Bible Strands
Judges 8:9
So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Gideon addresses the men of Penuel after his campaign against the Midianite kings and his previous refusal by the men of Succoth. He delivers the declaration upon his ascent to Penuel, prior to the final confrontation.
The words — The Hebrew verb אֶתֹּ֖ץ ('e.Totz) literally means "I will tear down," coupled with בְּ/שׁוּבִ֣/י (be./shu.V/i) "when I return" and בְּ/שָל֔וֹם (ve./sha.Lom) "in peace." These terms structure the statement as a conditional threat tied to Gideon's safe return.
The thread — The vow to dismantle the tower is executed in Judges 8:17, where Gideon pulls it down and kills the city's men. The pattern of a commander's return also appears in 1 Kings 22:27, where a king orders imprisonment until his own return.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to verify how a spoken conditional threat becomes a recorded historical act. It asks the reader to track the literal fulfillment of spoken words without adding moral evaluation.
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 he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.
Cross-references
- Judges 8:17 He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
- 1 Kings 22:27 and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’”