What does Judges 8:11 mean?
Gideon and his 300 fighters (Judges 7:8) followed the remnant of the Midianite raiders: bandits from the east who had been oppressing Israel (Judges 6:1–5). Just more than a tenth of the original enemy army remains (Judges 7:22–25). They are led by kings named Zebah and Zalmunna and making their way back to their homeland (Judges 8:4–10).This verse gives insight into how Gideon and his men were able to flank the Midianites and catch them by surprise. The Midianites feel secure; they rest as they camp in the region known as Karkor. They assume any large force pursuing them would be easy to notice. What did they have to fear from the Israelites now that they were so far from the Jordan River?
Gideon follows a path called the "way of the tent dwellers" to catch up to the Midianites. This takes his group east of two towns called Nobah and Jogbehah. Nobah is unknown to modern scholars. Jogbehah is thought to be a town along an old caravan route, northwest of Rabbah in modern-day Amman, Jordan. Gideon and his men once again use the element of surprise to attack on the unprepared enemy.
Judges 8:1–21 begins with a confrontation between Gideon and the men of Ephraim. Gideon defuses the situation with diplomacy. With his original 300 fighters, he chases down the remnant of the Midianite army led by two kings known as Zebah and Zalmunna. Once the Midianites are defeated and the kings are captured, Gideon punishes the men of two Israelite towns who refused to help him. He then reveals to the captured kings that they murdered his own brothers at Mount Tabor. He kills them and takes their distinctive jewelry as spoils of war.
Gideon soothes the anger of the men of Ephraim. Then, with his 300 fighting men, he chases the remnant of the Midianite army. After a difficult pursuit, he finally catches and defeats them in the wilderness. Gideon then returns to two Israelite towns who refused to help him along the way. He flogs the leaders of one town and kills the men of the other. He then executes the captured enemy kings. Gideon collects tribute from Israel but declines to become their official king. He lives to gain seventy sons, many wives, and at least one Canaanite concubine. When Gideon dies, Israel immediately returns to idol worship.