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Monday, August 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Updated Bible Version

Judges 8:17

And he broke down the tower of Penuel, and slew 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

Christian Standard Bible®
He also tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
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.
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

4 And Gideon came to the Jordan, [and] passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing. 5 And he said to the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread to the people that follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. 6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army? 7 And Gideon said, Therefore when Yahweh has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. 8 And he went up from there to Penuel, and spoke to them in like manner; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 And he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower. 10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the host of the sons of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen. 11 And Gideon went up by the way of those that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure. 12 And Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued after them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he routed all the host. 13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle from 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
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.
Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them: and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
Genesis 8:13
And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and noticed that the face of the ground was dried.
Genesis 8:14
And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry.
Genesis 8:15
And God spoke to Noah, saying,
Genesis 9:1
And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth.
Genesis 9:7
And you, be fruitful and multiply; Bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
Psalms 107:38
He blesses them also, so that they are multiplied greatly; And he does not allow their cattle to 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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