Judges 8:5
in Judges 8So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.
KJV
And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.
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This verse in Judges 8
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Succoth was in the tribe of Gad which was entirely trans-Jordanic Jos 13:27; and the ruins are at Sukkot, on the east of Jordan, a little south of Bethshan. Give, I pray you etc. - Gideon might fairly expect so much aid from the trans-Jordanic tribes, and from so considerable a town as Succoth Jdg 8:14.
This site's exposition
exhausted yet still in pursuit
on Judges 8:4-6
The three hundred are still the whole force, and verse 4 gives their state in one phrase, "exhausted yet still in pursuit". Succoth lies east of the Jordan, named by Jacob at Genesis 33:17, so bread is asked of a town inside Israel's own story. Its leaders ask whether the kings are "already in your possession", refusing to back a man still chasing.
This site's exposition
give my troops some bread
Albert Barnes places Succoth in the tribe of Gad, east of the Jordan, and judges that Gideon could fairly expect help from a town of its size. The request is modest. Gideon asks food for exhausted men and names the two kings he is still chasing, so the town knows the war is unfinished.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And he said to the men of Succoth,....
(2.) The bowels of their compassion were shut up against their brethren; they were as destitute of love as they were of faith, would not give morsels of bread (so some read it) to those that were ready to perish. Were these princes? were these Israelites? unworthy either title, base and degenerate men! Surely they were worshippers of Baal, or in the interests of Midian.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
he said unto the men of Succoth--that is, a place of tents or booths. The name seems to have been applied to the whole part of the Jordan valley on the west, as well as on the east side of the river, all belonging to the tribe of Gad (compare Ge 33:17;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
Give, I pray you, loaves of bread - As Gideon was engaged in the common cause of Israel, he had a right to expect succor from the people at large. His request to the men of Succoth and Penuel was both just and reasonable.
The words behind it
20 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לְאַנְשֵׁ֣י | leanshei | to [the] people of | H582 → | 566 times |
| סֻכּ֔וֹת | sukot | Succoth | H5523 → | 18 times |
| תְּנוּ־ | tenu- | give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| נָא֙ | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| כִּכְּר֣וֹת | kikerot | round loaves of | H3603 → | |
| לֶ֔חֶם | lechem | bread | H3899 → | 298 times |
| לָעָ֖ם | laam | to the people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּרַגְלָ֑י | beraglai | [is] at feet my | H7272 → | 247 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| עֲיֵפִ֣ים | ʾayefim | [are] exhausted | H5889 → | |
| הֵ֔ם | hem | they | H1992 → | 553 times |
| וְאָנֹכִ֗י | veanokhi | and I | H595 → | 359 times |
| רֹדֵ֛ף | rodef | [am] pursuing | H7291 → | 143 times |
| אַחֲרֵ֛י | ʾacharei | after | H310 → | 715 times |
| זֶ֥בַח | zevach | Zebah | H2078 → | 12 times |
| וְצַלְמֻנָּ֖ע | vetzalmuna' | and Zalmunna | H6759 → | 12 times |
| מַלְכֵ֥י | malkhei | [the] kings of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| מִדְיָֽן׃ | midyan | Midian | H4080 → | 59 times |
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙and he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לְאַנְשֵׁ֣יto [the] people of
leansheiH582 →566 times
סֻכּ֔וֹתSuccoth
sukotH5523 →18 times
תְּנוּ־give
tenu-H5414 →2011 times
נָא֙please
na'H4994 →404 times
כִּכְּר֣וֹתround loaves of
kikerotH3603 →
לֶ֔חֶםbread
lechemH3899 →298 times
לָעָ֖םto the people
laamH5971 →1873 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
בְּרַגְלָ֑י[is] at feet my
beraglaiH7272 →247 times
כִּי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
עֲיֵפִ֣ים[are] exhausted
ʾayefimH5889 →
הֵ֔םthey
hemH1992 →553 times
וְאָנֹכִ֗יand I
veanokhiH595 →359 times
רֹדֵ֛ף[am] pursuing
rodefH7291 →143 times
אַחֲרֵ֛יafter
ʾachareiH310 →715 times
זֶ֥בַחZebah
zevachH2078 →12 times
וְצַלְמֻנָּ֖עand Zalmunna
vetzalmuna'H6759 →12 times
מַלְכֵ֥י[the] kings of
malkheiH4428 →2525 times
מִדְיָֽן׃Midian
midyanH4080 →59 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Genesis 14:18Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine—since he was priest of God Most High—
it leads to
- Psalms 110:4
The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
- Hebrews 6:20
where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
- Hebrews 5:6
And in another passage God says: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
- Hebrews 5:10
and was designated by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
- Psalms 76:2
His tent is in Salem, His dwelling place in Zion.
- Psalms 110:4
Through
Genesis 33:17but Jacob went on to Succoth, where he built a house for himself and shelters for his livestock; that is why the place was called Succoth.
it leads to
- Joshua 13:27
and in the valley, Beth-haram, Beth-nimrah, Succoth, and Zaphon, with the rest of the kingdom of Sihon king of Heshbon (the territory on the east side of the Jordan up to the edge of…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 60:6
God has spoken from His sanctuary: “I will triumph! I will parcel out Shechem and apportion the Valley of Succoth.
- Joshua 13:27
Through
Deuteronomy 23:4For they did not meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to curse you.
it leads to
- Nehemiah 13:2
because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).
- Nehemiah 13:2
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.