The Meaning of Judges 8:16 Explained

Judges 8:16

KJV: And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

YLT: And he taketh the elders of the city, and the thorns of the wilderness, and the threshing instruments, and teacheth by them the men of Succoth,

Darby: 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.

ASV: And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

Discover Judges 8:16

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Judges 8:16?

MEANING: What does Judges 8:16 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Judges 8:16 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Judges 8:16?

What is the context of Judges 8:16?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

What does Judges 8:16 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 8:13-28 - The Snare Of Success

Clearly Gideon's family had passed through some terrible tragedy previous to this war of emancipation. He had not learned our Lord's teaching of forgiveness and acted on the usual maxims of his age. Possibly, also, he felt that he was the executioner of God's vengeance upon these chiefs, whose names, "Immolation" and "Trouble," were derived from their desperate deeds. As they stood anticipating death, they uttered a memorable sentence, "As the man is, so is his strength." The usefulness of our lives is not to be gauged by what we say or have or think, but by what we are. It is not gift but grace that leaves the deepest dint upon other lives. If you want to be strong in the arm, you must be pure and true at heart.

The gold and purple of the spoil enabled Gideon to make an ephod, presumably on the pattern of that described in Exodus 28:1-43. It was not exactly an idol but a kind of fetish, and it diverted the thoughts of the people from Shiloh and the spiritual worship of the unseen and eternal God. So apt is the human heart to cling to some outward emblem-it may be a crucifix, a wafer, or a church-and miss that worship in spirit and in truth for which the Father seeks. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 8

¹ Gideon pacifies the Ephraimites
⁴ Succoth and Penuel refuse to deliver Gideon's army
¹⁰ Zebah and Zalmunna are taken
¹³ Succoth and Penuel are destroyed
¹⁷ Gideon revenges his brothers's death on Zebah and Zalmunna
²² He refuses government
²⁴ His ephod the cause of idolatry
²⁸ Midian subdued
²⁹ Gideon's children, and death
³³ The Israelites' idolatry and ingratitude

What do the individual words in Judges 8:16 mean?

And he took - the elders of the city and thorns of the wilderness briers and he taught with them - the men of Succoth

וַיִּקַּח֙ אֶת־ זִקְנֵ֣י הָעִ֔יר וְאֶת־ קוֹצֵ֥י הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר הַֽבַּרְקֳנִ֑ים וַיֹּ֣דַע בָּהֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת אַנְשֵׁ֥י סֻכּֽוֹת

וַיִּקַּח֙	And he took
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: יָקַח Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
אֶת־	-
Parse: Direct object marker Root: אֹות Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
זִקְנֵ֣י	the elders
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct Root: זָקֵן Sense: old.
הָעִ֔יר	of the city
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular Root: עִיר Sense: excitement, anguish.
קוֹצֵ֥י	thorns
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct Root: קֹוץ Sense: thorn, thornbush.
הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר	of the wilderness
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular Root: מִדְבָּר Sense: wilderness.
הַֽבַּרְקֳנִ֑ים	briers
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural Root: בַּרְקֹן Sense: briers, briars.
וַיֹּ֣דַע	and he taught
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular Root: דָּעָה Sense: to know.
בָּהֶ֔ם	with them
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
אֵ֖ת	-
Parse: Direct object marker Root: אֹות Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אַנְשֵׁ֥י	the men
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct Root: אִישׁ Sense: man.
סֻכּֽוֹת	of Succoth
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular Root: סֻכֹּות Sense: the site where Jacob put up booths for his cattle and built a house for himself; apparently east of the Jordan near the ford of the torrent Jabbok and later allotted to the tribe of Gad.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 8:16?

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Similar Scriptures for Judges 8:16

		Judges 8:7 [3]
		Proverbs 19:29 [2]
		Micah 7:4 [2]
		Ezra 2:6 [2]
		Proverbs 10:13 [2]