and over whom Gideon gained a great and decisive victory (Judg. 8). Zebah and…
Camel · Ornaments of — Ornaments of
Camel, The · Of the rich adorned with chains — Of the rich adorned with chains
Captive · .Putting to — .Putting to
Ishmaelites, The · Overcome by: Gideon — Overcome by: Gideon
Midianites · Princes of, slain

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 8:18-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 8:20

John Gill on Judges 8:21

Keil & Delitzsch

Dictionary and topics

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Judges 8:18-21

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Judges 8:20

John Gill on Judges 8:21

Keil & Delitzsch

Dictionary and topics

Rashi on Judges 8:21