Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
Parallel translations
- WEB He broke down the tower of Penuel, and killed the men of the city.
- KJV And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
- BSB He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
- NASB And he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
- NLT He also tore down the tower of Peniel and killed all the men in the town.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Gideon tears down Penuel's tower and kills the men of the city.
Overview
Penuel's punishment is heavier than Succoth's, the demolished tower exposing their false security. The severity raises questions for readers about Gideon's growing harshness, even as it fulfills his word. The episode shows the cost of opposing God's work, while hinting at the flaws emerging in Gideon himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- Judg 8:9He spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”
- 1 Kgs 12:25Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived in it; and he went out from there, and built Penuel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 8:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.