King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
Now Zebah and Zalmunna [were] in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand [men], all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.
Complete Jewish Bible:
Now Zevach and Tzalmuna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all that remained of the entire army of the people from the east; since 120,000 arms-bearing soldiers had fallen.
Berean Standard Bible:
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.
American Standard Version:
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the host of the children of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Now Zebah{H2078} and Zalmunna{H6759} were in Karkor{H7174}, and their hosts{H4264} with them, about fifteen{H2568}{H6240} thousand{H505} men, all that were left{H3498} of all the hosts{H4264} of the children{H1121} of the east{H6924}: for there fell{H5307} an hundred{H3967} and twenty{H6242} thousand{H505} men{H376} that drew{H8025} sword{H2719}.
Cross-References (KJV):
Judges 7:12
- And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels [were] without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
Judges 20:17
- And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these [were] men of war.
Judges 20:35
- And the LORD smote Benjamin before Israel: and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thousand and an hundred men: all these drew the sword.
Judges 20:2
- And the chief of all the people, [even] of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword.
Judges 20:46
- So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thousand men that drew the sword; all these [were] men of valour.
Judges 20:25
- And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.
Judges 20:15
- And the children of Benjamin were numbered at that time out of the cities twenty and six thousand men that drew sword, beside the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered seven hundred chosen men.
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Commentary for Judges 8:10
Judges 8:10 is set within the context of the period of the Judges, a time when Israel was ruled by a series of leaders who would rise to deliver the people from various oppressors. The verse specifically refers to a moment during the leadership of Gideon, who is also known as Jerubbaal. Gideon had been called by God to deliver Israel from the Midianites, who had been plundering their land and causing great distress.
In the preceding chapters, Gideon had already led a reduced force of 300 men against a vast Midianite army, routing them through a strategic night attack involving the breaking of pitchers and the lighting of torches, which created confusion and fear among the enemy. The Midianite forces, panicked and disoriented, fled in chaos, and many were killed in the ensuing pursuit.
By the time we reach Judges 8:10, the narrative has progressed to the aftermath of this victory. Zebah and Zalmunna are the two kings of Midian who have managed to escape with the remnants of their army to Karkor, a location east of the Jordan River. The verse underscores the extent of the defeat by noting that only 15,000 men remained out of the originally much larger force of the "children of the east," a term used to describe various nomadic tribes from the regions east of Israel. The staggering number of 120,000 sword-wielding soldiers having fallen indicates the scale of the conflict and the completeness of Gideon's victory.
The themes present in this verse include divine deliverance, the unexpected triumph of the underdog, and the consequences of oppression. It also highlights the cyclical nature of Israel's spiritual and political instability during the time of the Judges, where God would raise up a deliverer in response to the people's cry for help. The verse serves as a prelude to Gideon's continued pursuit of the Midianite kings, which ultimately leads to their capture and execution, further solidifying Gideon's role as a divinely appointed judge and military leader. The historical context reflects the ongoing struggle of the Israelites to maintain their territorial integrity and religious identity amidst surrounding nations and external threats.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H2078
There are 9 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: זֶבַח
Transliteration: Zebach
Pronunciation: zeh'-bakh
Description: the same as זֶבַח; sacrifice; Zebach, a Midianitish prince; Zebah. - Strong's Number: H6759
There are 9 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: צַלְמֻנָּע
Transliteration: Tsalmunnâʻ
Pronunciation: tsal-moon-naw'
Description: from צֵל and מָנַע; shade has been denied; Tsalmunna, a Midianite; Zalmunna. - Strong's Number: H7174
There are 1 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: קַרְקֹר
Transliteration: Qarqôr
Pronunciation: kar-kore'
Description: from קוּר; foundation; Karkor, a place East of the Jordan; Karkor. - Strong's Number: H4264
There are 190 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מַחֲנֶה
Transliteration: machăneh
Pronunciation: makh-an-eh'
Description: from חָנָה; an encampment (of travellers or troops); hence, an army, whether literal (of soldiers) or figurative (of dancers, angels, cattle, locusts, stars; or even the sacred courts); army, band, battle, camp, company, drove, host, tents. - Strong's Number: H2568
There are 273 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חָמֵשׁ
Transliteration: châmêsh
Pronunciation: khaw-maysh'
Description: masculine חֲמִשָּׁה; a primitive numeral; five; fif(-teen), fifth, five ([idiom] apiece). - Strong's Number: H6240
There are 292 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עָשָׂר
Transliteration: ʻâsâr
Pronunciation: aw-sawr'
Description: for עֶשֶׂר; ten (only in combination), i.e. -teen; also (ordinal) -teenth; (eigh-, fif-, four-, nine-, seven-, six-, thir-) teen(-th), [phrase] eleven(-th), [phrase] sixscore thousand, [phrase] twelve(-th). - Strong's Number: H505
There are 496 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֶלֶף
Transliteration: ʼeleph
Pronunciation: eh'-lef
Description: prop, the same as אֶלֶף; hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand; thousand. - Strong's Number: H3498
There are 101 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: יָתַר
Transliteration: yâthar
Pronunciation: yaw-thar'
Description: a primitive root; to jut over or exceed; by implication, to excel; (intransitively) to remain or be left; causatively, to leave, cause to abound, preserve; excel, leave (a remnant), left behind, too much, make plenteous, preserve, (be, let) remain(-der, -ing, -nant), reserve, residue, rest. - Strong's Number: H1121
There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: בֵּן
Transliteration: bên
Pronunciation: bane
Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth. - Strong's Number: H6924
There are 83 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: קֶדֶם
Transliteration: qedem
Pronunciation: keh'-dem
Description: or קֵדְמָה; from קָדַם; the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East) or time (antiquity); often used adverbially (before, anciently, eastward); aforetime, ancient (time), before, east (end, part, side, -ward), eternal, [idiom] ever(-lasting), forward, old, past. Compare קִדְמָה. - Strong's Number: H5307
There are 403 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: נָפַל
Transliteration: nâphal
Pronunciation: naw-fal'
Description: a primitive root; to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative); be accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide (by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall (away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have (inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for פָּלַל), lay (along), (cause to) lie down, light (down), be ([idiom] hast) lost, lying, overthrow, overwhelm, perish, present(-ed, -ing), (make to) rot, slay, smite out, [idiom] surely, throw down. - Strong's Number: H3967
There are 512 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: מֵאָה
Transliteration: mêʼâh
Pronunciation: may-aw'
Description: or מֵאיָה; properly, a primitive numeral; a hundred; also as a multiplicative and a fraction; hundred((-fold), -th), [phrase] sixscore. - Strong's Number: H6242
There are 281 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: עֶשְׂרִים
Transliteration: ʻesrîym
Pronunciation: es-reem'
Description: from עֶשֶׂר; twenty; also (ordinal) twentieth; (six-) score, twenty(-ieth). - Strong's Number: H376
There are 1507 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אִישׁ
Transliteration: ʼîysh
Pronunciation: eesh
Description: contracted for אֱנוֹשׁ (or perhaps rather from an unused root meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation); also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phrase] steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy. Compare אִשָּׁה. - Strong's Number: H8025
There are 24 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: שָׁלַף
Transliteration: shâlaph
Pronunciation: saw-laf'
Description: a primitive root; to pull out, up or off; draw (off), grow up, pluck off. - Strong's Number: H2719
There are 372 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֶרֶב
Transliteration: chereb
Pronunciation: kheh'-reb
Description: from חָרַב; drought; also a cutting instrument (from its destructive effect), as a knife, sword, or other sharp implement; axe, dagger, knife, mattock, sword, tool.