Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 28. Forty years in the days of Gideon.] The Midianites were so completely humbled that they could make head no more against Israel during the forty years in which the government of Gideon lasted.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Lifted up their heads no more, i.e. recovered not their former strength or courage, so as to conquer or oppress others, as they had done.

Forty years, i.e. to the fortieth year, from the beginning of the Midianitish oppression: see on Jdg 3:11.

In the days of Gideon, i.e. as long as Gideon lived.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

28. Thus was Midian subdued beforethe children of IsraelThis invasion of the Arab hordes intoCanaan was as alarming and desolating as the irruption of the Hunsinto Europe. It was the severest scourge ever inflicted upon Israel;and both it and the deliverance under Gideon lived for centuries inthe minds of the people (Ps83:11).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel,…. By the hand of Gideon humbled and brought under, their power over Israel was broken, and they delivered out of their hands:

so that they lifted up their heads no more; in a proud and haughty manner to insult them, and in an hostile way to invade and oppress them; such a blow was given them that they could not recover themselves, nor do we read of any effort of theirs ever after, or of their giving or attempting to give any disturbance to Israel, or any other nation:

and the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon; that is, the land of Canaan; it was free from wars with Midian, or any other people, and enjoyed undisturbed peace and tranquillity. According to Bishop Usher m, this was the fortieth year from the rest restored by Deborah and Barak; and, according to Abarbinel and others, these forty years are to be reckoned from the beginning of the servitude; that is, the seven years’ oppression under the Midianites are included in them; but I cannot see that in this instance, and in others before met with, years of bondage can be counted with years of peace and prosperity, and go under that general name. The true sense seems to be, that after the Israelites had been in subjection to the Midianites for seven years, and Gideon had delivered them, that from thenceforward they had rest and quietness forty years, which in all probability was the time Gideon lived after his victories.

m Annal. Vet. Test. p. 43.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The history of Gideon is concluded in Jdg 8:28-32. – Jdg 8:28. The Midianites had been so humiliated that they lifted up their head no more, and the land of Israel had rest forty years “ in the days of Gideon, ” i.e., as long as Gideon lived.

Jdg 8:29-31

Before the account of his death, a few other notices respecting his family are introduced for the purpose of preparing the way for the following history of the doings of his sons, in which the sin of Gideon came to a head, and the judgment burst upon his house. “ And Jerubbaal, the son of Joash, went and dwelt in his house. ” Both the word , which simply serves to bring out the fact more vividly (see the remarks on Exo 2:1), and also the choice of the name Jerubbaal, merely serve to give greater prominence to the change, from the heat of the war against the Midianites to the quiet retirement of domestic life. Instead of accepting the crown that was offered him and remaining at the head of the nation, the celebrated Baal-fighter retired into private life again. In addition to the seventy sons of his many wives, there was a son born to him by a concubine, who lived at Shechem and is called his maid-servant in Jdg 9:18, and to this son he gave the name of Abimelech, i.e., king’s father. is not the same as , to give a person a name, but signifies to add a name, or give a surname (see Neh 9:7, and Dan 5:12 in the Chaldee). It follows from this, that Abimelech received this name from Gideon as a cognomen answering to his character, and therefore not at the time of his birth, but when he grew up and manifested such qualities as led to the expectation that he would be a king’s father.

Jdg 8:32

Gideon died at a good old age (see Gen 15:15; Gen 25:8), and therefore also died a peaceful death (not so his sons; see Judg 9), and was buried in his father’s grave at Ophrah (Jdg 6:11).

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Gideon’s Family, vs. 28-35

Verse 28-29 are a summary statement of Gideon’s victory. So complete was the defeat of Midian that they never lifted themselves up again to threaten Israel. The land had peace for forty years. The number forty becomes significant in the Lord’s dealing with Israel, as a period of trial and proving. (Note Jdg 3:11; Jdg 5:31, and Ehud’s judgeship, which is forty doubled, Jdg 3:30.)

The prominence of Gideon, who now began to be called Jerubbaal, is seen in verse 30-32. He established his own house in Ophrah, exhibited moral weakness in his polygamy and concubinage, producing seventy sons by polygamy and one by his concubine. This last would be a great catastrophe for Israel after his father’s death. Finally, the great judge of Israel died and was buried with great honors in the possessions of his family, the Abi-ezrites.

After the death of Gideon the Israelites went right back to their old way of forsaking the Lord and worshipping Baal. This time they took a flagrant step farther in defying the Lord. They set up Baalberithas their own particular god. His name meant “lord of the covenant”, thus honoring this false god as the one with whom they had made their covenant and who did all the wonderful things which God had done, (2Pe 1:9). They also forgot the good leadership of Gideon and the kind and good things he had done for them. How they abused his house will appear in the next chapter. ,