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Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Judges 8:16

He then took thorns and briers from the desert and used them to punish the leaders of Sukkoth.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Gideon;   Government;   Israel;   Patriotism;   Retaliation;   Succoth;   Zalmunna;   Zebah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ishmaelites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Peniel or Penuel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gideon;   Gilead;   Palestine;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Persecution;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Penuel;   Succoth;   Zalmunna;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Brier;   Hook;   Succoth;   Zebah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Gideon;   Judges, Book of;   Succoth;   Zalmunna;   Zebah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Judges (1);   Levi;   Midian, Mtdianites;   Ophrah;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Briers;   Penuel ;   Succoth ;   Zalmunna ;   Zebah ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Midian;   Succoth;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Punishments;   Ze'bah;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Taught;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Brier;   Gideon;   Thorn;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Eden;   Elder in the Old Testament;   Succoth (1);   Thorns;   Zebah and Zalmunna;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Cruelty;   Peniel;   Wilderness;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So he took the elders of the city, and he took some thorns and briers from the wilderness, and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them.
Hebrew Names Version
He took the Zakenim of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Sukkot.
King James Version
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
Lexham English Bible
He took the elders of the city and the thorn bushes and briers of the wilderness, and he trampled the men of Succoth with them.
English Standard Version
And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson.
New Century Version
So Gideon took the elders of the city and punished them with thorns and briers from the desert.
New English Translation
He seized the leaders of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then "threshed" the men of Succoth with them.
Amplified Bible
He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briars, and with them he punished the men of Succoth.
New American Standard Bible
Then he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then he tooke the Elders of the citie, and thornes of the wildernes & breers, & did teare the men of Succoth with them.
Legacy Standard Bible
These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of their own benefit.
Contemporary English Version
Gideon made a whip from thorn plants and used it to beat the town officials.
Complete Jewish Bible
And he took the leaders of the city and desert thorns and thistles, and used them to teach the people of Sukkot a lesson!
Darby Translation
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briars, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
Easy-to-Read Version
Gideon took the elders of the city of Succoth and beat them with thorns and briers from the desert.
George Lamsa Translation
And he dragged the elders of the city over the briers and thorns of the wilderness, and thus inflicted tortures on the men of Succoth.
Literal Translation
And he took the elders of the city, and the thorns of the wilderness, and the briers, and taught the men of Succoth with them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he toke the Elders of the cite, and thornes out of the wildernes, and breres, and caused ye men of Sucoth to be torne therwith.
American Standard Version
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
Bible in Basic English
Then he took the responsible men of the town and had them crushed on a bed of thorns and sharp stems.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he toke the elders of the citie, and thornes of the wildernesse, and bryers, and dyd teare the men of Sucoth with them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
King James Version (1611)
And hee tooke the Elders of the citie, and thornes of the wildernes, and briers, and with them hee taught the men of Succoth.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he took the elders of the city with the thorns of the wilderness and the Barkenim, and with them he tore the men of the city.
English Revised Version
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
Berean Standard Bible
Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Gedeon took the eldere men of the citee, and thornes and breris of deseert, and he to-rente with tho, and al to-brak the men of Socoth; also he destriede the tour of Phanuel,
Young's Literal Translation
And he taketh the elders of the city, and the thorns of the wilderness, and the threshing instruments, and teacheth by them the men of Succoth,
Update Bible Version
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he flailed the men of Succoth.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness, and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
World English Bible
He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
New King James Version
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
New Living Translation
Then Gideon took the elders of the town and taught them a lesson, punishing them with thorns and briers from the wilderness.
New Life Bible
Then he took the leaders of the city and with thorns and thistles from the desert, he punished the men of Succoth.
New Revised Standard
So he took the elders of the city and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them he trampled the people of Succoth.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he took the elders of the city, and the thorns of the wilderness and the nettles, and taught therewith the men of Succoth:
Douay-Rheims Bible
So he took the ancients of the city, and thorns and briers of the desert, and tore them with the same, and cut in pieces the men of Soccoth.
Revised Standard Version
And he took the elders of the city and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth.
THE MESSAGE
Then he took the seventy-seven leaders of Succoth and thrashed them with desert thorns and thistles. And he demolished the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the city.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them.

Contextual Overview

4 By this time Gideon and his three hundred men had come to the Jordan River and had crossed it. They were exhausted, but were still pursuing the enemy. 5 When they arrived at Sukkoth, he said to the men of the town, "Please give my men some loaves of bread. They are exhausted, and I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings." 6 But the leaders of Sukkoth said, "Why should we give your army any food? You haven't captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet." 7 So Gideon said, "All right! When the Lord has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will beat you with thorns and briers from the desert!" 8 Gideon went on to Penuel and made the same request of the people there, but the men of Penuel gave the same answer as the men of Sukkoth. 9 So he said to them, "I am going to come back safe and sound, and when I do, I will tear this tower down!" 10 Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor with their army. Of the whole army of desert tribesmen, only about 15,000 were left; 120,000 soldiers had been killed. 11 Gideon went on the road along the edge of the desert, east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the army by surprise. 12 The two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, ran away, but he pursued them and captured them, and caused their whole army to panic. 13 When Gideon was returning from the battle by way of Heres Pass,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the elders: Judges 8:7, Proverbs 10:13, Proverbs 19:29, Ezra 2:6

thorns: Micah 7:4

taught: Heb. made to know, Instead of wyyoda, Houbigant, Lev. Clerc, and others read wyyadosh, "and he tore or threshed;" and this is not only agreeable to what Gideon threatened (Judges 8:7), but is supported by the LXX Vulgate, Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. The Hebrew Text might easily have been corrupted simply by the change of ש, shin, into ע, ayin, letters very similar to each other.

Reciprocal: Genesis 33:17 - Succoth Exodus 3:20 - after that 1 Chronicles 20:3 - with saws

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
The Lord said to Noah, "Go into the boat with your whole family; I have found that you are the only one in all the world who does what is right.
Genesis 7:7
He and his wife, and his sons and their wives, went into the boat to escape the flood.
Genesis 7:13
On that same day Noah and his wife went into the boat with their three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives.
Genesis 8:16
"Go out of the boat with your wife, your sons, and their wives.
Genesis 8:18
So Noah went out of the boat with his wife, his sons, and their wives.
Joshua 3:17
While the people walked across on dry ground, the priests carrying the Lord 's Covenant Box stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until all the people had crossed over.
Joshua 4:10
The priests stood in the middle of the Jordan until everything had been done that the Lord ordered Joshua to tell the people to do. This is what Moses had commanded. The people hurried across the river.
Psalms 91:11
God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go.
Psalms 121:8
He will protect you as you come and go now and forever.
Zechariah 9:11
The Lord says, "Because of my covenant with you that was sealed by the blood of sacrifices, I will set your people free— free from the waterless pit of exile.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he took the elders of the city,.... All of them, especially those of them who had been most guilty, and had them to a proper place, where they might be made public examples of:

and thorns of the wilderness, and briers; which were near at hand, and soon cut up, for which he gave orders to proper persons:

and with them he taught the men of Succoth; either the inhabitants of the place, as distinct from the elders, whose punishment he taught them to be cautious not to follow such examples, or to behave ill to their superiors; or the princes and elders of the city are meant by the men of it, whom Gideon taught or chastised with thorns and briers; and so it is usual with us for a parent or master to say to his child or servant that has offended, I will "teach" you to do so or so, or to do otherwise, when he threatens to chastise: or "with them he made them to know" z; that is, their sin and the heinousness of it, by the punishment he inflicted on them. Abarbinel thinks the word "know" has the signification of mercy in it, as in Exodus 2:25 in that he did not punish in general the men of that city, only the elders of it. The Targum is,

"he broke upon them, or by them, the men of Succoth;''

so Jarchi and others; that is, he broke the briers and thorns upon them, scourging them with them; or rather broke and tore their flesh by them: whether they died or no is not certain.

z וידע "et cognoscere fecit", Montanus; so some in Vatablus; "notificavit", Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He taught - Thought to be a false reading, for “he threshed,” as in Judges 8:7 margin.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 8:16. He taught the men of Succoth. — Instead of וידע he taught, Houbigant reads וידש he tore; and this is not only agreeable to what Gideon had threatened, Judges 8:7, but is supported by the Vulgate, Septuagint, Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. The Hebrew text might have been easily corrupted in this place by the change of ש shin into ע ain, letters very similar to each other.


 
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