^8:14He captured a young man from Succoth²⁷ and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth’s officials and city leaders—seventy-seven men in all.²⁸^8:15He approached the men of Succoth and said, “Look what I have!²⁹ Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’ ”³⁰^8:16He seized the leaders³¹ of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them.³²

Read in Logos

Footnotes

27 Heb “from the men of Succoth.”
28 Heb “wrote down for him the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.”
29 Heb “Look!” The words “what I have” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
30 Heb “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give to your exhausted men bread?” Gideon changes their actual statement (see v. 6) by saying exhausted men rather than “army.” In this way he emphasizes the crisis his men were facing and highlights the insensitivity of the men of Succoth.
31 Heb “elders.”
32 The translation follows the reading of several ancient versions (, the , and ) in assuming the form וַיָּדָשׁ (vayyadash) from the verb דּוֹשׁ (dosh, “thresh”) as in v. 7. The reads instead the form וַיֹּדַע (vayyoda’, “make known”), a Hiphil form of יָדַע (yadah). In this case one could translate, “he used them [i.e., the thorns and briers] to teach the men of Succoth a lesson.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’ ” 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.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth, the elders of the town. Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’ ” He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

He captured a youth from the men of Succoth and interrogated him. The youth wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth. Then he went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You taunted me about them, saying, ‘Are Zebah and Zalmunna now in your power that we should give bread to your exhausted men?’ ” 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.

NLTNew Living Translation

There he captured a young man from Succoth and demanded that he write down the names of all the seventy-seven officials and elders in the town. Gideon then returned to Succoth and said to the leaders, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. When we were here before, you taunted me, saying, ‘Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your exhausted army.’ ” Then Gideon took the elders of the town and taught them a lesson, punishing them with thorns and briers from the wilderness.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

He captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him. The young man listed for him the commanders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. He came to the men of Succoth, and he said, “Here is Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Is the palm of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand now, that we should give food to your weary men?’ ” 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.

KJV 1900King James Version

And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men. And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary? And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

Public Domain