8:27 Gideon used all this to make51 an ephod,52 which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites53 prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it54 there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.
sn In Exod 28:4–6 and several other texts an ephod is described as a priestly or cultic garment. In some cases an ephod is used to obtain a divine oracle (1 Sam 23:9; 30:7). Here the ephod is made of gold and is described as being quite heavy (70–75 lbs?). Some identify it as an idol, but it was more likely a cultic object fashioned in the form of a garment which was used for oracular purposes. For discussion of the ephod in the OT, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 236–43, and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 349–52.