The Meaning of Judges 8:26 Explained

Judges 8:26

KJV: And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.

YLT: and the weight of the rings of gold which he asked is a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, apart from the round ornaments, and the drops, and the purple garments, which are on the kings of Midian, and apart from the chains which are on the necks of their camels,

Darby: And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold; besides the crescents and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Mid'ian, and besides the collars that were about the necks of their camels.

ASV: And the weight of the golden ear-rings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred'shekels of gold, besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were about their camels necks.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the weight  of the golden  earrings  that he requested  was a thousand  and seven  hundred  [shekels] of gold;  beside ornaments,  and collars,  and purple  raiment  that [was] on the kings  of Midian,  and beside the chains  that [were] about their camels'  necks. 

What does Judges 8:26 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 8:26 mean?

And was the weight of earrings the gold that he requested a thousand and seven hundred [shekels] of gold beside besides the crescent ornaments and pendants and robes purple that [were] on the kings of Midian and the chains that [were] around necks their camels'
וַיְהִ֗י מִשְׁקַ֞ל נִזְמֵ֤י הַזָּהָב֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׁאָ֔ל אֶ֥לֶף וּשְׁבַע־ מֵא֖וֹת זָהָ֑ב לְ֠בַד מִן־ הַשַּׂהֲרֹנִ֨ים וְהַנְּטִפ֜וֹת וּבִגְדֵ֣י הָאַרְגָּמָ֗ן שֶׁעַל֙ מַלְכֵ֣י מִדְיָ֔ן וּלְבַד֙ הָ֣עֲנָק֔וֹת אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּצַוְּארֵ֥י גְמַלֵּיהֶֽם

וַיְהִ֗י  And  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
מִשְׁקַ֞ל  the  weight 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁקָל  
Sense: heaviness, weight.
נִזְמֵ֤י  of  earrings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: נֶזֶם  
Sense: ring, nose ring, earring.
הַזָּהָב֙  the  gold 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָהָב  
Sense: gold.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
שָׁאָ֔ל  he  requested 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁאַל 
Sense: to ask, enquire, borrow, beg.
אֶ֥לֶף  a  thousand 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: אֶלֶף 
Sense: a thousand.
וּשְׁבַע־  and  seven 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, feminine singular construct
Root: שֶׁבַע  
Sense: seven (cardinal number).
מֵא֖וֹת  hundred 
Parse: Number, feminine plural
Root: מֵאָה 
Sense: hundred.
זָהָ֑ב  [shekels]  of  gold 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָהָב  
Sense: gold.
לְ֠בַד  beside 
Parse: Preposition, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
מִן־  besides 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
הַשַּׂהֲרֹנִ֨ים  the  crescent  ornaments 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שַׂהֲרֹנִים  
Sense: moon, crescent.
וְהַנְּטִפ֜וֹת  and  pendants 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: נְטִפָה  
Sense: drop.
וּבִגְדֵ֣י  and  robes 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֶּגֶד 
Sense: treachery, deceit.
הָאַרְגָּמָ֗ן  purple 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אַרְגָּמָן  
Sense: purple, red-purple.
שֶׁעַל֙  that  [were]  on 
Parse: Pronoun, relative, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
מַלְכֵ֣י  the  kings 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
מִדְיָ֔ן  of  Midian 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְיָן  
Sense: son of Abraham by Keturah and progenitor of the tribe of Midianites or Arabians.
הָ֣עֲנָק֔וֹת  the  chains 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֲנָק  
Sense: necklace, neck-pendant.
אֲשֶׁ֖ר  that  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּצַוְּארֵ֥י  around  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.