The Meaning of Judges 8:21 Explained

Judges 8:21

KJV: Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

YLT: And Zebah saith -- also Zalmunna -- 'Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the man -- his might;' and Gideon riseth, and slayeth Zebah and Zalmunna, and taketh their round ornaments which are on the necks of their camels.

Darby: Then Zebah and Zalmun'na said, "Rise yourself, and fall upon us; for as the man is, so is his strength." And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmun'na; and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.

ASV: Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels necks.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then Zebah  and Zalmunna  said,  Rise  thou, and fall  upon us: for as the man  [is, so is] his strength.  And Gideon  arose,  and slew  Zebah  and Zalmunna,  and took away  the ornaments  that [were] on their camels'  necks. 

What does Judges 8:21 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 8:21 mean?

So said Zebah and Zalmunna Rise you and kill us for as a man [is] [so is] his strength So arose Gideon and killed - and Zalmunna and took the crescent ornaments that [were] on necks their camels'
וַיֹּ֜אמֶר זֶ֣בַח וְצַלְמֻנָּ֗ע ק֤וּם אַתָּה֙ וּפְגַע־ בָּ֔נוּ כִּ֥י כָאִ֖ישׁ גְּבוּרָת֑וֹ וַיָּ֣קָם גִּדְע֗וֹן וַֽיַּהֲרֹג֙ אֶת־ וְאֶת־ צַלְמֻנָּ֔ע וַיִּקַּח֙ הַשַּׂ֣הֲרֹנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּצַוְּארֵ֥י גְמַלֵּיהֶֽם

וַיֹּ֜אמֶר  So  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
זֶ֣בַח  Zebah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: זֶבַח  
Sense: one of the two kings of Midian who commanded the great invasion of Palestine and finally were defeated by Gideon.
וְצַלְמֻנָּ֗ע  and  Zalmunna 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צַלְמֻנָּע  
Sense: a Midianite king slain by Gideon.
ק֤וּם  Rise 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
וּפְגַע־  and  kill 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: פָּגַע  
Sense: to encounter, meet, reach, entreat, make intercession.
בָּ֔נוּ  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
כָאִ֖ישׁ  as  a  man  [is] 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
גְּבוּרָת֑וֹ  [so  is]  his  strength 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: גְּבוּרָה  
Sense: strength, might.
וַיָּ֣קָם  So  arose 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
גִּדְע֗וֹן  Gideon 
Parse: 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.
וַֽיַּהֲרֹג֙  and  killed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
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.
צַלְמֻנָּ֔ע  Zalmunna 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צַלְמֻנָּע  
Sense: a Midianite king slain by Gideon.
וַיִּקַּח֙  and  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.
הַשַּׂ֣הֲרֹנִ֔ים  the  crescent  ornaments 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שַׂהֲרֹנִים  
Sense: moon, crescent.
אֲשֶׁ֖ר  that  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּצַוְּארֵ֥י  on  necks 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: צַוָּאר 
Sense: neck, back of neck.
גְמַלֵּיהֶֽם  their  camels' 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: גָּמָל  
Sense: camel.