Gideon divided the three hundred men into three companies and put trumpets into their hands, as well as empty pitchers, with torches inside the pitchers (v. 16). They blew the trumpets and shattered the pitchers. Then, holding the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands, they cried out, “A sword for Jehovah and for Gideon!” (vv. 19-20). Then the whole camp of the Midianites ran off, and they shouted and fled.
Jehovah set each man’s sword against his companion and against the whole camp (v. 22).
The men of Israel from Naphtali, Asher, Manasseh, and Ephraim pursued after the Midianites (vv. 23-24).
The children of Israel captured two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and slew them (v. 25).
The men of Ephraim contended sharply with Gideon, complaining that he did not call them when he went to battle against Midian (8:1). Gideon pacified them by asking what he had done to compare with them and saying that it was into their hand that God gave the princes of Midian. Then their hostile spirit toward him subsided (vv. 2-3).
In verses 4 through 9 and 13 through 17 we see the despising and insulting of the men of Succoth and Penuel toward Gideon and the punishment of the men of Succoth and Penuel by Gideon.
After slaying one hundred twenty thousand men, Gideon further pursued the Midian camps of fifteen thousand men and captured and slew the two kings of Midian (vv. 10-12, 18-21).
Verses 22 through 28 speak concerning Gideon’s dealing with the men of Israel.
The men of Israel asked Gideon to rule over them, but he refused, saying, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. Jehovah will rule over you” (vv. 22-23).
Gideon asked that each of them give him an earring of gold from his spoil, and they willingly did so, giving him one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, in addition to crescents, pendants, and purple garments (vv. 24-26).
Gideon made an ephod with the gold and placed it in his city, in Ophrah. All Israel went as harlots to the ephod there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his house (v. 27).
Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and the land of Israel had rest forty years in the days of Gideon (v. 28).
Chapter eight concludes with a word regarding Gideon’s family and his decease (vv. 29-32).
Gideon had seventy sons by many wives. He also had another son, by the name of Abimelech, by his concubine in Shechem (vv. 30-31).
Gideon died at a good age, and he was buried in the tomb of his father in Ophrah (v. 32).