GIDEON
620
7B
g2!.
23),
and
that
the
sources
have
not
always
been
skilfully
combined
;
this
comes
out
most
clearly
in
7^-8',
which
breaks
the
continuity
of
the
narrative.
Disregarding
details,
the
general
outline
of
the
history
of
Gideon
is
as
follows:
Introduction,
6'-'°:
For
seven
years
the
Israelites
suffered
under
the
Midianite
oppression;
but
on
their
'
crying
unto
the
Lord
'
a
prophet
is
sent,
who
declares
unto
them
the
reason
of
their
present
state,
viz.
that
it
was
the
result
of
their
having
forsaken
Jahweh
and
served
the
gods
of
the
Amorites.
*
The
call
of
Gideon,
e"-*^:
The
'Angel
of
the
Lord'
appears
to
Gideon
and
tells
him
that
the
Lord
is
with
him,
and
that
he
is
to
free
Israel
from
the
Midianite
invasion.
Gideon
requires
a
sign:
he
brings
an
offering
of
a
kid
and
unleavened
cakes,
the
Angel
touches
these
with
his
staff,
whereupon
fire
issues
from
the
rock
on
which
the
offering
lies
and
consumes
it.
Gideon
is
now
convinced
that
it
was
the
'
Angel
of
the
Lord
'
who
had
been
speaking
to
him,
and
at
Jahweh'sf
command
he
destroys
the
altar
of
Baal
in
Ophrah
and
builds
one
to
Jahweh,
to
whom
he
also
offers
sacrifice.
This
act
embitters
Gideon's
feUow-townsmen
against
him
;
they
are,
however,
quieted
down
by
the
boldness
and
shrewd-ness
of
Gideon's
father.
Gideon's
victory,
65»-7^
S>-^^:
Allegiance
to
Jahweh
being
thus
publicly
acknowledged,
the
Israelites
are
once
more
in
a
position
to
assert
their
political
independence;
so
that
when
the
Midianites
again
invade
their
land,
Gideon
raises
an
army
against
them,
being
moreover
assured
by
the
miracle
of
the
dew
on
the
fleece
that
he
will
be
victorious.
At
the
command
of
Jahweh
his
army
is
twice
reduced,
first
to
ten
thousand
men,
and
then
to
three
hundred.
At
the
command
of
.tahweh
again,
he
goes
with
his
servant,
Purah,
down
to
the
camp
of
the
Midianites,
where
he
is
encouraged
by
over-hearing
a
Midianite
recounting
a
dream,
which
is
inter-preted
by
another
Midianite
as
foreshadowing
the
victory
of
Gideon.
On
his
return
to
his
own
camp
Gideon
divides
his
men
into
three
companies;
each
man
receives
a
torch,
an
earthen
jar,
and
a
horn;
at
a
given
sign,
the
horns
are
blown,
the
jars
broken,
and
the
burn-ing
torches
exposed
to
view,
with
the
result
that
the
Midianites
flee
in
terror.
Gideon
pursues
them
across
the
Jordan;
he
halts
during
the
pursuit,
both
at
Succoth
and
at
Penuel,
in
order
to
refresh
his
three
hundred
followers
;
in
each
case
food
is
refused
him
by
the
inhabit-ants;
after
threatening
them
with
vengeance
on
his
return,
he
presses
on,
overtakes
the
Midianite
host,
and
is
again
victorious
;
he
then
first
punishes
the
inhabitants
of
Succoth
and
Penuel,
and
next
turns
his
attention
to
the
Midianite
chiefs,
Zebah
and
Zalmunna.
From
this
part
of
the
narrative
it
would
seem
that
Gideon's
attack
upon
the
Midianites
was,
in
part,
undertaken
owing
to
a
blood-feud;
for,
on
his
finding
out
that
the
murderers
of
his
brethren
at
Tabor
were
these
two
Midianite
chiefs,
he
slays
them
in
order
to
avenge
his
brethren.
The
offer
of
the
kingship,
s^-'^:
On
the
Israelites
offering
to
Gideon
and
his
descendants
the
kingship,
Gideon
declines
it
on
theocratic
grounds,
but
asks
in-stead
for
part
of
the
gold
from
the
spoil
taken
from
the
Midianites;
of
this
he
makes
an
image
(ephod),
which
he
sets
up
at
Ophrah,
and
which
becomes
the
cause
of
apostasy
from
Jahweh.
The
narrative
of
Gideon's
leadership
is
brought
to
a
close
by
a
reference
to
his
offspring,
and
special
mention
of
his
son
Abimelech
;
after
his
death,
we
are
told,
the
Israelites
'went
a
wlioring
after
the
Baalim.'
In
the
section
S^-'^
there
is
clearly
a
mixing-up
of
the
sources;
on
the
one
hand
Israel's
apostasy
is
traced
to
the
action
of
Gideon,
on
the
other
this
does
not
take
place
until
after
his
death.
Again,
the
refusal
of
the
*
'
Amorites
'
is
a
general
name
for
the
Canaanlte
nations,
see
Am
2'-
'».
t
On
this
apparent
identity
between
Jahweh
and
Hia
'Angel,'
see
tlie
art.
Anqel
or
the
Lobd.
GIFT,
GIVING
kingship
on
theocratic
grounds
is
an
idea
which
belongs
to
a
much
later
time
;
moreover,
Gideon's
son,
Abimelech,
became
king
after
slaying
his
father's
legitimate
sons;
it
is
taken
for
granted
(92)
that
there
is
to
be
a
ruler
after
Gideon's
death.
This,
together
with
other
indications,
leads
to
the
belief
that
in
Its
original
form
the
earliest
source
gave
an
account
of
Gideon
as
king.
The
section
7^-8'
is
undoubtedly
ancient;
it
tells
of
how
the
Ephraimites,
at
Gideon's
command,
cut
off
part
of
the
fugitive
Midianite
host
under
two
of
their
chiefs,
Oreb
and
Zeeb,
whom
the
Ephraimites
slew.
When
the
victorious
band
with
Gideon
joins
hands
with
the
Ephraimites,
the
latter
complain
to
Gideon
because
he
did
not
call
them
to
attack
the
main
body
of
the
enemy;
Gideon
quiets
them
by
means
of
shrewd
flattery.
This
section
is
evidently
a
fragment
of
the
original
source,
which
presumably
went
on
to
detail
what
further
action
the
Ephraimites
took
during
the
Midianite
campaign;
for
that
the
Midianite
oppression
was
brought
to
an
end
by
this
one
battle
it
is
impossible
to
believe.*
W.
O.
E.
Oesterley.
GIDEONI.
—
Father
of
Abidan,
prince
of
Benjamin
(Nu
1"
222
7B0.
as
1024
(P)).
GIDOIH.
—
The
limit
of
the
pursuit
of
Benjamin
by
the
other
tribes
(Jg
40<s).
Possibly
the
word
is
not
a
proper
name,
but
may
be
read
as
an
infinitive,
'till
they
cut
them
off.'
No
place
of
the
name
of
Gidom
is
mentioned
elsewhere.
G-IEB
&ACrLE
('gier'
is
the
same
as
the
German
Geier,
'
vulture,'
'
hawk,')
is
tr.
in
AV
of
racham
InLv
H"
and
Dt
14",
in
both
of
which
passages
RV
has
'
vulture.'
EV
gives
'gier
eagle'
also
as
tr.
of
peres
in
Dt
14'2,
where
AV
has
'ossifrage'
(Ut.
'bone-breaker').
The
peres
is
the
bearded
vulture
or
LUmmergeier,
'
the
largest
and
most
magnificent
of
the
vulture
tribe.'
The
adult
racham
has
the
front
of
the
head
and
the
upper
part
of
the
throat
and
cere
naked,
and
of
a
bright
lemon-
yellow.
The
plumage
is
of
a
dirty
white,
except
the
qulII
feathers,
which
are
of
a
greyish
black.
Its
appear-ance
when
soaring
is
very
striking
and
beautiful.
It
is
the
universal
scavenger
of
Egyptian
cities.
It
is
found
in
great
abundance
also
in
Palestine
and
Syria.
GIFT,
GIVING.—
I.
In
the
OT.—
1.
In
the
East
what
is
described
as
a
'gift'
is
often
hardly
worthy
of
the
name.
'Gift'
may
be
a
courtesy
title
for
much
that
is
of
the
nature
of
barter
or
exchange,
tribute
or
compulsory
homage,
or
even
of
bribery.
It
is
well
understood
that
a
gift
accepted
lays
the
recipient
under
the
obligation
of
returning
a
quid
pro
quo
in
some
form
or
other.
The
queen
of
Sheba's
gifts
to
Solomon
were
a
sort
of
royal
commerce.
The
charming
picture
of
Ephron's
generosity
to
Abraham
with
regard
to
the
cave
of
Machpelah
(Gn
23)
must
be
interpreted
in
the
light
of
Oriental
custom;
it
is
a
mere
piece
of
poUte-ness,
not
intended
to
be
accepted.
An
Arab
will
give
anything
to
an
intending
buyer,
and
appeal
to
witnesses
that
he
does
so,
but
it
is
understood
to
be
only
a
form,
to
help
him
to
raise
the
price
(see
Driver,
Genesis,
ad.
loc).
Of.
the
transaction
between
David
and
Araunah
(2
S
2422).
In
other
cases
the
return
is
of
a
less
material
character,
consisting
of
the
granting
of
a
request
or
t
le
restoring
of
favour.
Hence
Jacob's
anxiety
as
to
Esau's
accept-ance
of
his
gifts
(Gn
322»
33>»)
;
cf
.
the
present
to
Joseph
(43")
and
1
S
252'
302«.
The
principle
Is
stated
in
Pr
18"
'
A
man's
gift
maketh
room
for
him,
and
bringeth
iiim
before
great
men'
(cf.
IQ').
It
is
obvious
that
a
gift
in
this
sense
easily
becomes
a
bribe;
hence
the
frequent
commands
to
receive
no
gift,
'for
a
gift
bllndeth
the
eyes
of
the
wise'
(Ex
23*,
Dt
16"
272s,
Pr
178-
2s,
Ps
15',
Is
123
623
etc.).
It
should
be
noticed
that
in
this
.connexion
a
special
Heb.
word
(shBchad)
is
used,
meaning
a
'bribe';
AV
and
RV
often
tr.
'gift'
or
'reward.'
In
1
K
IS",
2
K
16'
it
is
used
of
a
bribe
"'
Cf
.
the
Philistine
campaign
under
Saul.
