Discovery BoxJudges 8:27-28 
Context8:27 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.
8:28 The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. 5 The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. 6
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.
5 tn Heb “Midian was humbled before the Israelites, and they no longer lifted their heads.”
6 tn Heb “in the days of Gideon.”
