Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 8:30
And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.
30. of his body begotten ] Only again in Gen 46:26 (‘which came out of his loins’) and Exo 1:5 P, cf. Gen 35:11 P. The more sons a man had, the greater his importance, cf. Jdg 10:4, Jdg 12:9.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And Gideon had seventy sons of his body begotten,…. Not after his victories, for it is plain he had children before; mention is made of Jether, his firstborn, as a youth able to draw a sword, and slay with it, Jud 8:20 but this was the number of all his sons, both before and after, and a large number it was; and the phrase “of his body begotten”, or “that went out of his thigh” is used to show that they were his own sons, begotten in wedlock, and not sons that he had taken into his family by adoption, or that he was father-in-law to, having married a woman or women that had sons by a former husband; but these were all his own:
for he had many wives; which, though not agreeable to the original law of marriage, was customary in those times, and even with good men, and was connived at; and this is a reason accounting for his having so many sons.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(30) Threescore and ten sons.According to Oriental fashion, no account is taken of his daughters.
He had many wives.It is clear that Gideon was a king in all but name. This is the most magnificent, but the least honourable, period of his career. In Deu. 17:17 it had been said of the future king, Neither shall he multiply wives to himself. . . . neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. Polygamy was only adopted on a large scale by rulers (Jdg. 10:4; Jdg. 12:9).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
30. Many wives So to the crime of sacrilege he added that of polygamy.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And Gideon had seventy sons begotten from his own body (literally ‘going out of his thigh’), for he had many wives. And his concubine who was in Shechem she also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech.’
Having been made sole ruler of his territory he began to behave like it. He married many wives and had many children. ‘Seventy’ indicates divine perfection intensified. Polygamy was not frowned on in those days but was mainly the privilege of the rich. But excessive polygamy always led to trouble, especially in the matter of inheritance of a kingship. It was specifically forbidden to those who would rule Israel (Deu 17:17).
A concubine is a slave wife or a wife of lower class coming without dowry, not suited to full wife status (Jdg 9:18), whose son would not be in line to inherit. Her son would grow up antagonistic to the ‘true’ sons. It appears she continued to live at Shechem, presumably with her father, probably so that she was available when Gideon spent time there judging the people. While she may not have been a worshipper of Baal she would undoubtedly have been heavily influenced in that direction and her religion was probably syncretistic, with ‘lord of the covenant’ (Baal-berith) being worshipped along with Yahweh, the true Lord of the Covenant, even possibly as Yahweh, but with ‘strange’ rites.
Abimelech’s name means ‘the king is my father’, probably given so that he had some prestige among his fellows especially in Shechem and to please his concubine. It proved to be a mistake for it gave him great ideas of his own importance. We should beware of giving ideas to people unless we intend them to be carried out. But originally such a name meant ‘Melech is my father’ (or Molech – with the vowels changed to those of ‘bosheth’ meaning shame) – possibly significant to the writer in the light of the fact that he slew his brothers as sacrifices in his father’s name – it was Melech who demanded human sacrifice. Thus his mother may have worshipped Melech.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Although from the infirmities and corruptions of our fallen nature, many of the early followers of the Lord, had more than one wife, yet, the Holy Ghost hath pointed out both the sin and folly of it; for, in every instance, we are taught what a trouble it produced in families; witness Abraham ‘ s household. Gen_16:2-5; Gen_21:9-11 . But, that those indulgencies sprung out of the corruption of our poor fallen nature, is evident from what our blessed Lord hath said upon it. See Mat 19:3-8 . Gideon seems to have had such partiality to this son of the concubine, as Abraham had to Ishmael: for the name Abimelech, signifies my father a king. How opposite, in many instances, are the feelings of nature to those of grace. Gen 17:18 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 8:30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.
Ver. 30. Of his body begotten. ] Heb., Going out of his thigh, in which there are veins, say anatomists, that go along to the genitals, and convey thither the matter for the seed of generation. Hence that expression of Abraham to his servant, Gen 24:2 “Put thine hand under my thigh,” out of which is to come the Messiah, “and swear,” &c. So Gen 47:29 ; Gen 46:26 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
threescore: Jdg 9:2, Jdg 9:5, Jdg 10:4, Jdg 12:9, Jdg 12:14, Gen 46:26, Exo 1:5, 2Ki 10:1
of his body begotten: Heb. going out of his thigh
many wives: Gen 2:24, Gen 7:7, Deu 17:17, 2Sa 3:2-5, 2Sa 5:13-16, 1Ki 11:3, Mal 2:15, Mat 19:5-8, Eph 5:31-33
Reciprocal: 1Sa 1:2 – two 2Ch 11:21 – eighteen wives 2Ch 13:21 – begat