But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you. Yahweh shall rule over you.”
- KJV And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.
- BSB But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”
- NKJV But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.”
- NLT But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you!
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 refuses to rule, declaring that Yahweh shall rule over Israel.
Overview
Gideon's words rightly affirm God's kingship over his covenant people, a high point of faith. Yet his subsequent actions partly contradict this confession, as he amasses wealth, wives, and an ephod. The verse upholds the theocratic ideal that the Lord, not man, is Israel's true King, pointing ahead to Christ the rightful King.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Isa 33:22For Yahweh is our judge. Yahweh is our lawgiver. Yahweh is our king. He will save us.
- 1 Sam 12:12“When you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us;’ when Yahweh your God was your king.
- 1 Sam 10:19But you have today rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, ‘No! Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes, and by your thousands.”
- 2 Cor 1:24Not that we control your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your joy. For you stand firm in faith.
- 1 Pet 5:3neither as lording it over those entrusted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock.
- Judg 10:18The people, the princes of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
- Judg 11:9–11Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me home again to fight with the children of Ammon, and Yahweh delivers them before me, will I be your head?”
- 1 Sam 8:6–7But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” Samuel prayed to Yahweh.
- Judg 2:18When Yahweh raised up judges for them, then Yahweh was with the judge, and saved them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for it grieved Yahweh because of their groaning by reason of those who oppressed them and troubled them.
- Isa 63:19We have become like those over whom you never ruled, like those who were not called by your name.
- Luke 22:24–27There arose also a contention among them, which of them was considered to be greatest.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 8:23 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.