‘ And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, faint, yet pursuing .’

Gideon came to the Jordan. The last part of Jdg 7:25 and Jdg 8:1-3 had been looking ahead, now in Jdg 8:4 we return to Gideon’s pursuit of the enemy. He was not satisfied just with victory, he wanted the heads of the two kings of the Midianites. We learn later that his intense pursuit arose from the fact that these two kings had earlier mercilessly killed his brothers, probably on a previous raid (Jdg 8:18). The Midianites were separated into several sub-tribes headed by a number of princes (compare the five princes in Jos 13:21), over whom were these two great chieftains, here called ‘kings’.

“The three hundred.” This does not necessarily mean none had been killed. It is now a global term that covers that noble band of men. ‘Faint, yet pursuing.’ They were exhausted but ready to follow Gideon anywhere, and there was a job to be done. God’s test had produced the right kind of men.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

EXPOSITION

Jdg 8:4

Came to Jordan. The narrative goes back to Jdg 7:24, to follow up the personal history of Gideon, from which the writer had been diverted to relate the result of Gideon’s message to the Ephraimites, which is told in Jdg 7:24 and Jdg 7:25, and Jdg 8:1-3 (see Jdg 7:25, note; Jdg 2:1-6, note).

Jdg 8:5

Succoth. On the east side of Jordan, as appears plainly from the narrative in Gen 33:17, Gen 33:18; for we read there that Jacob journeyed from Mount Gilead to Mahanaim, thence to Penuel, and from Pe-nuel to Succoth, so called from the booths or tabernacles which he made for his cattle; and that after leaving Succoth he came to the city of Shechem (called Shalem),” in the land of Canaan,” showing that Succoth was not in the land of Canaan. In Jos 13:27 we are also distinctly told that Succoth was in the trans-Jordanic tribe of Gad (which lay south of the Jabbok), in the valley of the Jordan, where its proximity to Mahanaim (Jos 13:26, Jos 13:30) shows it to be the same place as Jacob’s Succoth, which was also near the Jabbok (Gen 32:22). The identification of Succoth with any modern representative is very uncertain. Jerome mentions a trans-Jordanic place named Sochoth, in the region of Beth-shan, or Scythe-polls; and Burkhardt also mentions a place described by him as “the ruins of Sukkot,” two hours from Bysan (Beth-shan), and on the cast of Jordan. But this, as well as the Sakut of Robinson and Van de Velde, on the west of Jordan, about ten miles south of Beth-shan, is too far north for the Suceoth of Jacob, which is shown to be the same as the Succoth of Gideon by the connection of the latter with Penuel (Jos 13:8), and which, as above noticed, is shown to be the same as the Succoth of Jos 13:1-33. by its proximity to Mahanaim. We must await some further light before we can decide the exact position of Succoth.

Jdg 8:6

And the princes of Succoth, etc. Nothing could be more selfish, cowardly, and unpatriotic, than the conduct of the chief men of Succoth. Instead of aiding Gideon in his gallant enterprise for the deliverance of his country, they refused even food to his weary followers, for fear of the possibility of incurring the anger of the Midianites in ease Gideon should fail. Their conduct and that of the men of Penuel is perhaps one among many indications how little real union there was between the tribes on the opposite sides of the Jordan (see Jdg 5:16, Jdg 5:17).

Jdg 8:7

I will tear your flesh, etc. These words breathe a fierce and vindictive spirit; such, however, as cannot surprise us m the age and country of which we arc reading (cf. Jdg 8:9 and Jdg 8:21). The provocation, it must be allowed, was very great, but still the spirit was very different from that which dictated the prayer under far greater provocation, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Thorns of the wilderness. The nature of the punishment here threatened, and the execution of which is related in Jdg 8:16, is uncertain. The word here rendered tear means literally to thresh,. Hence some suppose that the punishment here spoken of was a severe kind of capital punishment inflicted by threshing instruments with sharp iron points, called here “thorns of the wilderness,” and “briers (though some again understand literally thorns and briers); and they compare 2Sa 12:31, where the word rendered harrows means threshing instruments, as also Isa 28:27; Isa 41:15. But others, as Bertheau, Keil, and Delitzsch, do not think it was a capital punishment at all, and take the word thresh figuratively in the sense of punishing severely, and think that literal thorns and thistles were the implements of punishment.

Jdg 8:8

He went up thence to Penuel. When Jacob was returning from Padan-aram to Canaan he reached Penuel first, and Succoth afterwards (Gen 32:30; Gen 33:17). Gideon, travelling in the opposite direction from Canaan, naturally reaches Succoth first, and Penuel afterwards. Going from Succoth to Penuel too, he went up out of the Jordan valley towards the mountains on the east. Penuel appears to have been a place of importance, since Jeroboam repaired its fortifications with a view of retaining his hold on trans-Jordanic Israel (1Ki 12:25). The tower here mentioned shows it was a strong place, but its exact situation is unknown.

Jdg 8:10

Karkor. Or, rather, the Karkor. We are still on unknown ground. The situation assigned to it by Eusebius and Jerome, as being the same as a castle called Carcaria, near Petra, is quite out of the question, as being greatly too far south. As an appellative it suggests the idea of a walled-in space (kir = a wall; kir-kir = a space walled all round; cf. the Latin carcer, a prison); possibly an enclosed sheep or cattle fold on a large scale (see Num 32:36 : “built .. folds for sheep”), affording some protection to the Midianite soldiers.

Jdg 8:11

Gideon went up. See Jdg 8:8, note. Implying that his direction was eastward away from the Jordan valley. Nobah was in the half-tribe of Manasseh. Nobah, who gave his name to the city, which was before called Kenath, seems to have been of the family of Machir (Num 32:42). Jogbehah was in the tribe of Gad (Num 32:35). These two cities appear to have been on the eastern frontier of their respective tribes, but the exact site of them is utterly unknown. It is a conjecture that possibly Kunawat may be Nobah, retaining its ancient name of Kenath. East of these cities was the desert, inhabited by nomads dwelling in tents, where Karkor was, and where Zebah and Zalmunna had encamped out of reach, as they thought, of their pursuers. But Gideon, falling suddenly upon them, routed the host, and took the two kings prisoners (see Psa 83:11).

Jdg 8:12

He discomfited. Rather, as in the margin, he terrified. Those who were not killed in the first onslaught, when “he smote the host,” were so terrified that they fled without further resistance, and many probably escaped, as all Gideon’s efforts were directed to the capture of the two kings.

HOMILETICS

Jdg 8:4-12

Faint, yet pursuing.

We do wrong in looking to the Scriptures only for spiritual lessons; they teach us also lessons of conduct in the affairs of this life. And it is a matter of great moment that we should conduct ourselves well and wisely in all the business of life. That lessons of worldly wisdom are not beneath the scope of Holy Scripture the whole Book of Proverbs teaches us, as does Solomon’s prayer (2Ch 1:10) for wisdom to rule well and judge right!y, and the whole body of the law of Moses. The biographies of remarkable men given in the historical books teach us the same thing if we would use them rightly. But the exaggerated habit of allegorising and spiritualising the Old Testament has somewhat interfered with their usefulness in this respect.

I. The lesson which this portion of Gideon’s history seems to teach us is THE VALUE OF PERSEVERANCE; of doing thoroughly whatever we take in hand, of going through with it to the end, and not leaving off till it is completed. Joash king of Israel was rebuked by Elisha the prophet on his death-bed because he only smote upon the ground thrice, and then stayed, satisfied with an imperfect result. The example of Gideon shows us one who was not satisfied with imperfect results, who had formed a complete conception of what he had to do, and did it. He was not stopped in his career by either successes or difficulties. True, he had driven the children of the east across the Jordan. There had been a great slaughter at the rock Oreb, the kings were fugitives; the power of Midian was broken. Some might think enough had been done. But Gideon no doubt had the future as well as the present moment in view. The wrongs and misery of his country during the Midianite oppression, seven long years of grinding, cruel servitude, were fresh in his memory. He would not have the plain of Jezreel again the prey to those locusts from the east. And so Midian must be crushed. But could his strength and the strength of his 300 hold out any longer? The long and hurried march, the hand-to-hand fights, the heat, their hunger and thirst, the weight of their arms, which they had doubtless taken in lieu of the pitchers and trumpets, had nearly exhausted their powers; even their own countrymen would not help them; they were weary and faint; might they not now stop and rest? No, their work was not complete; so, though faint, they must still pursue. Methinks that as we read this stirring tale of energy and perseverance we must feel ashamed of our own faint-heartedness; we must feel rebuked at our own readiness to succumb to hindrances, or to be content with half successes; we must resolve that we will put a little more energy into our own daily work, or extraordinary tasks, and that, in spite of weariness and discouragement, in the face of hindrances and opposition, we will persevere and carry through to the end whatever work we have in hand, of which we are convinced that it is right to do it. This is the first lesson given to us by Gideonfaint, yet pursuing.

II. But we may no doubt also spiritualise the lesson, AND APPLY IT TO OUR SPIRITUAL WARFARE, AND TO THE STRUGGLES OF THE SOUL FOR THE MASTERY OVER SIN. Here the importance of doing our work thoroughly, and persevering, in spite of successes and hindrances alike, till our task is complete, is certainly not less than in the affairs of this life. In resisting temptations, in resolutely subduing fleshly lusts and unruly appetites which war against the soul, in determined self-conquests, in perfecting holiness in the fear of God, in encountering the opposition of the world, and the contradictions of sinners, and the wiles and assaults of the devil, we must expect to be often faint. It is so easy to give up the struggle, to be content with imperfect results, to seek for rest and ease in giving up the close pursuit which we had begun. But this is not the spirit of Gideon. If we would be in our spiritual warfare such as he was in his conflict against his earthly foes, even when we are faint and weary we must be still pursuing; we must persevere to the end, and never slack our hands nor rest our feet till we have gained a complete and final victory through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be glory for ever.

HOMILIES BY A.F. MUIR

Jdg 8:4

Faint, yet pursuing.

A splendid and really forced march. Humanly speaking, it was the real battle. The grandest qualities were called forth, and the greatest results secured. A picture of the Christian life.

I. GOD OFTEN SUFFERS HIS SERVANTS TO ENDURE HARDSHIP IN DOING HIS WILL.

II. THOSE WHO ARE DOING IMPORTANT SERVICE UNDER CIRCUMSTANCES OF HARDSHIP OUGHT TO BE ENCOURAGED AND SUPPORTED.

III. DUTY AND THE HIGH CALLING OF CHRISTIANS OUGHT TO TRIUMPH OVER WEAKNESS, HARDSHIP, AND OPPOSITION.

IV. THE GREATEST RESULTS OFTEN DEPEND UPON PERSISTENCY EVEN AMIDST DISADVANTAGES.M.

HOMILIES BY W.F. ADENEY

Jdg 8:4

Faint, yet pursuing.

The faintness, of Gideon’s troops may illustrate the spiritual faintness of Christians, and the influence of this on their conduct in life.

I. FAINTNESS MAY OVERTAKE US WHILE PURSUING THE CHRISTIAN COURSE.

1. Note the characteristics of this faintness. It is

(1) loss of strength, so that we are not able to attain so much nor to progress so fast as we should otherwise do;

(2) a sense of distress, making every movement a pain, and robbing the Christian life of its bright hopefulness and cheerful enthusiasm.

2. Note the existence of this faintness in the pursuit of the Christian course. Though still pursuing the right way, we may experience faintness. It is not the deviation to bye-path meadow alone which brings distress. We may grow weary in well doing (Gal 6:9). Therefore

(1) let us not be over confident because we are in the right, and

(2) let us not be dismayed at the experience of faintness, as though this were a sign of spiritual defection.

3. Note the causes of this faintness.

(1) These may be observed in the circumstances of life:in the length of the course; the great difficulty being not to nerve ourselves for a few heroic actions, but to continue pressing on through the long hot day, through the long weary night:in the speed of the pursuit; life is a race swift and stern, and the difficulty often is to overtake the duties which accumulate so fast that those who, so to say, “take things easily” must always find themselves behindhand:-in the impediments of the way, leading through tangled thickets of prejudice and rotor, and up craggy heights of noble attainments.

(2) The causes of faintness may also be traced to our own habit and condition: such as want of nourishmentthe soul which is always working, and does not seek renewed strength in spiritual feeding upon the bread of life, in prayer, in the reading of Scripture, in meditation, in communion with Christ, will surely grow faint; want of restthere is a spiritual insomnia, a habit of restless activity, which invariably results in faintness. Christ required rest, and called his disciples apart to rest (Mar 6:31).

II. FAINTNESS NEED NOT STAY US IN THE PURSUIT OF THE CHRISTIAN COURSE. Though the troops of Gideon were faint, they still pursued.

1. Faintness is not death. If our strength is slight, this is a good reason for making the best use of it. If faintness reduce our talents to one, we have no excuse to bury that one.

2. God expects our attainments to be no more than proportionate to our strength. He knows our weakness (Psa 103:14). He is no hard task-master, expecting us to make bricks without straw; so we need not despair of pleasing God because our faintness permits of but slight service.

3. The real source of victory is not our strength, but God‘s might. When we are most faint, God’s strength made perfect in our weakness may be most effective (2Co 12:9). The little one may chase a thousand, because God is with him. When we are most faint we are least self-confident, and in our humility and helplessness driven to the mighty for strength, so that our faintness may be the means of leading us to the real strength which alone can accomplish great things.

4. Faintness can be overcome. Faintness is not necessarily the precursor of death. It may be but temporary. We may find in God a sure remedy for spiritual faintness, because “they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isa 40:31).

5. If we are faithfully pressing on in spite of present faintness, we shall be rewarded with future rest and triumph. Gideon’s troops were well recompensed for their brave pursuit. The short race of life will end in a haven of rest, in a home of honour. Let us then be brave and true, remembering that in proportion to the weariness of present toil will be the sweetness of future rest (2Co 4:16-18).A.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

Succoth and Penuel refuse supplies to Gideon while in pursuit of the Midianitish kings. The kings surprised and captured. The punishment of the traitorous cities and the captured kings

Jdg 8:4-21.

4And Gideon came to [the] Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint [hungry], yet pursuing them [omit: them]. 5And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me: for they be faint [hungry], and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. 6And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now [already] in thine hand,4 that we should give bread unto thine army? 7And Gideon said, Therefore when the Lord [Jehovah] hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear [thresh] your flesh with the 8[omit: the] thorns of the wilderness and with briers. And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him. 9And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again [return] in peace, I will break [tear] down this tower. 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts [host]5 with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts [host] of the children [sons] of the east: for [and] there fell [had fallen] an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. 11And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt [dwell] in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: 12for [while] the host was [thought itself] secure. And when [omit: when] Zebah and Zalmunna fled, [and] he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited [terrified] all the host. 13And Gideon the son of Joash returned from [the] battle [war] before the sun was up [from the Ascent 14of the Sun].6 And [he] caught a young man [a boy] of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described unto [wrote down for] him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men. 15And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with [as to] whom ye did upbraid [mock] me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now [already] in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that areweary [hungry]? 16And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness, 17and briers, and with them he taught [gave a lesson to] the men of Succoth. And he beat [tore] down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city. 18Then said he [And he said] unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled [looked like] the children [sons] of a king. 19And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the Lord [Jehovah] liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. 20And he said unto Jether his first-born, Up, and slay them. But the youth [boy] drew not his sword: for he feared, because [for] he was yet a youth [boy]. 21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon [strike] us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments [moons] that were on their camels necks.

TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL

[1 Jdg 8:6.Dr. Cassel: Hast thou the fist of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy hand, etc. Bertheau and Keil, in their commentaries, have the same rendering, merely changing Luthers plural, Sind die Faste, to the singular. is properly the hollow hand, the palm; accordingly the Dutch Version renders, rather awkwardly to be sure, Is dan the handpalm tan Zebah en Tsalmuna alreede in uwe hand, etc. The word fist, even if it did not somewhat alter the metaphor involved, lacks dignity in modern English, although it avoids the tameness of using hand twice. For an independent version, De Wettes would be better: Hast thou then Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy hand, etc.Tr.]

[2 Jdg 8:10.: singular, with plural suffix. Cf. Ges. Gram. Sect. 93, 9.Tr.]

[3 Jdg 8:13. . The above rendering takes no account of the . At would be better than from. It is literally, from at the ascent of the sun. It indicates the point to which Gideon came, and at which he turned back.Tr.]

EXEGETICAL AND DOCTRINAL

Jdg 8:4-9. And Gideon came to the Jordan. The pride of Ephraim was not the only incident by which Gideon was taught that the liberation of his people required more than victory over its enemies: that its servitude consisted not merely in external subjection, but much more in the internal bondage of sin and unbelief. Gideon also experiences the truth, which the political history of all ages demonstrates, that the friends of the people and its true interests, do not always find their natural supporters in the people itself. Instead of confederates, they find obstructors and opponents. Was not Gideons a national achievement, for the freedom and happiness of all? Is it not for all that he risks his life? For whom does he wage war even to extermination with Midian, but for all Israel? Was it anything unreasonable, that he asked Succoth, a considerable city, for some bread for the men who, notwithstanding the many hardships endured, had not ceased to follow their enthusiastic leader?The Septuagint justly puts , hungry, for . The same word () is used by Esau, when he returns from the chase, and sees the dish of lentiles (Gen 25:30). Had the men been wearied, they could not have prosecuted the pursuit. But nutritious food would strengthen them. For that they longed. The term is not specific, like , but signifies need of physical nourishment. It includes thirst as well as hunger (cf. Job 22:7).But what did Succoth? Instead of compassion and patriotic sympathy, it consulted its own petty interests. Succoth believed not; nor, consequently, saw Gods hand in Gideons victories. Materialism, which rather than risk a loss, will serve a foreign tyrant, is here depicted to the life. The magistracy of Succoth consider, not the duty to assist, but the danger which may result from such a siding with Gideon as would be implied in rendering him aid. For, not to mention that a quantity of bread costs somethingand it is noticeable that while Gideon modestly intercedes for his followers () they talk of his band as a host (),there is a chance that Gideon may fail in his expedition. Zebah and Zalmunna may possibly conquer and take vengeance. So do slaves speculate. Not so thought the German cities in 1813, when, driven by the hand of God, Napoleon fled from Russia; a, disposition which, in spite of Davoust and Van-damme; brought victory to those cities. Hast; thou, they ask mockingly, the fist of the kings already in thy hand? The full hand, , must be seized, in order to apply the fetters to captives.

This is the second time that Gideon encounters such folly among his people. But he instantly perceives that humility and gentleness like those shown towards Ephraim, would here be out of place. Ephraim had at all events done something, and had not refused assistance. Here were cowardice and treason combined. He does not, however, chastise them at once. Therein also he shows a soul penetrated by spiritual strength. He will not manifest personal resentment; he will show them that they have offended against the cause of God. He is sure of victory; but before he punishes them, they shall see that finished, the accomplishment of which they now doubt. When he shall appear before Succoth with Zebah and Zalmunna in fetters, they will no doubt be glad to give him bread; but then he will give them that to which now on his king-chase through the desert they refer himhe will thresh them with thorns of the desert and with barkanim. Owing to the brevity of the narrative, which only gives the leading speeches, while it omits all transitions, it is not altogether clear why Gideons threat against the inhabitants of Succoth takes the precise form of thorns. The ingenious Kimchi thought that it was a play on the name of the city, since (by the constant Chaldee substitution of for , , plur. ) means a thorn (Job 31:40; cf. , plural ). He even thinks that the name of the city may perhaps have been derived from this word. But, though such a word-play might not have been altogether at variance with the spirit of antiquity, it can scarcely be supposed to have such controlling influence in our passage. For then why is not the word used by Gideon? But instead of it, other and rather remote terms are chosen. The choice of the punishment denounced seems to have a deeper reason. The magistracy of Succoth refuses bread: is not that of itself a mocking reference to the food which the desert affords? But what does Gideon find there? That which can nourish, not men, but at best only the camel, that marvel of the desertacaciathorns, thistles, tarfa-needles, springing up amid sand and rock. Shall he thresh these like grain, in order to bake bread? He requites their mockery, by promising with such thorns to belabor their flesh. Hence, the most probable explanation of will continue to be that, which, after the constant exegetical tradition of the Jews, makes it thistles or thorns (Raschi explains it by the French ronces, briers), and the same as those already indicated by thorns of the desert. The idea suggests itself that kotse hamidbar may only precede barkanim by way of explanation; in which case would have the sense of namely: thorns of the desert, namely barkanim.7 For that Barka (Barca) designates stony syrtes, may be considered as made out (see on Jdg 1:4). The thorns meant are probably those of the acacia, called talh by the Arabs, which cover the ground to such an extent, that many Arabs are accustomed to carry thorn-extractors about them (cf. Ritter, xiv. 207, 336).

That the threatened chastisement corresponds to the expressions made use of by the ungrateful citizens in reply to Gideons request, is evident from the fact that, though he receives the same treatment from the inhabitants of Penuel, he does not threaten them with the same punishment. These, who deemed themselves secure in their tower, he promises to tear down that bulwark of their pride. : not exactly, when I return in peace; but, when I return prosperously, with success and victory.

Jdg 8:10-12. And Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor. We are yet to trace the course of Gideons pursuit. Succoth lay beyond the Jordan, for he came to it after crossing the river (Jdg 8:4; cf. Jos 13:27). It was, moreover, south of the Jabbok (Zerka), for the scene of Jacobs wrestling was north of that stream, he alone having remained behind, while his people had crossed over (Gen 32:23-24). The place of the wrestling was afterwards occupied by Penuel. When morning had come, Jacob passed over the stream at Penuel (Gen 32:31), joined his family, met Esau, and afterwards came to Succoth, which was therefore south of the Jabbok. This position of Succoth agrees with that in which we left Gideon at his meeting with Ephraim. That tribe had guarded the Wady el Faria and the fords in its neighborhood. It was in the vicinity of this Wady that they met with Gideon, prosecuting the pursuit, and brought him the heads of the captured princes. Now, if he passed over at this point, he would land south of the Jabbok, and reach Succoth first. He then crossed the Jabbok, and came to Penuel: The hiding-place of the terrified enemy was no secret to him. There is in Haurn an almost unassailable place of refuge for the robber tribesthe volcanic rock-desert of Sfa (both in the wider and narrower sense), concerning which some very valuable information is given by Wetzstein. It embraces a fertile district, a Ruhbeh, Paradise, for some months of the year, which is almost as inaccessible as Paradise. Says Wetzstein (Hauran, p. 15, etc.): Here is the stronghold of the Gjt, and Stye, and all the tribes of the eastern slope of the Haurn mountains. The people of Syria have a proverbial expression which says, he fled into the War of the Sfa, i. e., into an unassailable refuge. The Ruhbeh can only be reached by two roads, from the north and the south. The northern is especially dangerous; even in our own days hostile tribes have made inroads at Rigin el Mara. The Sfa, and the whole of this terrible, rock-walled asylum, is what we are here to understand by the term , Karkor For this word signifies ruins, destruction: cf. Num 24:17 : he destroysall the sons of Sheth. The same verb is used, Isa 22:5, of the destruction of walls; and in Talmudic as well as modern Hebrew means destruction.8Such being the situation and topography of the place, the significance of the brief statement that the kings were in Karkor, becomes manifest. It not only explains the sense of security felt by the enemy, but also and especially displays the boldness, endurance, wisdom, and energy, with which Gideon followed them into their hiding-place. We can still trace his route; for it passed to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah. Nobah is the same as Kenath (Num 32:42), which again is the Kanatha of Roman times, and the Kanvt of the present. He who is north of the Jabbok, and passes east of Kanvt, if he be in search of an enemy retired to his hiding-place, must be bound for the Sfa. But Jogbehah also can be identified. Since Gideons way is said to have gone to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah,9 the latter must have lain farther north than the other, and there is thus the more reason for regarding it as the same with Johbah, the Shbah of Seetzen, Shuhubah of Buckingham (cf. Ritter, xv. 881), and Shubbah of Wetzstein.

Gideons attack was so unexpected and sudden, that a renewed attempt at flight fails (Jdg 8:12). The host, it is said, : terror seized it, so that no resistance was offered, and the army surrendered. The celerity of this victorious career, and its results, finds many parallels in the history of the desert tribes. When Mehemet Ali, in 1815, fought against Asyr in Arabia, he pursued the defeated enemy with such haste, that all his stores of subsistence had to be left behind, and he himself was at last reduced to a diet of dates. But he was rewarded for this by the capture of the chiefs of his adversaries, and many others went over to him (cf. Ritter, xii. 932). But that for which no parallels can be adduced, is Gideons aim, his cause for war, and the fewness of his enthusiastic warriors compared with the overwhelming numbers arrayed against him to the last. Even if the 120,000, lost by Midian in the course of their defeat, from the Hill of Moreh to Karkor, were a round number, a stream of blood nevertheless marked the track of the smitten tyrants, as it marked that of Napoleons retreat from Russia. It was probably from prisoners and wounded left behind, at Stations of Death, that Gideon learned the secret way into the rocky asylum, called hell by Arabic poets, on account of its volcanic formations, and now become a place of judgment for a seven years oppression (Jdg 6:1; compare the period of 18061813 in German history).

Jdg 8:13-17. And Gideon, the son of Joash, returned from the war from the Ascent of the Sun. The addition Son of Joash, is here put to Gideons name for the first time since his rising against idolatry. The glory of having finished the conflict, accrues to the family and name of Joash, because in the hour of danger he had sided with his son. For that the conflict is ended, was already Indicated by Jdg 8:10, which said that all that were left of the whole host were in Karkor. The victory over this remnant ended, not merely a battle, but , the war. The hero can now turn back, but not yet to his own house. He must first settle accounts with Succoth and Penuel. He comes to Succoth first. Had he returned the way he went, he must have reached Penuel first. His design was evidently to surprise both places, but chiefly Succoth, so that when he came to punish, the scourge might fall only on the persons who had deserved it. Bearing this in mind, the connection makes it clear that is not to be taken as a note of time,10 sunrise, but of locality. It is designed to explain how Gideon comes to reach Succoth first, and from a direction from which the inhabitants did not expect him. Gideon everywhere displays that great quality of a general, the skill to baffle the calculations of his adversary. What sort of a locality Maaleh Hacheres was, the following hypothesis may perhaps indicate with some degree of probability. Succoth lay in the valley of the Jordan, the Ghor, (Jos 13:27). The expression can only be used in connection with mountains (cf. Maaleh Akrabbim, Jdg 1:36). The heights from which Gideon descended in order to reach Succoth, were the mountains east of the Jordan, which unfortunately are yet too little known. About the names, also, which in earlier and later periods they bore, we are very much in the dark. Now, in the territory of Reuben, we find (Jos 13:19) a Tsereth Hashachar on the Mountain of the Valley. The name signifies the sun. Sunrise () always indicates the east side. Accordingly, in the passage just cited, we have a Tsereth Hashachar, i. e., Splendor of the Dawn, on the mountains of the Ghor, in the east. It may therefore be assumed with great probability that the name Ascent of the Sun also was borne by the heights of the mountains east of the Jordan, whether those mountains were named Sun or Sunrise on local, or what is more probable on religious grounds.

As Gideon appeared quite unexpectedly, he succeeded in laying hold, unnoticed, of a boy, who wrote down for him the names of those who composed the magistracy of the city. It is not without interest to observe that the boy () could write, that he knew the names of the authorities, and that these numbered seven and seventy, of whom seven or five may be regarded as , princes, and seventy or seventy-two as elders. if the government of the city was in the hands of certain families, the boy would not find it difficult to give their names. The astonishment and terror of the inhabitants were doubtless great. The more haughty they had formerly been, the more terrified were they now. It is to be carefully noted that Gideons purpose is to punish only the rulers of Succoth, and that after he has done it, the remark is made: 11 he taught the men of Succoth a lesson. This alone shows that the reading he threshed, already proposed by Serarius, and again by Bertheau, is not to be approved. For the fact that he took the elders of the city and the thorns, makes it clear that he cannot have chastised the people of Succoth. But he made themthe whole people,to know; gave them a lesson which showed how badly their rulers had acted, and what penalties such distrust and selfishness entail (which has been well apprehended by the Jewish expositors). At Penuel, however, which, having heard of the visitation of Succoth, had the folly to defend itself, the traitors lost their lives. It is truly admirable, how finely the narrative, with all its plainness, brings out the specially decisive points of view. Gideon went first to Succoth, because he did not wish to punish all the inhabitants, and it became necessary therefore to surprise the city, lest the guilty should escape, and to catch a boy, who unreservedly gives him their names. His purpose as to Penuel requires no surprisethe tower cannot run away; and it is the folly of the inhabitants, that in defending it, they lose their lives as well as their tower.

Jdg 8:18-21. And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna. This took place on his arrival at home, i. e. in Israel, for his son Jether was present, who, being but a boy, cannot have shared in the heroic expedition. The place cannot, however, be definitely determined; perhaps it was his old battlefield, the plain of Jezreel, where the people came flocking together, in order to behold the terrible kings in fetters.

The closing scene of Gideons dealings with these robber-kings, like every other in his history, is worthy of a hero who has been raised up to battle with the sword and mete out punishment. To spare the lives of enemies, especially of enemies so barbarous and cruel as these, was not the custom of antiquity, least of all in the east. Pyrrhus (in Seneca) says:12Lex nulla capto parcit aut pnam impedit; and even Josephus (Ant. ix. 4, 3) makes Elisha saywhat, however, he never did saythat it is right to kill captives taken in a just war. But Gideon, who respects the royalty of his captives, enemies though they be, would gladly spare them, and believes himself obliged at least to show them why he cannot do it. Through this circumstance, we hear of an occurrence otherwise unknowna fact which may suggest and cause us to regret how much other information has perhaps failed to reach us. The kings, it seems, had caught and slain on Mount Tabor the brothers of Gideon, sons of the same mother13 as well as father with himself. If is probable that this took place after some earlier battle, engaged in by Manassehbut without Gods helpagainst the invaders. They were put to death, though only engaged in defending their native land, and thoughas Zebah and Zalmunna flatteringly saythey looked like Gideon, like men of royal blood. In their persons, therefore, kingly bearing, stately presence and chivalrous valor, had not been respected; and shall Gideon spare those who were robbers and murderers of seven years standing? Impossible! Gideons sword has been whetted for the very purpose of administering righteous judgment. When Turnus entreated neas for his life, the latter, remembering that the former had slain Pallas, the son of Evander, and furiis accensus et ira terribilis, exclaimed, Pallas te immolat, etc., and thrust the spear into his heart (neid, xii. 949). And yet Turnus was a native of the country, and fought against aliens, and Pallas was neither son nor brother of neas. The intimation that the family of Joash had previously already bled for Israel, throws a new light on the question why of all men Gideon was selected to be the conqueror. However, notwithstanding their ill deserts, he does not treat his captives cruelly. He neither makes them objects of taunt or insult, nor uses them for purposes of ostentation and self-glorification. He does not load them with ignominy, as Sapor is said to have done to the Roman Emperor Valerian, and, according to the legend in Eutychius, Galerius to a Sapor, and Tamerlane to Bajazet.14 The honor of the captives was sufficiently consulted, even when Gideon wished to make his eldest son the executor of his sentence. But he, a boy, and apparently of timid bearing, shrinks from drawing his sword against the mighty foemen, still distinguished by royal state and show. And truly, they must have been terrible warriors; they ask not for life, as Turnus and Homeric warriors do, but desire to be slain by the hand of an equal, and not to be hacked and hewn by the sword of a boy; for, say they, as the man, so is his strength. They have no other request to make than that Gideon will kill them himself; and he complies with itthey fall by his sword. The moons which have hitherto ornamented their camels necks, he now takes off; an evidence that even in captivity they have experienced kingly treatment. That he does not take them off until after the kings are dead, indicates that they are the special insignia of royalty, and crescent-shaped. Thus, according to Philostratus (lib. ii. cap. 1), Apollonius of Tyana received the convoy of a camel from the Persian king, which headed the train, and by a golden ornament on its face indicated its royal ownership. In the poem of Statius (cf. Bochart, Hierozoicon, i. 17) the horse of Parthenopus, the fabled assailant of Thebes, wears crescent-shaped ornaments (lunata monilia). Mention is made of an Arabic expression, which speaks of moon-shaped camel ornaments (Ritter, xii. 486). The ornament, in its peculiar shape, was evidently an escutcheon of the ancient Ishmaelites, who were worshippers of the moon (Herod. iii. 8), as Scripture also speaks of a son of Joktan, the progenitor of many Arab tribes, whose name was Jerah, moon (Gen 10:26). The crescent of the Arabizing Ottomans of modern times may be referred to it as to its original For the lunul also, which adorned the shoes of ancient Roman senators and nobles, and whose significance was obscure even to antiquity (Plut. Quest. Rom., 73), had only the shape of the half-moon.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

[Henry: Faint and yet pursuing; much fatigued with what they had done, yet eager to do more. Our spiritual warfare must thus be prosecuted with what strength we have, though but little; it is many a time the true Christians case, fainting, yet pursuing.Bp. Hall: It is hard if those who fight the wars of God may not have necessary relief; that whilst the enemy dies by them, they should die by famine. If they had labored for God at home in peace, they had been worthy of maintenance; how much more now that danger is added to their toil?The same: Those that fight for our souls against spiritual powers, may challenge bread from us; and it is shameless unthankfulness to deny it.

The same (on the punishment of Succoth): I know not whether more to commend Gideons wisdom and moderation in the proceedings, than his resolution and justice in the execution of this business. I do not see him run furiously into the city, and kill the next; his sword has not been so drunken with blood, that it should know no difference; but he writes down the names of the princes, and singles them forth for revenge.The same: It is like, the citizens of Succoth would have been glad to succor Gideon, if their rulers had not forbidden. They must therefore escape, while their princes perish.The same (on Penuel): The place where Jacob wrestled with God and prevailed, now hath wrestled against God and takes a fall; they see God avenged, which would not believe Him delivering.Wordsworth: They who now despise the mercy of Christ as the Lamb, will hereafter feel the wrath of Christ as the Lion (Rev 5:5).Bush: The whole of this remarkable transaction tends to inspire us with confidence in God, and to encourage our exertions in his cause; but there are two lessons especially which we shall do well to learn from it: 1. To prosecute our spiritual warfare under all discouragements ourselves; and 2. To be careful to put no discouragements in the way of others. God is indignant with those who would weaken the hands of his people.

Bp. Hall: The slaughter of Gideons brethren was not the greatest sin of the Midianitish kings; [yet] this alone shall kill them, when the rest [of their sins] expected an unjust remission. How many lewd men hath God paid with some one sin for all the rest!Scott: Sins long forgotten must be accounted for to God.Tr.]

Footnotes:

[4][Jdg 8:6.Dr. Cassel: Hast thou the fist of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy hand, etc. Bertheau and Keil, in their commentaries, have the same rendering, merely changing Luthers plural, Sind die Faste, to the singular. is properly the hollow hand, the palm; accordingly the Dutch Version renders, rather awkwardly to be sure, Is dan the handpalm tan Zebah en Tsalmuna alreede in uwe hand, etc. The word fist, even if it did not somewhat alter the metaphor involved, lacks dignity in modern English, although it avoids the tameness of using hand twice. For an independent version, De Wettes would be better: Hast thou then Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy hand, etc.Tr.]

[5][Jdg 8:10.: singular, with plural suffix. Cf. Ges. Gram. Sect. 93, 9.Tr.]

[6][Jdg 8:13. . The above rendering takes no account of the . At would be better than from. It is literally, from at the ascent of the sun. It indicates the point to which Gideon came, and at which he turned back.Tr.]

[7]Analogies to this word, such as , thorn = (cf. and , , and frigus), cannot here be further investigated. In Scandinavian dialects, rhamnus, thornbush, is called getbark or geitbark.

[8]Eusebius (Onomast., Perthey, p. 252) does not say that this Karkor and Carcaria near Petra are one and the same place. Nor can they be the same. although the names may be similarly explained.

[9]Greek texts have a corrupt form . The Syrian version of Paul of Tela does not have the name at all (Rrdam, p. 169).

[10]For which the Jewish expositors decide, because they assign the previous expedition to the night-time.

[11]That need not necessarily be written (Bertheau), and is found elsewhere, has already been justly remarked by Keil, who refers to Num 16:5, and Job 32:7.

[12]Cf. Grotius, De Jure Pacis et Belli, lib. iii. 4, 10.

[13][Bush: In countries where polygamy is tolerated, the ties of brotherhood are, as might be expected, much more close and tender between those who are born of the same mother, than those who are connected only as the children of the same father. This explains why son of my mother was among the Hebrews, as now among the Arabs and others, a far more endearing expression than that of my brother, in the general sense The same remarks hold also of the tribes of Western Africa. Speaking of polygamy and family life among them, the Rev. J. G. Auer observes (Spirit of Missions for 1867, p. 729): Children cleave to their mother more than to their father, and a full brother or sister is called my mothers child.Tr.]

[14][On the first of these stories, see Gibbons Decline, etc., Milmans ed., Boston, i. 319; on the second, vol. vi. 271 note 58; on the third, vi. 26771, with Milmans note on p. 271.Tr.]

Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange

DISCOURSE: 269
FAINT, YET PURSUING

Jdg 8:4. Faint, yet pursuing.

THERE are those who speak of Gideon as a type of Christ. But, excepting as a deliverer raised up in an extraordinary manner to Israel, there is scarcely sufficient correspondence between him and our blessed Lord to justify such a representation of him. As an example to the Church in all ages, and especially as illustrating for our benefit the power and efficacy of faith, we can have no hesitation in commending him to your most particular attention: for he is not only set forth in Scripture under that character in common with many other eminent men, but, together with David and Samuel, he is proposed to us as a pattern which we are bound to follow: Seeing that we are encompassed with such a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us [Note: Heb 11:32-33; Heb 12:1.]. I would notice him, therefore, under the two-fold character of A deliverer to Israel, and A model to us: or, rather, instead of separating the two, I will combine them; that so the whole subject may come before us in a more luminous and useful point of view.

Let us, then, notice respecting Gideon,

I.

His ready obedience to the divine call

When convinced that God had called him to fight for Israel, he delayed not to execute his commission
[The Midianites had grievously oppressed Israel. By a kind of predatory warfare, they annually desolated the whole land. Gideon was threshing out some corn, in order to hide it from the Midianites: and God sent an angel to inform him, that, through his instrumentality, the country should be delivered from its invaders. This seemed to be an hopeless and almost impossible event: but when God had shewn him, by repeated signs, that the office of delivering Israel was committed to him, he cheerfully obeyed the call, and addressed himself to the work assigned him [Note: Jdg 6:1-35.] ]

The same promptitude, Brethren, is expected at your hands
[You are called to war against the enemies of God and his people. Satan has exercised a most tyrannic sway over the whole world, leading them captive at his will. But the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded the trumpet to be sounded throughout all your coasts, that you may flock to his standard, and arm yourselves for the combat. Let none say, The enemy is too powerful for me; I cannot venture to oppose him. The command is absolute; and every one of you must gird on his armour, and prepare to war a good warfare. Let there be no reluctance, Brethren, no timidity, no conferring with flesh and blood. It is a disgraceful bondage to which you have been subjected: and the time is come for you to free yourselves from it. I call on all of you, therefore, to obey the summons, and in every possible way to approve yourselves good soldiers of Jesus Christ.]
But be sure to follow in this,

II.

His simple dependence on divine aid

Admirably did Gideons faith display itself on this occasion
[Most particularly is this noticed in the Epistle to the Hebrews: By faith Gideon and the others subdued kingdoms [Note: Heb 11:33.]. There came, in obedience to his summons, two-and-thirty thousand men. But God directed him to dismiss from amongst them all who were timid: and instantly was his army reduced to ten thousand men. But even these were more than God chose to employ: and therefore Gideon was ordered to bring them down to a stream, and to separate those who lapped like a dog, from those who bowed down to drink like cattle; and to reserve the former only for his companions in arms. Of those who lapped, there were only three hundred; and these were all who were left him to go against the Midianites, who amounted in all to one hundred and thirty-five thousand men. But not even these were to be employed in one compact body: no: scarcely two of them were to be together: they were to occupy an immense tract of ground, surrounding the whole camp of Midian. Nor were they to make a simultaneous attack: but to take, every one of them, a pitcher and a lamp and a trumpet, and to break their pitchers and blow their trumpets, and to stand in their place, crying, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. What an armament, and what a disposal of the troops, according to the judgment of sense, was this! It was the direct way to have every soul amongst them slain in an instant: for not one of them could escape through darkness; since every one held his lamp, as it were, for the express purpose of making himself a mark for the spear or sword of his enemy [Note: Jdg 7:1-21.]. But Gideon presumed not to sit in judgment on the directions given him. It was sufficient for him to know what Gods appointment was; and to that he submitted, without hesitation or delay.]

It is also the good fight of faith which you are now called to fight
[There must be no dependence on an arm of flesh. You must go forth in the strength of the Lord, and of him only. To overcome through the simple exercise of faith, may appear strange; but it is the way appointed by God himself, who will have all the honour of your success, and will suffer no flesh to glory in his presence. To stand still, and see the salvation of God with you, may appear to savour of presumption: but it is infinitely greater presumption to invade the prerogative of God, and to take on ourselves the work that belongs to him alone. The proclamation of his name, and the exhibition of his light, are doubtless proper, as his appointed means for advancing his own glory; but of themselves they can effect no more for the subjugation of our enemies, than could the blowing of trumpets to destroy the walls of Jericho, or the breaking of pitchers to subdue the armies of Midian and of Amalek. It is by faith you are to walk, and not by sight: and according to your faith it shall be done unto you.]
You must further imitate,

III.

His full determination never to relax his efforts

Gideon, though faint from the excess of his exertions, yet pursued his enemies
[A panic having struck the Midianites, they, by mistake, slew one another, so that not less than one-hundred-and-twenty thousand of them fell that night. The remaining fifteen thousand fled. Now Gideon might well have said, The enemy is so weakened, that they cannot invade us any more: I will now, therefore, with my little band of soldiers, take my rest. But he would not on any account act thus. As long as there were any of his enemies remaining, he would pursue them. Though he was quite faint with fatigue, he would not cease from his exertions; but followed them, and fell upon them, and slew them, and took captive both their kings, both Zebah and Zalmunna.]
What a bright example is here for us!

[There must, of necessity, be times and seasons when we are ready to faint in our great warfare, and to wish, as it were, for some relaxation from our labour. Who has not experienced both weariness in duties, and dejection of mind, too, in the conflicts which he has had to sustain? But it must be time enough for us to rest when we get to heaven. St. Paul was troubled on every side, yet not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed [Note: 2Co 4:8-9.]: for which cause he fainted not [Note: 2Co 4:16.]. So must it be with us: whatever progress we have made, we must forget the things which are behind, and press forward to that which is before. We must never be weary in well-doing, or, if weary in it, we must never be weary of it. Whoever sees us, must see us still pursuing, and determining never to rest, till every enemy be subdued, and Satan himself be for ever bruised under our feet.]

Above all, we must follow him in,

IV.

His assured expectation of ultimate success

This was very conspicuous
[His own countrymen, both of Succoth and Penuel, refused even to administer food to his weary soldiers, lest the Midianites should visit it with signal judgments, after having recovered from their present panic. They even ridiculed the sanguine expectations of Gideon, saying, Are Zebah and Zalmunna yet fallen into thy hands, that I should incense them by giving relief to thee? But, notwithstanding the Midianites were fifty times as numerous as he, he expresses no doubt of final victory over them, and declares to his ungrateful countrymen how he will punish their ingratitude on his return from the expedition.]
Thus should we also hold fast our confidence firm unto the end
[Whatever victories we may have gained, our enemies would soon vanquish us, if we were left to ourselves. But we should never for a moment give way to unbelieving fears. We should neither consider our own weakness, nor the strength of our enemies; but should regard the mightiest foes merely as bread for us; as bread, which we shall devour, even as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. We should know in whom we have believed; and be confident of this very thing, that He who hath begun the good work in us will carry it on, and perfect it until the day of Christ. However powerful our adversaries may appear, we should say to them, Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain. Has God said, No weapon that is formed against us shall prosper? We should go on in full anticipation of victory, and in a certain assurance, that, whatever conflicts we may have to maintain, we shall be more than conquerors, through Him that loved us.]

Application

[Are any of you faint, my beloved Brethren? I will not act the part of the men of Penuel or Succoth, but will most gladly set before you all the richest provisions which we possess. Here is bread of the finest quality, the very bread that came down from heaven, that will not only strengthen and refresh your souls, but actually give life to the dead: and, if you eat to the full of that, you shall go on in the strength of it to the latest hour of your lives. Consider under whose banners you fight; even under the banners of the Lord Jesus Christ himself Consider with whom you are contending: they are vanquished enemies; as our Lord himself has told us: Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world Consider where your strength lies: not in yourselves, but in the Captain of your salvation, who has said, that his grace shall be sufficient for you, and his strength be perfected in your weakness Consider, finally, what will be the fruits of victory; even glory and honour and immortality, in the presence, and in the bosom, of your God Will you, then, draw back? God forbid! Let me rather urge you to proceed: for, faint as ye are, ye shall surely overcome. Of Gideons army, so far as we know, there died not one; whilst the entire host of his enemies were slain. So shall all the powers of darkness fall before you, and not so much as a hair of your head shall perish. It is not the will of your Father that one of his little ones should perish. In a word, Be not weary in well-doing: for in due season you shall reap, if you faint not.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

Reader! remark the state of Gideon’s little army; faint, yet pursuing. Is not this the exact representation of all the army of Jesus? Who more faint than the harassed soldier of the great Captain of our salvation? Who gives over less than he who holds on, and holds out, and is faithful unto death, that no man may take his crown? Rev 3:11 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

“Handfuls of Purpose”

For All Gleaners

“Faint, yet pursuing.” Jdg 8:4 .

A description of many a Christian heart. We shall be judged, not by the faintness, but by the pursuit. Not what the heart does, but what the heart would do, will be God’s question. Sometimes we are so faint that we can only look in the right direction, but the direction being right, the look shall be regarded as equal to pursuit. There is a moral meaning in attitudes. Endeavours are often construed into actions. He who would give a cup of cold water to a disciple if he could, will be accounted as having done it. Men will be judged by what has been in their hearts; then the first will be last, and the last will be first. Allowance is made for faintness, for there is only One that fainteth not, neither is weary. God knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. Men must not be too deeply discouraged because of their faintness, but must often look upon it as part of their very mortality. Even the apostle said the flesh was weak when the spirit was willing; but he knew that God would judge by the spirit, and not by the flesh. At the same time we must be severe in our judgment upon ourselves, lest we suppose that a pleasant dream, which imposes no sacrifice, should be enough as proof of our Christian fidelity. We must not assume faintness by easily giving way to discouragement. Against some faintness we can bravely struggle, and our very struggling may overcome it. Indolence must not be mistaken for this faintness. Selfish calculation must not be allowed to take its place. We must be true to ourselves in all these matters, or we cannot realise the Mewing that is promised. When a man tells lies to himself about his faintness, he will soon relinquish his pursuit. We can whisper where we cannot speak aloud. We may be able to hold out a hand when we cannot utter a tone. We can put large meaning into looks and postures. There is no mistaking an earnest man. Even his feebleness may be so used as to become an element of spiritual strength.

Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker

Jdg 8:4 And Gideon came to Jordan, [and] passed over, he, and the three hundred men that [were] with him, faint, yet pursuing [them].

Ver. 4. And Gideon came to Jordan. ] This was before that bickering he had with the Ephraimites, though set down after it.

Faint, yet pursuing. ] So Daniel, though sick, did the king’s business. “Continue instant in prayer.” Rom 12:12

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

faint: 1Sa 14:28, 1Sa 14:29, 1Sa 14:31, 1Sa 14:32, 1Sa 30:10, 2Co 4:8, 2Co 4:9, 2Co 4:16, Gal 6:9, Heb 12:1-4

Reciprocal: Gen 25:29 – and he Jdg 7:25 – on the other side Jdg 9:17 – fought Jdg 15:18 – he was sore 2Sa 16:2 – that such 2Sa 17:29 – The people Isa 21:14 – brought Mar 8:3 – General Heb 11:34 – out of

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jdg 8:4. Gideon came to Jordan and passed over Or rather, had passed over, for he went over Jordan before Oreb and Zeeb were taken; but this is not mentioned till now, that what concerned the Ephraimites might be related all together, without interruption. And the three hundred men with him Who here show the same noble spirit, fortitude, contempt of ease, and regard to what they were engaged in, which Gideon manifested; for though they were faint with hunger, and much fatigued through what they had done, yet they were eager to do still more against the enemies of their country, and therefore persisted to pursue them. Thus our spiritual warfare must be prosecuted with what strength we have, though we may have but little. This is frequently the true Christians case: like Gideon and his men, he is faint, yet pursuing.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Jdg 8:4-21. The Pursuit on the East of Jordan.This section is not continuous with the preceding one. The men of Israel, who were gathered together after the battle (Jdg 7:23), and the Ephraimites, who were so eager to prove what they could do, are heard of no more. Gideon is again alone with his 300 (Jdg 8:4); the men of Succoth and Penuel, ignorant of any battle or rout, think his campaign against the Midianites a hopeless affair; and when he at length reaches the enemy he finds them secure, apparently having neither been, nor expecting to be, disturbed (11). Plainly we have here a different tradition.

Jdg 8:4. For faint and (not yet) pursuing the LXX has faint and hungry, which suits the next verse, where there is a request for bread. Succoth (Gen 33:17) and Penuel (Gen 32:30 f.) have not been identified; they must have been near the Jabbok.

Jdg 8:7. For tear read thresh. Provoked by the inhospitality of the princes of Succoth, Gideon threatens to throw them naked into a bed of thorns and trample them down.

Jdg 8:10. The site of Karkor is also unknown. The enormous figures, as in Jdg 8:19-21, were probably due to R.[Jdg 8:14. This lad could write (mg.) an interesting and rather suggestive fact, but it would be extravagant to infer that writing was a universal accomplishment.A. S. P.]

Jdg 8:16. For taught read with LXX, threshed. The savage threat is carried out. It is difficult to believe that the Gideon of this tradition is the man whom we know and love in the other stories. But compare what even David is said to have done (2Sa 12:31), and contrast Luk 9:56.

Jdg 8:18-21. The two nomad chieftains faced death with the stoical fortitude of American Indians.

Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible

Gideon’s capture of the two Midianite kings 8:4-12

Succoth and Penuel (a variant of Peniel, cf. Gen 32:30) were towns that stood on the east side of the Jordan beside the Jabbok River. The residents of these villages lived closer to the Midianites than most of the Israelites did, and they may have made an alliance with them. It is understandable that they did not want to jeopardize their security by assisting Gideon, who appeared to them to be much weaker than their Midianite neighbors.

"In these words [denying Gideon bread, Jdg 8:6] there is not only an expression of cowardice, or fear of the vengeance which the Midianites might take when they returned upon those who had supported Gideon and his host, but contempt of the small force which Gideon had, as if it were impossible for him to accomplish anything at all against the foe; and in this contempt they manifested their utter want of confidence in God." [Note: Keil and Delitzsch, p. 352.]

A spirit of regionalism had developed in Israel since the days of Joshua. These Transjordanian Israelites showed no sense of brotherhood or national responsibility. Their lack of cooperation illustrates what both Moses and Joshua feared would happen to the Israelites who lived east of the Jordan River (Num 32:6-15; Num 32:20-27; Jos 22:13-20). The seeds of national disintegration had germinated.

Denied provisions by these two Israelite towns, Gideon continued to pursue the remaining 15,000 Midianite soldiers (or 15 units) southeast. When he caught up with them he attacked by surprise (Jdg 8:11). Perhaps the Midianites had not expected Gideon to pursue them so far, 20 miles east of the Jordan River. The Israelites presumably had not done so when the Midianites had conducted their yearly raids in the past. Gideon routed the remnant of the Midianite alliance and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)