English Standard Version
Judges 8:21
21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength." And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
Judges 8:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.
- New International Version (NIV)Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’ ” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels’ necks.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Be a man! Kill us yourself!” So Gideon killed them both and took the royal ornaments from the necks of their camels.
Context of Judges 8:21
19And he said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you." 20So he said to Jether his firstborn, "Rise and kill them!" But the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a young man. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength." And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels. 22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian." 23Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you."
Read all of Judges 8Judges 8:21 word by word
וַיֹּ֜אמֶר זֶ֣בַח וְצַלְמֻנָּ֗ע ק֤וּם אַתָּה֙ וּפְגַע־בָּ֔נוּ כִּ֥י כָאִ֖ישׁ גְּבוּרָת֑וֹ וַיָּ֣קָם גִּדְע֗וֹן וַֽיַּהֲרֹג֙ אֶת־זֶ֣בַח וְאֶת־צַלְמֻנָּ֔ע וַיִּקַּח֙ אֶת־הַשַּׂ֣הֲרֹנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּצַוְּארֵ֥י גְמַלֵּיהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then Zebahזֶ֫בַחzebach · ZebahH2078
- and Zalmunnaצַלְמֻנָּעtsalmûnnâ‛ · ZalmunnaH6759
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Riseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
- thou, and fallפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
- upon us: for as the manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- his strengthגְּבוּרָהgebûrâh · mightH1369
- And Gideonגִּדְעוֹןgid‛ôn · GideonH1439
- and slewהָרַגhârag · to killH2026
- and took awayלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- the ornamentsשַׂהֲרוֹןώahărôn · crescentH7720
- on their camels’גָּמָלgâmâl · camelH1581
- necksצַוָּארtsavvâ'r tsavvâr tsavvârôn tsavvâ'râh · neckH6677
Cross-references for Judges 8:21
- Judges 9:54Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
- 1 Samuel 31:3The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.
- Revelation 9:6And in those days people will seek death and will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
- Psalms 83:1O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
- Isaiah 3:18In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents;
Commentaries on Judges 8:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise, thou, and fall upon us - It was disgraceful to fall by the hands of a child; and the death occasioned by the blows of such a person must be much more lingering and tormenting. Some have even employed children to despatch captives. Civilis, a Roman knight, headed a revolt of the Gauls against Rome, in the year of the city 824. Of him Tacitus says, Hist. lib. iv., c. 61: Ferebatur parvulo filio quosdam captivorum sagittis…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21The ornaments - See marg. and compare Isaiah 3:18. The custom of adorning the necks of their camels with gold chains and ornaments prevailed among the Arabs so late as the time of Mahomet.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-21Verses 18-21 The kings of Midian must be reckoned with. As they confessed themselves guilty of murder, Gideon acted as the avenger of blood, being the next of kin to the persons slain. Little did they think to have heard of this so long after; but murder seldom goes unpunished in this life. Sins long forgotten by man, must be accounted for to God. What poor consolation in death from the hope of suffering less pain, and of dying with less disgrace than…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21crescent ornaments (headbands and crescents in Isaiah 3:18): These were common among desert nomads. Jewelry was a lightweight means of carrying wealth.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 10-2710. Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor--a town on the eastern confines of Gad. The wreck of the Midianite army halted there.Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 8:21
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries