Berean Standard Bible
Judges 8:27
27From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
Judges 8:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.
- New International Version (NIV)Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house.
Context of Judges 8:27
25“We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it. 26The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels. From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household. 28In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon, 29and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down.
Read all of Judges 8Judges 8:27 word by word
וַיַּעַשׂ֩ אוֹת֨וֹ גִדְע֜וֹן לְאֵפ֗וֹד וַיַּצֵּ֨ג אוֹת֤וֹ בְעִירוֹ֙ בְּעָפְרָ֔ה וַיִּזְנ֧וּ כָֽל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אַחֲרָ֖יו שָׁ֑ם וַיְהִ֛י לְגִדְע֥וֹן וּלְבֵית֖וֹ לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃Read the interlinear
- Gideonגִּדְעוֹןgid‛ôn · GideonH1439
- madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
- an ephodאֵפוֹד'êphôd 'êphôd · ephodH646
- which he placedיָצַגyâtsag · to setH3322
- in Ophrahעׇפְרָה‛ophrâh · OphrahH6084
- his hometownעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- But soon allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- prostituted themselvesזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
- by worshiping itאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- thereשָׁםshâm · thereH8033
- and it becameהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- a snareמוֹקֵשׁmôqêsh môqêsh · snareH4170
- and his householdבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
Cross-references for Judges 8:27
- Judges 17:5Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.
- Judges 18:14Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image, and a molten idol? Now think about what you should do.”
- Exodus 28:6They are to make the ephod of finely spun linen embroidered with gold, and with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn.
- 1 Samuel 23:9When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
- Isaiah 8:20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
- Judges 8:32Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
- Judges 6:11Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
- Deuteronomy 12:5Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.
- Exodus 23:33They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
- Psalms 73:27Those far from You will surely perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.
- Psalms 106:39They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.
- Hosea 2:2Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
- Hosea 4:12My people consult their wooden idols, and their divining rods inform them. For a spirit of prostitution leads them astray and they have played the harlot against their God.
- Judges 8:33And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.
- Deuteronomy 7:16You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
Commentaries on Judges 8:27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27Gideon made an ephod thereof - That is, he made an ephod out of this mass of gold; but he could not employ it all in making this one garment, for it is not likely that any man could wear a coat of nearly one hundred pounds weight. It is likely that he made a whole tabernacle service in miniature out of this gold. All Israel went thither a whoring after it - This form of speech often occurs, and has been often explained. The whole Jewish nation is…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27The ephod was that particular part of the high priest‘s dress which was necessary to be worst when he inquired of God by Urim and Thummim. It seems that Gideon being now the civil ruler, desired to have an ephod of his own, kept in his own city, to he worn by the priest whenever Gideon might summon him to inquire of the Lord for him. His relations with the tribe of Ephraim probably made him unwilling to resort to Shiloh. Compare the act of Jeroboam 1…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-28Verses 22-28 Gideon refused the government the people offered him. No good man can be pleased with any honour done to himself, which belongs only to God. Gideon thought to keep up the remembrance of this victory by an ephod, made of the choicest of the spoils. But probably this ephod had, as usual, a teraphim annexed to it, and Gideon intended this for an oracle to be consulted. Many are led into false ways by one false step of a good man. It became a…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27An ephod was usually part of the priest's clothing (Exodus 28:6–30). Samuel and David also wore one (1 Samuel 2:18; 2 Samuel 6:14; 1 Chronicles 15:27). However, in Judges 17:5 and 18:14–18, the ephod seems to have been a gold image, which became an idol.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2727. Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, ... Ophrah--That no idolatrous use was in view, nor any divisive course from Shiloh contemplated, is manifest from Jud 8:33. Gideon proposed, with the gold he received, to make an ephod for his use only as a civil magistrate or ruler, as David did (1Ch 15:27), and a magnificent pectoral or breastplate also. It would seem, from the history, that he was not blamable in making this ephod, as a civil…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 8:27
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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