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Judges 08 General Notes
Structure and formatting
The account of Gideon concludes in this chapter.
Special concepts in this chapter
Succoth's refusal to help Gideon
The men of Succoth feared the Midianites more than Gideon. This is why they refused to help Gideon. By allying themselves with the Midianites, they aligned themselves against Yahweh. Because of this, Gideon treated them like he treated the Midianites. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit)
Gideon refuses to be king
Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, neither will my son rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you." Although the book of Deuteronomy anticipates a king in Israel, it was sinful for Israel to desire to have a king. He did though take a share of everyone's plunder as a king would have done through taxes. This may serve as a warning to Israel about their desire to have a king. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin)