Judges Chapter 8 · Verse 33
And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god.
Original Language Analysis
וַיְהִ֗י
H1961
וַיְהִ֗י
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 15
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֙
H834
כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֙
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
2 of 15
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
מֵ֣ת
was dead
H4191
מֵ֣ת
was dead
Strong's:
H4191
Word #:
3 of 15
to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill
גִּדְע֔וֹן
And it came to pass as soon as Gideon
H1439
גִּדְע֔וֹן
And it came to pass as soon as Gideon
Strong's:
H1439
Word #:
4 of 15
gidon, an israelite
וַיָּשׁ֙וּבוּ֙
turned again
H7725
וַיָּשׁ֙וּבוּ֙
turned again
Strong's:
H7725
Word #:
5 of 15
to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point);
בְּנֵ֣י
that the children
H1121
בְּנֵ֣י
that the children
Strong's:
H1121
Word #:
6 of 15
a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
of Israel
H3478
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
of Israel
Strong's:
H3478
Word #:
7 of 15
he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity
וַיִּזְנ֖וּ
and went a whoring
H2181
וַיִּזְנ֖וּ
and went a whoring
Strong's:
H2181
Word #:
8 of 15
to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment); figuratively, to commit idolatry (
אַֽחֲרֵ֣י
after
H310
אַֽחֲרֵ֣י
after
Strong's:
H310
Word #:
9 of 15
properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)
וַיָּשִׂ֧ימוּ
and made
H7760
וַיָּשִׂ֧ימוּ
and made
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
11 of 15
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
Cross References
Judges 2:19And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.Judges 9:4And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.Judges 9:46And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.Judges 2:17And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.Judges 8:27And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.
Historical Context
Baal-berith ('Baal of the Covenant') or El-berith ('God of the Covenant,' 9:46) was likely a syncretistic deity combining Canaanite Baal worship with covenant language borrowed from Yahwism—the worst kind of religious mixture. Shechem's temple to this god (9:4, 46) became a center for this apostate worship, perverting the site where Joshua had renewed the covenant (Joshua 24).
Questions for Reflection
- How quickly do you abandon spiritual commitments when strong leadership or influence is removed?
- What syncretistic practices subtly replace biblical truth with worldly counterfeits in your life?
- How are you ensuring that your faith outlasts your lifetime through discipleship of the next generation?
Analysis & Commentary
As soon as Gideon was dead (כַּאֲשֶׁר מֵת גִּדְעוֹן, ka'asher met gid'on)—the temporal phrase emphasizes immediacy; Israel's apostasy followed instantly upon Gideon's death. The children of Israel turned again (שָׁבוּ, shavu)—the same verb used for 'repentance' here describes returning to sin. Went a whoring after Baalim repeats the language from verse 27, creating a tragic inclusio: they went whoring after Gideon's ephod, and now after the Baals themselves.
Made Baal-berith their god (בַּעַל בְּרִית, 'Lord of the Covenant')—the supreme irony. Israel replaces Yahweh, the true Covenant LORD, with a Canaanite deity whose title usurps God's own covenant name. Baal-berith was apparently worshiped at Shechem (9:4), Abimelech's mother's hometown. The ephod that ensnared Gideon's house now facilitates national idolatry. This demonstrates the tragic pattern of Judges: each generation's compromises become the next generation's apostasy. What starts as questionable practice hardens into outright rebellion.