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Thursday, August 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Judges 8:17

He also tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Gideon;   Israel;   Patriotism;   Penuel;   Retaliation;   Tower;   Zalmunna;   Zebah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ishmaelites, the;   Towers;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Peniel or Penuel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gideon;   Gilead;   Jabbok;   Palestine;   Penuel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kill, Killing;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Penuel;   Towers;   Zalmunna;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Succoth;   Zebah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Gideon;   Judges, Book of;   Penuel;   Zalmunna;   Zebah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Judges (1);   Levi;   Midian, Mtdianites;   Ophrah;   Penuel;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Penuel ;   Zalmunna ;   Zebah ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Midian;   Peniel;   Succoth;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ze'bah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Gideon;   War;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Peniel;   Zebah and Zalmunna;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Peniel;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
He broke down the tower of Penu'el, and killed the men of the city.
King James Version
And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
Lexham English Bible
He broke down the tower of Penuel, and he killed the men of the city.
English Standard Version
And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
New Century Version
He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the people in that city.
New English Translation
He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city's men.
Amplified Bible
He tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
New American Standard Bible
And he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Also he brake downe the towre of Penuel, and slew the men of the citie.
Legacy Standard Bible
But you, beloved, must remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Contemporary English Version
Afterwards he went to Penuel, where he tore down the tower and killed all the town officials there.
Complete Jewish Bible
He also broke down the tower of P'nu'el and put the men of the city to death.
Darby Translation
And he broke down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
Easy-to-Read Version
Gideon also pulled down the tower in the city of Penuel and killed the men living in that city.
George Lamsa Translation
And he broke clown the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
Good News Translation
He also tore down the tower at Penuel and killed the men of that city.
Literal Translation
And he broke down the tower of Penuel, and killed the men of the city.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the tower of Penuel brake he downe, and slewe the men of the cite.
American Standard Version
And he brake down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
Bible in Basic English
And he had the tower of Penuel broken down and the men of the town put to death.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he brake downe the towre of Phanuel, & slue the men of the citie.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he broke down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
King James Version (1611)
And he beat downe the towre of Penuel, and slew the men of the citie.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he overthrew the tower of Phanuel, and slew the men of the city.
English Revised Version
And he brake down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
Berean Standard Bible
He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
whanne the dwelleris of the citee weren slayn.
Young's Literal Translation
and the tower of Penuel he hath broken down, and slayeth the men of the city.
Update Bible Version
And he broke down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
World English Bible
He broke down the tower of Penuel, and killed the men of the city.
New King James Version
Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
New Living Translation
He also tore down the tower of Peniel and killed all the men in the town.
New Life Bible
Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
New Revised Standard
He also broke down the tower of Penuel, and killed the men of the city.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
the tower of Penuel also, brake he down, - and slew the men of the city.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he demolished the tower of Phanuel, and slew the men of the city.
Revised Standard Version
And he broke down the tower of Penu'el, and slew the men of the city.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

Contextual Overview

4Gideon and the three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it. They were exhausted but still in pursuit. 5He said to the men of Succoth, “Please give some loaves of bread to the troops under my command, because they are exhausted, for I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6But the princes of Succoth asked, “Are Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hands that we should give bread to your army?” 7Gideon replied, “Very well, when the Lord has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will tear your flesh with thorns and briers from the wilderness!” 8He went from there to Penuel and asked the same thing from them. The men of Penuel answered just as the men of Succoth had answered. 9He also told the men of Penuel, “When I return safely, I will tear down this tower!” 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and with them was their army of about fifteen thousand men, who were all those left of the entire army of the Qedemites. Those who had been killed were one hundred twenty thousand armed men. 11Gideon traveled on the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked their army while the army felt secure. 12Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them. He captured these two kings of Midian and routed the entire army. 13Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the Ascent of Heres.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Judges 8:9, 1 Kings 12:25

Reciprocal: Genesis 32:30 - Peniel 1 Chronicles 20:3 - with saws

Cross-References

Genesis 1:22
God blessed them: “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”
Genesis 8:13
In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the water that had covered the earth was dried up. Then Noah removed the ark’s cover and saw that the surface of the ground was drying.
Genesis 8:14
By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was dry.
Genesis 8:15
Then God spoke to Noah,
Genesis 9:1
God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
Genesis 9:7
But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.”
Psalms 107:38
He blesses them, and they multiply greatly;he does not let their livestock decrease.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he beat down the tower of Penuel,.... As he threatened he would, Judges 8:9 whether this was before or after he had chastised the elders of Succoth, is not clear; one would think by the course he steered going from Succoth to Penuel, as he went, he should come to Penuel first at his return; however, he demolished their tower in which they trusted:

and slew the men of the city; perhaps they might, as Kimchi conjectures, resist when he went about to beat down their tower; on which a fray might ensue, in which they were slain; or they might upon his approach, sensible of the offence they had given him, fly to their tower for safety, and were killed in it when that was beaten down about them. In what manner this was done is not said; no doubt they had instruments in those days for demolishing such edifices.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The men of the city - Perhaps the rulers; who, it is likely, had possession of the tower or citadel, and so could tyrannize over the people. Gideon killed the great men, and beat down their towers, but did not injure the inhabitants.


 
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