Bible Strands
Judges 8:11
And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The biblical narrator describes Gideon’s tactical movement immediately after the Midianite kings Zebah and Zalmunna are reported in Karkor with their remnant army.
The words — The verb וַ/יַּ֣עַל (va/i.Ya.'al) literally means "and he went up," marking Gideon’s ascent toward the enemy camp. The noun phrase דֶּ֚רֶךְ הַ/שְּׁכוּנֵ֣י בָֽ/אֳהָלִ֔ים translates as "the way of those who dwell in tents," identifying the specific caravan route taken.
The thread — The locations Nobah and Jogbehah appear in Numbers 32:35 and Numbers 32:42 as settlements claimed by the tribes of Gad and Manasseh. The narrative of sudden pursuit and capture continues directly into Judges 8:12.
Why it lands — The text records a specific military maneuver that shifts the conflict from a broad campaign to a targeted strike. It requires the reader to note how geographic movement and surprise enable the resolution of the preceding battle account.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.
Cross-references
- Numbers 32:35 Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
- Numbers 32:42 And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.
- Judges 18:27 After they had taken Micah’s idols and his priest, they went to Laish, to a quiet and unsuspecting people, and they struck them with their swords and burned down the city.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3 While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
- 1 Samuel 15:32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.” Agag came to him cheerfully, for he thought, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
- 1 Samuel 30:16 So he led David down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.