English Standard Version
Judges 8:27
27And 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.
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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.
Context of Judges 8:27
25And they answered, "We will willingly give them." And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. 26And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 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. 28So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon. 29Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house.
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
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Gideonגִּדְעוֹןgid‛ôn · GideonH1439
- madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- an ephodאֵפוֹד'êphôd 'êphôd · ephodH646
- thereof, and putיָצַגyâtsag · to setH3322
- it in his cityעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
- in Ophrahעׇפְרָה‛ophrâh · OphrahH6084
- and all Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- went thither a whoringזָנָהzânâh · to fornicateH2181
- afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
- it: which thing became a snareמוֹקֵשׁmôqêsh môqêsh · snareH4170
- and to his houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
Cross-references for Judges 8:27
- Judges 17:5And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest.
- Judges 18:14Then the five men who had gone to scout out the country of Laish said to their brothers, "Do you know that in these houses there are an ephod, household gods, a carved image, and a metal image? Now therefore consider what you will do."
- Exodus 28:6"And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked.
- 1 Samuel 23:9David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here."
- Isaiah 8:20To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.
- Judges 8:32And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
- Judges 6:11Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
- Deuteronomy 12:5But you shall seek the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go,
- Exodus 23:33They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."
- Psalms 73:27For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
- Psalms 106:39Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.
- Hosea 2:2"Plead with your mother, plead— for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband— that she put away her whoring from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts;
- Hosea 4:12My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore.
- Judges 8:33As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god.
- Deuteronomy 7:16And you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries