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Verse

Judges 8:8

ESV And from there he went up to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.
NIV From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had.
NASB Then he went up from there to Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered.
CSB He went from there to Penuel and asked the same thing from them. The men of Penuel answered just as the men of Succoth had answered.
NLT From there Gideon went up to Peniel and again asked for food, but he got the same answer.
KJV And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

What does Judges 8:8 mean?

A small force of 300 fighting men, led by Gideon, is attempting to chase down fleeing remnants of Midianite oppressors (Judges 6:1–5; 7:22–25). The retreating enemy is led by two kings known as Zebah and Zalmunna. Gideon's men are exhausted and need food. The chase follows the Jabbok River (Genesis 32:22–24) east, away from the Jordan River. This eventually led to the Israelite town of Succoth in the territory of the tribe of Gad. In a cold, fearful rejection, the people of Succoth refused Gideon's request for supplies. This was driven by fear over what the Midianites would do if Gideon failed to obtain victory (Judges 8:4–7). Gideon promises that when he returns, the people of Succoth will be flogged for their disloyalty.

Now Gideon and his men have come to Penuel, just further east along the Jabbok. The people of Penuel also refused to provide their fellow Israelite soldiers with bread. This is almost certainly due to the same fear of the Midianites as seen in Succoth. In doing so, both towns show more loyalty toward Israel's oppressors than to Israel's God-sent deliverer (Judges 2:16; 6:11–12). Gideon describes the consequences of Penuel's choice in the following verse.
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