The Meaning of Judges 8:14 Explained

Judges 8:14

KJV: And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

YLT: and captureth a young man of the men of Succoth, and asketh him, and he describeth unto him the heads of Succoth, and its elders -- seventy and seven men.

Darby: And he caught a young man of Succoth, and questioned him; and he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men.

ASV: And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described for him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, seventy and seven men.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And caught  a young man  of the men  of Succoth,  and enquired  of him: and he described  unto him the princes  of Succoth,  and the elders  thereof, [even] threescore and seventeen  men. 

What does Judges 8:14 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 8:14 mean?

And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him and he wrote down for him - the leaders of Succoth and its elders seventy and seven men
וַיִּלְכָּד־ נַ֛עַר מֵאַנְשֵׁ֥י סֻכּ֖וֹת וַיִּשְׁאָלֵ֑הוּ וַיִּכְתֹּ֨ב אֵלָ֜יו אֶת־ שָׂרֵ֤י סֻכּוֹת֙ וְאֶת־ זְקֵנֶ֔יהָ שִׁבְעִ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָ֖ה אִֽישׁ

וַיִּלְכָּד־  And  he  caught 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לָכַד  
Sense: to capture, take, seize.
נַ֛עַר  a  young  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
מֵאַנְשֵׁ֥י  of  the  men 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
סֻכּ֖וֹת  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.
וַיִּשְׁאָלֵ֑הוּ  and  interrogated  him 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁאַל 
Sense: to ask, enquire, borrow, beg.
וַיִּכְתֹּ֨ב  and  he  wrote  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּתַב  
Sense: to write, record, enrol.
אֵלָ֜יו  for  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
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.
שָׂרֵ֤י  the  leaders 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
סֻכּוֹת֙  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.
זְקֵנֶ֔יהָ  its  elders 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: זָקֵן  
Sense: old.
שִׁבְעִ֥ים  seventy 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שִׁבְעִים  
Sense: seventy.
וְשִׁבְעָ֖ה  and  seven 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁבַע  
Sense: seven (cardinal number).
אִֽישׁ  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 8:14?

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