Judges 8:32

And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(32) And Gideon . . . died.—Gideon died in peace and prosperity (Genesis 15:15; Genesis 49:29, &c), in a good old age (Job 5:26), but the evil seed which he had sown bore bitter fruit in the next generation.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

8:29-35 As soon as Gideon was dead, who kept the people to the worship of the God of Israel, they found themselves under no restraint; then they went after Baalim, and showed no kindness to the family of Gideon. No wonder if those who forget their God, forget their friends. Yet conscious of our own ingratitude to the Lord, and observing that of mankind in general, we should learn to be patient under any unkind returns we meet with for our poor services, and resolve, after the Divine example, not to be overcome of evil, but to overcome evil with good.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Abimelech's mother was not reckoned among the wives, being, probably, one of the Canaanite population in Shechem Judges 9:28 : neither was Abimelech himself reckoned with the 70 other sons of Jerubbaal (Judges 9:24. Compare Judges 11:1-2).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Jud 8:28. Midian Subdued.

28. Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel—This invasion of the Arab hordes into Canaan was as alarming and desolating as the irruption of the Huns into Europe. It was the severest scourge ever inflicted upon Israel; and both it and the deliverance under Gideon lived for centuries in the minds of the people (Ps 83:11).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

In a good old age; his long life being crowned with the continuance of his honour, tranquility, and happiness.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age,.... Having lived it seems forty years after his war with Midian, blessed with a large family, much wealth and riches, great credit and esteem among his people, and in favour with God and men:

and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites; a city which belonged to the family of the Abiezrites, who were of the tribe of Manasseh, in which Gideon lived, and his father before him; and where there was a family vault, in which he was interred. In the days of this judge it is supposed (m) was the famous expedition of the Argonauts to Colchis, to fetch from thence the golden fleece.

(m) Gerard. Voss Chronolog. Sacr. Dissert. 1. p. 4.

Geneva Study Bible

And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in {p} Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

(p) A city belonging to the family of the Ezrites.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

32. in a good old age] Again in Genesis 15:15 JE, Genesis 25:8 P, 1 Chronicles 29:28.

Jdg 8:33-35 originally followed Jdg 8:28, according to the usual scheme. These verses are made up of the customary phrases of the Dtc. editor, with the addition of particulars derived from ch. 9; cf. Jdg 2:14; Jdg 2:18 f., Jdg 3:7; Jdg 3:12, Jdg 4:1, Jdg 6:9 and Jdg 9:4; Jdg 9:16; Jdg 9:19. Most probably, then, these verses were intended to form not an introduction to ch. 9, but a substitute for it. Ch. 9 did not fit into Rd’s scheme, so he laid it aside, and wrote Jdg 8:33-35 to take its place. A later editor, however, thought fit to incorporate the discarded chapter, and by way of an introduction he wrote Jdg 8:30-32, which, as noticed above, contain several expressions found elsewhere in writings later than the Dtc. age. Budde was the first to propose this explanation, and it has been generally accepted; Richt. u. Sam. (1890), p. 119 ff.

Judges 8:32

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Gideon died at a good old age (see Genesis 15:15; Genesis 25:8), and therefore also died a peaceful death (not so his sons; see Judges 9), and was buried in his father's grave at Ophrah (Judges 6:11).