Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 8:8
And he went up thence to Penuel, and spoke unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered [him].
8. Penuel ] See on Jdg 8:5. A place of some importance, for it was fortified by Jeroboam, 1Ki 12:25; its tower may have commanded the Jabbok ford. An explanation of the name is given in Gen 32:30. A different explanation is suggested by the name of the promontory S. of Tripolis, on the Syrian coast, which Strabo (p. 642 ed. Mller) calls ‘face of God’; some cliff or boulder near the spot looked like a huge face.
When I come again in peace ] A similar threat of retaliation for an insult is still used by the Arabs in the same district: ‘By God, when I come again in peace, nowhere but in the breast!’ Schumacher, Mittheil. u. Nachr. D.P.V. 1904, 76.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Succoth was in the valley or Ghor of the Jordan Jdg 8:5, and Penuel apparently in the mountain. No identification of Penuel has taken place. It was south of the Brook Jabbok, and on Jacobs way to Succoth. Gideon, journeying in the opposite direction to Jacob, comes from Succoth to Penuel.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Penuel; another city beyond Jordan; of which see Gen 32:30; 1Ki 12:25.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. he went up thence to Penuel, andspake unto them likewisea neighboring city, situated also inthe territory of Gad, near the Jabbok, and honored with this name byJacob (Gen 32:30; Gen 32:31).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he went up thence to Penuel,…. A place not far from Succoth, and to which also Jacob gave name, from the Lord’s appearing to him there face to face, Ge 32:30 but here was nothing of God in this place now:
and spoke unto them likewise; desired bread for his men, as he had of the inhabitants of Succoth:
and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him; denied him his request in the same jeering manner.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(8) He went up thence to Penuel.Penuel was also in the tribe of Gad, on the heights above the Jordan valley, on the southern bank of the Jabbok. The name means face of God, from Jacobs vision (Gen. 32:30). It is again mentioned as a fortified town in 1Ki. 12:25, but the site has not been identified.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8. Penuel The place at the fords of the Jabbok (Zurka) where Jacob wrestled with the angel. Gen 32:30. Its site has not been identified.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he went up thence to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.’
He and his men received the same treatment at Penuel. Again the tribal covenant with Yahweh was ignored in the interests of safety. The only possible inference is that they too did not expect Gideon and his men to return alive. Both knew what they were doing and would not be surprised at Gideon’s threats. In theory they would have agreed the rightness of them. The covenant with Yahweh was binding and the penalty for failing to respond to it was death. They knew they were breaching the covenant. This demonstrates how lax the response to the covenant was becoming east of Jordan.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jdg 8:8 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].
Ver. 8. And the men of Penuel answered him. ] Not the rulers only, as at Succoth: but the common people also.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Gen 32:30, Gen 32:31, 1Ki 12:25
Reciprocal: Gen 33:17 – Succoth Gen 47:15 – Give us bread