The Meaning of Judges 8:30 Explained

Judges 8:30

KJV: And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

YLT: and to Gideon there have been seventy sons, coming out of his loin, for he had many wives;

Darby: Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives.

ASV: And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten; for he had many wives.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Gideon  had threescore and ten  sons  of his body  begotten:  for he had many  wives. 

What does Judges 8:30 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 8:29-35 - "through Slaughter To A Throne"
The Children of Israel were guilty of great fickleness and instability. They soon relapsed into Baal worship and forgot to show kindness to the family of their great leader. But such is the frailty of the human heart. However hot we may be for Christ today, we may be cold and distant tomorrow. It seems as if the great adversary taunts us with this as he did John Bunyan, to whom he kept whispering. "I'll cool you, I'll cool you." We must take our fickle hearts to our Lord, asking Him to keep us true and hot in our love. There are times when His friendship is the most real thing in life, but then the rainbow-glory fades in the sky. Let it not be so any more, O Lord, we beseech thee!
The terrible crime of Abimelech was extenuated by the people of Shechem, because his mother was one of themselves. Compare Judges 8:31 with 9:1, 18. But the mills of God were grinding out awful trouble for them all, Judges 9:56-57. Surely, in his lack of self-control, Gideon had much to answer for, Judges 8:30! The evil that men do lives after them. [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 8:30 mean?

And Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring for wives Many had he
וּלְגִדְע֗וֹן הָיוּ֙ שִׁבְעִ֣ים בָּנִ֔ים יֹצְאֵ֖י יְרֵכ֑וֹ כִּֽי־ נָשִׁ֥ים רַבּ֖וֹת הָ֥יוּ לֽוֹ

וּלְגִדְע֗וֹן  And  Gideon 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גִּדְעֹון  
Sense: youngest son of Joash of the Abiezrites, fifth judge of Israel who led the Israelites against the Midianites.
שִׁבְעִ֣ים  seventy 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שִׁבְעִים  
Sense: seventy.
בָּנִ֔ים  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יֹצְאֵ֖י  who  were 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
יְרֵכ֑וֹ  his  own  offspring 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יָרֵךְ  
Sense: thigh, side, loin, base.
נָשִׁ֥ים  wives 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
רַבּ֖וֹת  Many 
Parse: Adjective, feminine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.