Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, August 24th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Judges 8:9

This verse is not available in the MSG!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Gideon;   Israel;   Patriotism;   Penuel;   Tower;   Zalmunna;   Zebah;   Thompson Chain Reference - Towers;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Peniel or Penuel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gideon;   Gilead;   Jabbok;   Penuel;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Towers;   Zalmunna;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Succoth;   Zebah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Gideon;   Judges, Book of;   Penuel;   Zalmunna;   Zebah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gideon;   Judges (1);   Levi;   Midian, Mtdianites;   Ophrah;   Penuel;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Penuel ;   Succoth ;   Zalmunna ;   Zebah ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Midian;   Succoth;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ze'bah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Gideon;   War;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gideon;   Palestine;   Peniel;   Zebah and Zalmunna;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Gideon;   Peniel;   Tower;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He also told the men of Penuel, “When I return safely, I will tear down this tower!”
Hebrew Names Version
He spoke also to the men of Penu'el, saying, When I come again in shalom, I will break down this tower.
King James Version
And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
Lexham English Bible
And he said also to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I return safely, I will tear down this tower."
English Standard Version
And he said to the men of Penuel, "When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower."
New Century Version
So Gideon said to the men of Peniel, "After I win the victory, I will return and pull down this tower."
New English Translation
He also threatened the men of Penuel, warning, "When I return victoriously, I will tear down this tower."
Amplified Bible
So Gideon said also to the men of Penuel, "When I come again in peace, I will tear down this tower."
New American Standard Bible
So he said also to the men of Penuel, "When I return safely, I will tear down this tower."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he sayd also vnto the men of Penuel, When I come againe in peace, I will breake downe this towre.
Legacy Standard Bible
But Michael the archangel, when he, disputing with the devil, was arguing about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
Contemporary English Version
"I'll come back safe and sound," Gideon said, "but when I do, I'm going to tear down your tower!"
Complete Jewish Bible
So he answered the people of P'nu'el similarly, "When I return safe and sound, I will break down this tower!"
Darby Translation
And he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
Easy-to-Read Version
So Gideon said to the men of Penuel, "After I win the victory, I will come back here and pull this tower down."
George Lamsa Translation
And he said also to the men of Penuel, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
Good News Translation
So he said to them, "I am going to come back safe and sound, and when I do, I will tear this tower down!"
Literal Translation
And he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, When I come back in peace, I will break down this tower.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he sayde also vnto the men of Penuel: Yf I come peaceably agayne, I wil breake downe this tower.
American Standard Version
And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
Bible in Basic English
So he said to the men of Penuel, When I come back in peace, I will have this tower broken down.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayd also vnto the men of Phanuel: When I come agayne in peace, I will breake downe this towre.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he spoke also unto the men of Penuel, saying: 'When I come back in peace, I will break down this tower.'
King James Version (1611)
And he spake also vnto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come againe in peace, I will breake downe this towre.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Gedeon said to the men of Phanuel, When I return in peace, I will break down this tower.
English Revised Version
And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
Berean Standard Bible
So Gideon told the men of Penuel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And so he seide to hem, Whanne Y schal turne ayen ouercomere in pees, Y schal distrie this tour.
Young's Literal Translation
And he speaketh also to the men of Penuel, saying, `In my turning back in peace, I break down this tower.'
Update Bible Version
And he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
World English Bible
He spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
New King James Version
So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower!"
New Living Translation
So he said to the people of Peniel, "After I return in victory, I will tear down this tower."
New Life Bible
So he said to the men of Penuel, "When I return safe, I will tear down this tower."
New Revised Standard
So he said to the people of Penuel, "When I come back victorious, I will break down this tower."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he spake to the men of Penuel also, saying, - When I return with success, I will break down this tower.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He said, therefore, to them also: When I shall return a conqueror in peace, I will destroy this tower.
Revised Standard Version
And he said to the men of Penu'el, "When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I return safely, I will tear down this tower."

Contextual Overview

4Gideon and his three hundred arrived at the Jordan and crossed over. They were bone-tired but still pressing the pursuit. He asked the men of Succoth, "Please, give me some loaves of bread for my troops I have with me. They're worn out, and I'm hot on the trail of Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings." 6 But the leaders in Succoth said, "You're on a wild goose chase; why should we help you on a fool's errand?" 7 Gideon said, "If you say so. But when God gives me Zebah and Zalmunna, I'll give you a thrashing, whip your bare flesh with desert thorns and thistles!" 8He went from there to Peniel and made the same request. The men of Peniel, like the men of Succoth, also refused. Gideon told them, "When I return safe and sound, I'll demolish this tower." 10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with an army of about fifteen companies, all that was left of the fighting force of the easterners—they had lost 120 companies of soldiers. 11Gideon went up the caravan trail east of Nobah and Jogbehah, found and attacked the undefended camp. Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but he chased and captured the two kings of Midian. The whole camp had panicked. 13Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by way of the Heres Pass. He captured a young man from Succoth and asked some questions. The young man wrote down the names of the officials and leaders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. Then Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, "Here are the wild geese, Zebah and Zalmunna, you said I'd never catch. You wouldn't give so much as a scrap of bread to my worn-out men; you taunted us, saying that we were on a fool's errand." 16Then 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I come: 1 Kings 22:27, 1 Kings 22:28

I will break: Judges 8:17

Cross-References

Psalms 116:7
I said to myself, "Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings. Soul, you've been rescued from death; Eye, you've been rescued from tears; And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling."
Isaiah 60:8
"What's that we see in the distance, a cloud on the horizon, like doves darkening the sky? It's ships from the distant islands, the famous Tarshish ships Returning your children from faraway places, loaded with riches, with silver and gold, And backed by the name of your God , The Holy of Israel, showering you with splendor. Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings assist you in the conduct of worship. When I was angry I hit you hard. It's my desire now to be tender. Your Jerusalem gates will always be open —open house day and night!— Receiving deliveries of wealth from all nations, and their kings, the delivery boys! Any nation or kingdom that doesn't deliver will perish; those nations will be totally wasted. The rich woods of Lebanon will be delivered —all that cypress and oak and pine— To give a splendid elegance to my Sanctuary, as I make my footstool glorious. The descendants of your oppressor will come bowing and scraping to you. All who looked down at you in contempt will lick your boots. They'll confer a title on you: City of God , Zion of The Holy of Israel. Not long ago you were despised refuse— out-of-the-way, unvisited, ignored. But now I've put you on your feet, towering and grand forever, a joy to look at! When you suck the milk of nations and the breasts of royalty, You'll know that I, God , am your Savior, your Redeemer, Champion of Jacob. I'll give you only the best—no more hand-me-downs! Gold instead of bronze, silver instead of iron, bronze instead of wood, iron instead of stones. I'll install Peace to run your country, make Righteousness your boss. There'll be no more stories of crime in your land, no more robberies, no more vandalism. You'll name your main street Salvation Way, and install Praise Park at the center of town. You'll have no more need of the sun by day nor the brightness of the moon at night. God will be your eternal light, your God will bathe you in splendor. Your sun will never go down, your moon will never fade. I will be your eternal light. Your days of grieving are over. All your people will live right and well, in permanent possession of the land. They're the green shoot that I planted, planted with my own hands to display my glory. The runt will become a great tribe, the weakling become a strong nation. I am God . At the right time I'll make it happen."
Matthew 11:28
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ver. 9 And he spoke also unto the men of Penuel,.... In a threatening way, as he had spoken to the men of Succoth: saying, when I come again in peace: having conquered all his enemies, and delivered Israel from their bondage, and restored peace and prosperity to them, of which he had no doubt:

I will break down this tower; pointing to it and which stood in their city, and in which they placed their confidence; and when he threatened them, boasted of it as their security.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 8:9. I will break down this tower. — Probably they had not only denied him, but insultingly pointed to a tower in which their chief defense lay; and intimated to him that he might do his worst, for they could amply defend themselves.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile