Judges 8:27
in Judges 8From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel played the harlot after it there; and it became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.
KJV
And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.
⋯
This verse in Judges 8
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAnd Gideon made an ephod thereof,.... That is, of some of this gold; for such a quantity could never have been expanded on an ephod only, even taking it not for a linen ephod, but such an one as the high priest wore, made of gold, of blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, with curious work, together with a curious girdle of the same work; unless we suppose such a breastplate with it, of twelve precious stones, as Aaron had; and with little images of teraphim or cherubim in it, as Dr. Spencer thinks (i).
This site's exposition
Gideon made an ephod
An ephod in Exodus 28 is the high priest's garment, so a gold one at Ophrah serves to enquire of God away from Shiloh. The angel called the nations' gods a "snare" at 2:3, and this snare is made from the spoil of a victory God gave.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Gideon therefore, through ignorance or inconsideration, sinned in making this ephod, though he had a good intention in it. Shiloh, it is true, was not far off, but it was in Ephraim, and that tribe had lately disobliged him (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
), for which irregularity Gideon had himself given them too much occasion, and now they went a whoring after another god. False worships made way for false deities.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
A snare - An occasion of sin and ruin to him and his, as the next chapter sheweth. Though Gideon was a good man, and did this with an honest mind, and a desire to set up religion in his own city and family; yet here seem to be many sins in it; Superstition and will-worship, worshipping God by a device of his own, which was expressly forbidden.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The ephod was that particular part of the high priest’s dress which was necessary to be worst when he inquired of God by Urim and Thummim. It seems that Gideon being now the civil ruler, desired to have an ephod of his own, kept in his own city, to he worn by the priest whenever Gideon might summon him to inquire of the Lord for him. His relations with the tribe of Ephraim probably made him unwilling to resort to Shiloh. Compare the act of Jeroboam 1Ki 12:28.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, . . . Ophrah--That no idolatrous use was in view, nor any divisive course from Shiloh contemplated, is manifest from Jud 8:33.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Gideon made an ephod thereof - That is, he made an ephod out of this mass of gold; but he could not employ it all in making this one garment, for it is not likely that any man could wear a coat of nearly one hundred pounds weight. It is likely that he made a whole tabernacle service in miniature out of this gold. All Israel went thither a whoring after it - This form of speech often occurs, and has been often explained. The whole Jewish nation is represented as being united to God as a wife is to her husband. Any act of idolatry is considered as a breach of their covenant with God, as an act of whoredom is the breach of the marriage agreement between man and wife. God calls himself the husband of the Jewish nation, and their idolatries acts of whoredom, adultery, and fornication. All Israel paid idolatrous worship to the ephod or sacerdotal establishment made by Gideon at Ophrah, and this is called going a whoring after it; see on Jdg 8:33 (note). For a description of the ephod, see Exo 25:7 (note); and for the other garments of the priests, see Exo 28:4 (note), etc.
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּעַשׂ֩ | vaiyaas | and he made | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אוֹת֨וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| גִדְע֜וֹן | gidon | Gideon | H1439 → | 39 times |
| לְאֵפ֗וֹד | leefod | into an ephod | H646 → | 49 times |
| וַיַּצֵּ֨ג | vaiyatzeg | and he placed | H3322 → | 16 times |
| אוֹת֤וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> it | H853 → | 10935 times |
| בְעִירוֹ֙ | veiro | in city his | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| בְּעָפְרָ֔ה | beaferah | in Ophrah | H6084 → | 8 times |
| וַיִּזְנ֧וּ | vaiyiznu | and they acted as prostitutes | H2181 → | 94 times |
| כָֽל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| אַחֲרָ֖יו | ʾacharav | after it | H310 → | 715 times |
| שָׁ֑ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| וַיְהִ֛י | vayhi | and it became | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לְגִדְע֥וֹן | legidon | for Gideon | H1439 → | 39 times |
| וּלְבֵית֖וֹ | uleveito | and for household his | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃ | lemokesh | <into> a snare | H4170 → |
וַיַּעַשׂ֩and he made
vaiyaasH6213 →2628 times
אוֹת֨וֹ<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
גִדְע֜וֹןGideon
gidonH1439 →39 times
לְאֵפ֗וֹדinto an ephod
leefodH646 →49 times
וַיַּצֵּ֨גand he placed
vaiyatzegH3322 →16 times
אוֹת֤וֹ<obj.> it
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
בְעִירוֹ֙in city his
veiroH5892 →1090 times
בְּעָפְרָ֔הin Ophrah
beaferahH6084 →8 times
וַיִּזְנ֧וּand they acted as prostitutes
vaiyiznuH2181 →94 times
כָֽל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
אַחֲרָ֖יוafter it
ʾacharavH310 →715 times
שָׁ֑םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
וַיְהִ֛יand it became
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
לְגִדְע֥וֹןfor Gideon
legidonH1439 →39 times
וּלְבֵית֖וֹand for household his
uleveitoH1004 →2046 times
לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃<into> a snare
lemokeshH4170 →
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
Judges 17:5Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.
it leads to
- Judges 18:14
Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image,…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Judges 18:14
Through
Deuteronomy 7:16You must destroy all the peoples the LORD your God will deliver to you. Do not look on them with pity. Do not worship their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:33
They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
- Deuteronomy 7:2
and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.
- Deuteronomy 13:8
you must not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield him.
- Deuteronomy 19:21
You must show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- Exodus 23:33
Through
Judges 18:14Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land of Laish said to their brothers, “Did you know that one of these houses has an ephod, household gods, a graven image,…
it leads to
- Judges 17:5
Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some household idols, and ordained one of his sons as his priest.
- Judges 17:5
Through
Psalms 106:39They defiled themselves by their actions and prostituted themselves by their deeds.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 20:18
In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.
- Ezekiel 20:18
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies5
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); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.