Judges 8:20

Analysis & Commentary

And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth—Gideon's command to his son Jether to execute the Midianite kings reveals disturbing psychological manipulation. The imperative qum (קוּם, "up/arise") followed by harog (הֲרֹג, "slay") is jarring—ordering a young man (Hebrew na'ar, נַעַר, indicating adolescent or young adult) to commit his first kill against bound, helpless captives. This wasn't combat experience but ritual humiliation of enemies through execution by a mere youth.

Ancient Near Eastern culture measured manhood through military prowess and courage; Gideon's command intended to shame the Midianite kings while simultaneously initiating Jether into warrior status. However, Jether's refusal—"he feared, because he was yet a youth" (ki yare ki odennu na'ar, כִּי יָרֵא כִּי־עוֹדֶנּוּ נָעַר)—reveals moral sensitivity and appropriate fear exceeding his father's calloused vengeance. The verb yare (יָרֵא, "feared") can indicate either cowardice or proper reverence/awe; the context suggests Jether's youth preserved moral clarity his father had lost. His inability to draw the sword indicates both physical hesitation and ethical resistance.

Gideon's attempt to involve Jether in blood revenge foreshadows the dysfunctional family dynamics that would produce Abimelech, Gideon's son who murdered seventy brothers to seize power (Judges 9:5). Parents who normalize violence, revenge, and abuse of power train children in wickedness rather than righteousness. Proverbs 22:6 commands, "Train up a child in the way he should go," but Gideon models vengeance rather than justice, pride rather than humility. The New Testament elevates this further: fathers must not provoke children to wrath but bring them up "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4), modeling Christ's sacrificial love rather than retributive violence.

Historical Context

Young men in ancient Israel participated in warfare from age twenty (Numbers 1:3), though training began earlier. Jether's description as a 'youth' (na'ar) suggests he was below fighting age or at its beginning. Initiating young warriors through execution of captives was practiced in some ancient cultures to harden them for battle and establish dominance. However, this violated the spirit of Israelite warfare ethics, which prescribed specific rules for combat (Deuteronomy 20:1-20) and emphasized that victory came through Yahweh, not human brutality. The public nature of this execution attempt—before the captured kings and likely other witnesses—added humiliation, a common ancient warfare tactic to demoralize enemies and establish psychological dominance.

Questions for Reflection

• In what ways might Christian parents inadvertently model vengeance, bitterness, or ungodly conflict resolution, training children in worldly patterns rather than Christ-like character?
• How does Jether's fear reveal that youthful innocence sometimes preserves moral clarity that adult 'maturity' has rationalized away?
• What does this passage teach about the long-term consequences of unresolved bitterness and the importance of forgiveness in preventing generational transmission of revenge and violence?