John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 3. God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb , etc.] A high honour this conferred upon you, and with which you may be well contented: and what was I able to do in comparison of you ? what he had done in defeating and pursuing the army of Midian, in slaying and taking any of them prisoners, was nothing in comparison of what they had done; nay, he signifies that he was not capable of doing anything worth mentioning without them; the glory of finishing this conquest was reserved for them: then their anger was abated towards him when he had said that ; it being what gratified their pride and was pleasing to them; and this conduct of Gideon showed him to be a wise and humble man.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-3 - Those who will not attempt or venture any thing in the cause of God will be the most ready to censure and quarrel with such as are of more zealous and enterprising spirit. And those who are the mos backward to difficult services, will be the most angry not to have the credit of them. Gideon stands here as a great example of self-denial and shows us that envy is best removed by humility. The Ephraimites ha given vent to their passion in very wrong freedom of speech, a certai sign of a weak cause: reason runs low when chiding flies high.
Original Hebrew בידכם3027 נתן5414 אלהים430 את853 שׂרי8269 מדין4080 את853 ערב6159 ואת853 זאב2062 ומה4100 יכלתי3201 עשׂות6213 ככם אז227 רפתה7503 רוחם7307 מעליו5921 בדברו1696 הדבר1697 הזה׃2088
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