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Judges 8:27-29
New English Translation
Judges 8:27-29
New English Translation
27 Gideon used all this to make[a] an ephod,[b] which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites[c] prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it[d] there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.
Gideon’s Story Ends
28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken.[e] The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time.[f] 29 Then Jerub Baal son of Joash went home and settled down.[g]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 8:27 tn Heb “made it into.”
- Judges 8:27 sn In Exod 28:4-6 and several other texts an ephod is described as a priestly or cultic garment. In some cases an ephod is used to obtain a divine oracle (1 Sam 23:9; 30:7). Here the ephod is made of gold and is described as being quite heavy (70-75 lbs?). Some identify it as an idol, but it was more likely a cultic object fashioned in the form of a garment which was used for oracular purposes. For discussion of the ephod in the OT, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 236-43, and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 349-52.
- Judges 8:27 tn Heb “Israel” (a collective singular).
- Judges 8:27 tn The words “by worshiping it” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 8:28 tn Heb “Midian was humbled before the Israelites, and they no longer lifted their heads.”
- Judges 8:28 tn Heb “in the days of Gideon.”
- Judges 8:29 tn Heb “went and lived in his house.”
Judges 8:27-29
New International Version
Judges 8:27-29
New International Version
27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod,(A) which he placed in Ophrah,(B) his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare(C) to Gideon and his family.(D)
Gideon’s Death
28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head(E) again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace(F) forty years.
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