NETBible KJV GRK-HEB XRef Arts Hymns
  Discovery Box

Judges 8:27

Context
8:27 Gideon used all this to make 1  an ephod, 2  which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites 3  prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it 4  there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.

1 tn Heb “made it into.”

2 sn In Exod 28:4-6 and several other texts an ephod is described as a priestly or cultic garment. In some cases an ephod is used to obtain a divine oracle (1 Sam 23:9; 30:7). Here the ephod is made of gold and is described as being quite heavy (70-75 lbs?). Some identify it as an idol, but it was more likely a cultic object fashioned in the form of a garment which was used for oracular purposes. For discussion of the ephod in the OT, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 236-43, and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 349-52.

3 tn Heb “Israel” (a collective singular).

4 tn The words “by worshiping it” are supplied in the translation for clarity.



TIP #15: To dig deeper, please read related articles at bible.org (via Articles Tab). [ALL]
created in 0.17 seconds
powered by bible.org