Bible Encyclopedia: Zebah

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA

ze'-ba (zebhach, "victim"), zal-mun'-a (tsalmunna`, "protection refused"): Two Midianite kings or chiefs whom Gideon slew (Judges 8:4-21 Psalm 83:11 (Hebrew text, verse 12)). The name zebhach (Zebee) is very much like that of ze'ebh (Zeb, "Zeeb" in the Septuagint). Moore (Judgess, 220) says that tsalmunna` is probably "a genuine Midianite name"; Noldeke conjectured that it contains that of a deity (ts(a)lm), and a compound form tslmshzbh, is found in an inscription from Teima, a place East of the Midianite capital (Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum, II, cxiiiff).

The narrative of Judges 8:4-21 is not to be connected with that of 8:1-3. Budde (Kurzer Hand-Comm. z. Altes Testament, XXII) would join 8:4 to 6:34; Moore (ICC) following Budde's earlier work (1890) would connect it with a part of 7:22b, describing the direction of the flight, while Nowack (Hand-Komm.) regards the battle of 8:11 as the same as that of 7:11 if; he then takes the latter part of 8:11 to refer to the place of the camp at night. There are many difficulties in forming a natural connection for the verses. It may be noted that in 8:18 Gideon is not "the least in my father's house," as he represents himself to be in 6:15.

The whole section tells of a daring raid made by Gideon upon the Midianites. Some of his own kin had been slain by Midianite hordes at Ophrah (Judges 8:18 f), and, stirred by this, Gideon went in hot pursuit with 300 men (Judges 8:4). He requested provisions for his men from the people of Succoth and Penuel, but was refused this. He then went on and caught the Midianites unawares at Karkor (Judges 8:10) and captured their two chiefs. He then had his revenge on the two towns, and returned probably to his home with the two notable prisoners. These he determined to slay to avenge the death of his own kinsmen, and called upon his eldest son to perform this solemn public duty that he owed to the dead. His son, apparently only a boy, hesitated, and he did the deed himself. W. R. Smith (Lectures on the Religion of the Semites, 2nd edition, 417, note) compares with this call to Gideon's son the choice of young men or lads as sacrificers in Exodus 24:5, and says that the Saracens also charged lads with the execution of their captives.

The narrative reminds one of David's romantic life in 1 Samuel 25; 1 Samuel 27; 30. It is throughout a characteristic picture of the life of the early Hebrews in Palestine, for whom it was a sacred duty to avenge the dead. It affords a splendid illustration of what is meant by the spirit of Yahweh coming upon, or rather "clothing itself with" (Revised Version margin) Gideon (Judges 6:34); compare also Saul's call to action (1 Samuel 11:1-11), and also Judges 19 f.

David Francis Roberts

Strong's Hebrew

2078. Zebach -- a Midianite king
... 2077, 2078. Zebach. 2079 . a Midianite king. Transliteration: Zebach Phonetic
Spelling: (zeh'-bakh) Short Definition: Zebah. ... Zebah. ...
/hebrew/2078.htm - 6k

Library

Gideon's Brave Band
... he said to the men of Succoth, "Give, I beg of you, loaves of bread to the people
who follow me, for they are faint and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/gideons brave band.htm

Judges
... 3; according to the earlier version, viii.4-21, which is on a smaller scale, Gideon,
accompanied by part of his clan, takes the lives of Zebah and Zalmunna to ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/judges.htm

The Story of Gideon and his Three Hundred Soldiers
... his brave three hundred men followed closely after them, fought another battle with
them, destroyed them utterly, and took their two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of gideon and.htm

Shoes of Iron, and Strength Sufficient: a New Year's Promise
... lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." Are we not often too much like
the young man Jether, who was bidden by his father to slay Zebah and Zalmunna ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 35 1889/shoes of iron and strength.htm

Discussion of the Subject of Permission
... of Succoth and Penuel to withhold bread from the army of Gideon, partly that He
might test the constancy of those, who were "pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 3/discussion of the subject of.htm

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

Zebah

victim; sacrifice

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Zebah

and Zalmunna (deprived of protection), the two "kings" of Midian who commanded the great invasion of Palestine, and who finally fell by the hand of Gideon himself. (Judges 8:5-21; Psalms 83:11) (B.C. 1250.) While Oreb and Zeeb, two of the inferior leaders of the incursion, had been slain, with a vast number of their people, by the Ephraimites, at the central fords of the Jordan the two kings had succeeded in making their escape by a passage farther to the north (probably the ford near Bethshean), and thence by the Wady Yabis , through Gilead, to Kurkor, high up on the Hauran. Here they sere reposing their with 15,000 men, a mere remnant of their huge horde, when Gideon overtook them. The people fled in dismay, and Gideon captured the two kings and brought them to his native village, Ophrah where he slew them because they had killed his brothers.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Man-killer, or sacrifice, one of the two kings who led the vast host of the Midianites who invaded the land of Israel, and over whom Gideon gained a great and decisive victory (Judges 8). Zebah and Zalmunna had succeeded in escaping across the Jordan with a remnant of the Midianite host, but were overtaken at Karkor, probably in the Hauran, and routed by Gideon. The kings were taken alive and brought back across the Jordan; and confessing that they had personally taken part in the slaughter of Gideon's brothers, they were put to death (Comp. 1 Samuel 12:11; Isaiah 10:26; Psalm 83:11).

Thesaurus

Zebah (9 Occurrences)
... who led the vast host of the Midianites who invaded the land of Israel, and over
whom Gideon gained a great and decisive victory (Judges 8). Zebah and Zalmunna ...
/z/zebah.htm - 13k

Zalmunna (9 Occurrences)
... Gideon. He was slain afterwards with Zebah (Judges 8:5-21). (see ZEBAH.).
Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA. ze ...
/z/zalmunna.htm - 13k

Zalmun'na (8 Occurrences)
... 8:5 So he said to the men of Succoth, "Pray, give loaves of bread to the people
who follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmun'na ...
/z/zalmun'na.htm - 8k

Succoth (18 Occurrences)
... 8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who
follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna ...
/s/succoth.htm - 16k

Weariness (44 Occurrences)
... Judges 8:5 And he said to the men of Succoth, Give bread cakes to my people, for
they are overcome with weariness, and I am going on after Zebah and Zalmunna ...
/w/weariness.htm - 19k

Wearied (36 Occurrences)
... to the men of Succoth, 'Give, I pray you, cakes of bread to the people who 'are'
at my feet, for they 'are' wearied, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna ...
/w/wearied.htm - 17k

Weary (77 Occurrences)
... to the men of Succoth, 'Give, I pray you, cakes of bread to the people who 'are'
at my feet, for they 'are' wearied, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna ...
/w/weary.htm - 29k

Mid'ian (47 Occurrences)
... 8:5 So he said to the men of Succoth, "Pray, give loaves of bread to the people
who follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmun'na ...
/m/mid'ian.htm - 20k

Gideon (45 Occurrences)
... 2. The Midianite Oppression: The Midianites under Zebah and Zalmunna, their two
greatest chiefs, accompanied by other wild tribes of the eastern desert, had ...
/g/gideon.htm - 36k

Necks (28 Occurrences)
... Judges 8:21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise and fall on us; for as the man is,
so is his strength." Gideon arose, and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took ...
/n/necks.htm - 15k

Bible Concordance

Zebah (9 Occurrences)

Judges 8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 8:6 The princes of Succoth said, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?"
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 8:7 Gideon said, "Therefore when Yahweh has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 8:10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of the children of the east; for there fell one hundred twenty thousand men who drew sword.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 8:12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued after them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and confused all the army.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 8:15 He came to the men of Succoth, and said, "See Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying,'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?'"
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 8:18 Then said he to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?" They answered, "They were like you. Each one resembled the children of a king."
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Judges 8:21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise and fall on us; for as the man is, so is his strength." Gideon arose, and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels' necks.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Psalms 83:11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb; yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Zebah

Zebah and Zalmunna

Zebah: King of Midian

Related Terms

Zalmunna (9 Occurrences)

Zalmun'na (8 Occurrences)

Succoth (18 Occurrences)

Weariness (44 Occurrences)

Wearied (36 Occurrences)

Weary (77 Occurrences)