Amplified Bible
Judges 8:2
2But he said to them, “What have I done now [that is so significant] in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning (leftovers) of the grapes of [your tribe of] Ephraim better than the vintage (entire harvest) of [my clan of] Abiezer?
Judges 8:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi–ezer?
- New International Version (NIV)But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he said to them, "What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
- New King James Version (NKJV)So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
Context of Judges 8:2
1And the men of [the tribe of] Ephraim said to Gideon, “What is this thing that you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight with Midian?” And they quarreled with him vehemently. But he said to them, “What have I done now [that is so significant] in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning (leftovers) of the grapes of [your tribe of] Ephraim better than the vintage (entire harvest) of [my clan of] Abiezer? 3God has given the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb into your hands; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger toward him subsided when he made this statement. 4So Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over [the river], he and the three hundred men who were with him—exhausted, yet [still] pursuing [the enemy].
Read all of Judges 8Judges 8:2 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵיהֶ֔ם מֶה־עָשִׂ֥יתִי עַתָּ֖ה כָּכֶ֑ם הֲל֗וֹא ט֛וֹב עֹלְל֥וֹת אֶפְרַ֖יִם מִבְצִ֥יר אֲבִיעֶֽזֶר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto them, What have I doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- not the gleaningעֹלֵלוֹת‛ôlêlâh · gleaningH5955
- of the grapes of Ephraimאֶפְרַ֫יִם'ephrayim · EphraimH669
- betterטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- than the vintageבָּצִירbâtsîyr · vintageH1210
- of Abi–ezerאֲבִיעֶ֫זֶר'ăbîy‛ezer · AbiezerH44
Cross-references for Judges 8:2
- 1 Corinthians 13:4Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant.
- Galatians 5:14For the whole Law [concerning human relationships] is fulfilled in one precept, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, you shall have an unselfish concern for others and do things for their benefit].”
- Philippians 2:2make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love [toward one another], knit together in spirit, intent on one purpose [and living a life that reflects your faith and spreads the gospel—the good news regarding salvation through faith in Christ].
- James 1:19Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];
- James 3:13Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him by his good conduct show his [good] deeds with the gentleness and humility of true wisdom.
- Judges 6:11Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, and his son Gideon was beating wheat in the wine press [instead of the threshing floor] to [hide it and] save it from the Midianites.
Commentaries on Judges 8:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Is not the gleaning, etc. - That is, The Ephraimites have performed more important services than Gideon and his men; and he supports the assertion by observing that it was they who took the two Midianitish generals, having discomfited their hosts at the passes of Jordan.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2A civil war with the great tribe of Ephraim would soon have turned Israel‘s victory into mourning. Gideon therefore soothes their wounded pride by confessing that Ephraim had done more, though they had joined him so late in the day, than he had been able to effect in the whole campaign. The grape-gleaning of Ephraim was better than the whole vintage of Abi-ezer.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3Ephraim, the leading tribe of the north-central hill country, produced only a minor judge named Tola (Judges 10:1). The Ephraimites felt left out of the battle because they wanted a share of the spoils. When called, they completed the task. Gideon responded with grace and humility, calming Ephraim’s anger (see Proverbs 15:1; compare with Jephthah, Judges 12:1–4). The victories of Gideon and Ephraim over Oreb and Zeeb and their armies became legendary…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-32-3. he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you?--His mild and truly modest answer breathes the spirit of a great as well as good man, who was calm, collected, and self-possessed in the midst of most exciting scenes. It succeeded in throwing oil on the troubled waters (Pr 16:1), and no wonder, for in the height of generous self-denial, it ascribes to his querulous brethren a greater share of merit and glory than belonged to himself (1Co…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 8:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Judges 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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