Judges 8:24

New Living Translation

However, I do have one request—that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies." (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.)

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then he said to them, “Let me make a request of you: Everyone give me an earring from his plunder.” Now the enemy had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.

Hebrew Names Version
Gid`on said to them, I would make a request of you, that you would give me every man the ear-rings of his spoil. (For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Yishme`elim.)

King James Version
And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

Lexham English Bible
And Gideon said to them, "Let me make a request of you, that each of you give to me an ornamental ring from his plunder." (They had ornamental rings of gold, because they were Ishmaelites.)

English Standard Version
And Gideon said to them, "Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil." (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

New Century Version
He said, "I want you to do this one thing for me. I want each of you to give me a gold earring from the things you took in the fighting." (The Ishmaelites wore gold earrings.)

New English Translation
Gideon continued, "I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken." (The Midianites had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)

Amplified Bible
And Gideon said to them, "I would make a request of you, that each one of you give me an earring from his spoil." For the Midianites had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites [who customarily wore them].

New American Standard Bible
Yet Gideon said to them, "I would request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder." (For they had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

Geneva Bible (1587)
Againe Gideon sayd vnto them, I would desire a request of you, that you would giue mee euery man the earings of his pray (for they had golden earings because they were Ismaelites)

Legacy Standard Bible
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,

Contemporary English Version
But I will ask you to do one thing: Give me all the earrings you took from the enemy." The enemy soldiers had been Ishmaelites, and they wore gold earrings.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then he added, "But I have this request to make of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from the booty you have taken." For the enemy soldiers had worn gold earrings, like all the other tribes descended from Yishma‘el.

Darby Translation
And Gideon said to them, I would desire a request of you: give me every man the earrings of his booty; for they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.

Easy-to-Read Version
Some of the people who the men of Israel defeated were Ishmaelites. And the Ishmaelite men wore gold earrings. So Gideon said to the Israelites, "I want you to do this one thing for me. I want each of you to give me a gold earring from the things you took in the battle."

George Lamsa Translation
And Gideon said to them, I would like to make a request of you: give me every man of you an earring of his spoil. (For they had golden earrings, since the enemies were Arabians.)

Good News Translation
But he went on to say, "Let me ask one thing of you. Every one of you give me the earrings you took." (The Midianites, like other desert people, wore gold earrings.)

Literal Translation
And Gideon said to them, Let me ask of you a request, that each man give to me a ring from his plunder; for they had gold rings, because they were Ishmaelites.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Gedeon sayde vnto them: One thinge I desyre of you, Euery man geue me the earinge that he hath spoyled. (For in so moch as ye men were Ismaelites, they had earinges.)

American Standard Version
And Gideon said unto them, I would make a request of you, that ye would give me every man the ear-rings of his spoil. (For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

Bible in Basic English
Then Gideon said to them, I have a request to make to you; let every man give me the ear-rings he has taken. (For they had gold ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And agayne Gedeon said vnto them: I would desire a request of you, euen that you would geue me euery man the earinges of his pray. For they had golden earinges, because they were Israelites.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Gideon said unto them: 'I would make a request of you, that ye would give me every man the ear-rings of his spoil.'--For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.

King James Version (1611)
And Gideon said vnto them, I would desire a request of you, that you would giue me euery man the earerings of his pray. For they had golden eare-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Gedeon said to them, I will make a request of you, and do ye give me every man an earring out of his spoils: for they had golden earrings, for they were Ismaelites.

English Revised Version
And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his spoil. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

Berean Standard Bible
Then he added, "Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder." (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to hem, Y axe oon axyng of you, yyue ye to me the eere ryngis of youre prey; for Ismaelitis weren wont to haue goldun eere ryngis.

Young's Literal Translation
And Gideon saith unto them, `Let me ask of you a petition, and give ye to me each the ring of his prey, for they have rings of gold, for they [are] Ishmaelites.'

Update Bible Version
And Gideon said to them, I would make a request of you, that you would give me every man the earrings of his spoil. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

Webster's Bible Translation
And Gideon said to them, I would desire a request of you, that you would give me every man the ear-rings of his prey. (For they had golden ear-rings, because they [were] Ishmaelites.)

World English Bible
Gideon said to them, I would make a request of you, that you would give me every man the ear-rings of his spoil. (For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

New King James Version
Then Gideon said to them, "I would like to make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder." For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.

New Life Bible
Gideon said to them, "I only ask that each of you give me the gold objects you have taken to be worn on the ear." (They had objects to be worn on the ear because they were Ishmaelites.)

New Revised Standard
Then Gideon said to them, "Let me make a request of you; each of you give me an earring he has taken as booty." (For the enemy had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Gideon said unto them - I would make to you a request, Give me, then, every man the nose-ring of his spoil. For they had, nose-rings of gold, for, Ishmaelites, they were.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to them: I desire one request of you: Give me the earlets of your spoils. For the Ismaelites were accustomed to wear golden earlets.

Revised Standard Version
And Gideon said to them, "Let me make a request of you; give me every man of you the earrings of his spoil." (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ish'maelites.)

THE MESSAGE
Then Gideon said, "But I do have one request. Give me, each of you, an earring that you took as plunder." Ishmaelites wore gold earrings, and the men all had their pockets full of them.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Yet Gideon said to them, "I would request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil." (For they had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

Contextual Overview

²² Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian." ²³ But Gideon replied, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you! ²⁴ However, I do have one request—that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies." (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.) ²⁵ "Gladly!" they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered from the plunder. ²⁶ The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the royal ornaments and pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains around the necks of their camels. ²⁷ Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family. ²⁸ That is the story of how the people of Israel defeated Midian, which never recovered. Throughout the rest of Gideon's lifetime—about forty years—there was peace in the land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

give me: Genesis 24:22, Genesis 24:53, Exodus 12:35, Exodus 32:3, 1 Peter 3:3-5

because: Genesis 16:10, Genesis 16:11, Genesis 25:13, Genesis 37:25, Genesis 37:28, 1 Samuel 25:11, 1 Kings 20:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 35:4 - earrings Exodus 32:2 - General Deuteronomy 7:25 - snared 2 Chronicles 20:25 - precious jewels Ezekiel 16:11 - General

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you,.... Which he thought they would scarcely deny, and it was now a fair opportunity to make it, since they had offered him a crown, or to be king over them: and the favour he asked was,

that you would give me every man the earrings of his prey; or, "an earring of his prey"; for it is in the singular number; every man one earring, as Abarbinel interprets it; for though they might have more, yet only one ear ring of every man is desired:

for they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites; so the Midianites and Ishmaelites are spoken of as the same, they being mixed and dwelling together, or very near each other, Genesis 37:25 and Kimchi accounts for it thus, why the Midianites are called Ishmaelites; because they were the sons of Keturah, and Keturah was Hagar the mother of Ishmael. The Targum calls them Arabians, and who it seems used to wear earrings, as men in the eastern countries did; see

Genesis 35:4. So Pliny says c in the east it was reckoned ornamental for men to wear gold in their ears.

c Nat. Hist. l. 11. c. 37.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In this desire for gold Gideon falls to the level of ordinary men, and we may see in it the first decline of his glory, leading to a sad tarnishing of the luster of his bright name. The idolatrous honor paid to Gideon’s ephod was probably a source of revenue to his house. Contrast the conduct of Abraham Genesis 14:21-23, and of Elisha 2Ki 5:16, 2 Kings 5:26.

The “ear-ring” here mentioned is properly a “nose-ring” (compare Genesis 24:22 note). The custom of wearing nose-rings prevails in Eastern countries to the present day. The circumstance of Job’s friends each contributing a nose-ring of gold (Job 42:11 note) is a remarkable parallel to the incident in Gideon’s history. Rings of gold were also used as money in Egypt, as appears on several early monuments, and by the Celts.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 8:24. Give me every man the ear-rings of his prey. — The spoils taken from their enemies in this warfare. This is a transaction very like to that of the Israelites and Aaron; when they brought him their golden ear-rings, out of which he made the molten calf, Exodus 32:2, c. Whether Gideon designed this ephod for an instrument of worship, or merely as a trophy, is not very clear. It is most likely that he had intended to establish a place of worship at Ophrah and he took this occasion to provide the proper sacerdotal vestments.