The Meaning of Judges 8:20 Explained

Judges 8:20

KJV: And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

YLT: And he saith to Jether his first-born, 'Rise, slay them;' and the young man hath not drawn his sword, for he hath been afraid, for he is yet a youth.

Darby: And he said to Jether his first-born, "Rise, and slay them." But the youth did not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth.

ASV: And he said unto Jether his first-born, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword; for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he said  unto Jether  his firstborn,  Up,  [and] slay  them. But the youth  drew  not his sword:  for he feared,  because he [was] yet a youth. 

What does Judges 8:20 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 8:20 mean?

And he said to Jether his firstborn Rise kill them but not would draw the youth his sword for he was afraid because he [was] still a youth
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לְיֶ֣תֶר בְּכוֹר֔וֹ ק֖וּם הֲרֹ֣ג אוֹתָ֑ם וְלֹא־ שָׁלַ֨ף הַנַּ֤עַר חַרְבּוֹ֙ כִּ֣י יָרֵ֔א כִּ֥י עוֹדֶ֖נּוּ נָֽעַר

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙  And  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְיֶ֣תֶר  to  Jether 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יֶתֶר  
Sense: father-in-law of Moses.
בְּכוֹר֔וֹ  his  firstborn 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בְּכֹר  
Sense: firstborn, firstling.
ק֖וּם  Rise 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
הֲרֹ֣ג  kill 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: הָרַג  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand.
וְלֹא־  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
שָׁלַ֨ף  would  draw 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַף  
Sense: to draw out or off, take off.
הַנַּ֤עַר  the  youth 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
חַרְבּוֹ֙  his  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
יָרֵ֔א  he  was  afraid 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
כִּ֥י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
עוֹדֶ֖נּוּ  he  [was]  still 
Parse: Adverb, third person masculine singular
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
נָֽעַר  a  youth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.

What are the major concepts related to Judges 8:20?

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