Judges 7:25

25 And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.

Judges 7:25 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 7:25

And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb,
&c.] The one signifies a "raven", and the other a "wolf"; which were either nicknames given them because of their voraciousness and cruelty, or which they took themselves, or their ancestors before them, to make themselves terrible to others; so the Romans had the families of the Corvini

and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb;
perhaps they found him in a cave of the rock, and dragging him out slew him, from whence the rock afterwards had its name. So we read of the rock Corax in Homer ^F16, which was in Ithaca, and another high mountain of the same name in Aetolia, mentioned by Livy ^F17 and which signifies the same as Oreb. This is a different rock or mountain from Horeb, the same with Sinai, from whence the law was given; which always ought to be written with an "H" or "Ch", to distinguish it from this; though that is written Oreb by Lactantius ^F18, and so by Milton ^F19, contrary to the propriety of the language:

and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb;
the Targum is, the plain of Zeeb, which, as Kimchi and Ben Gersom suppose, was in the form of a winepress, having high lips or hills around it, and which afterwards took its name from this prince being slain in it:

and pursued Midian;
the rest of the Midianites, even beyond Jordan, those that got over it:

and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side
Jordan;
that is, when he had passed over it the next morning, as Jarchi remarks; for after this we read of Gideon's going over Jordan, ( Judges 8:4 ) unless this is said by way of anticipation; though the phrase will bear to be rendered, "on this side Jordan", for it signifies both. It seems they cut off the heads of those two princes, and presented them to Gideon, as it has been usual to bring the heads of enemies to kings and conquerors; see ( 1 Samuel 17:54 ) ( 2 Samuel 4:2 2 Samuel 4:8 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Odyss. 13. "prope finem".
F17 Hist. l. 36. c. 30.
F18 De vera Sap. l. 4. c. 17.
F19 Paradise Lost, l. 1. ver. 7.

Judges 7:25 In-Context

23 And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian.

24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying, Come down against Midian, and take before them the waters, as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and took the waters as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan.

25 And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.