פירוש על שופטים 8:38

Can any action of mine compare with yours? How significant were my actions at the beginning in comparison with yours at the end?

Do not Ephraim's underripened gleanings surpass. The gleanings¹ עוֹלְלוֹת are underripened grapes which may not be harvested, but must be left to be gleaned afterward by the poor. (Vayikra, 19:10) Gidon compared his original battle with the Midyonites to the harvest, and the ensuing execution of Orev and Z’ev to the gleaning of the עוֹלְלוֹת. which you acquired at the end surpass the early harvest which my family and I gathered, for Adonoy delivered the kings into your hands.

What could I have done that would have been as significant as your accomplishments?

He crossed with the three hundred men. They crossed the Yardein after Zevach and Tzalmuna, who had crossed previously and wreaked destruction across the Yardein, in the territory of Reuven, Gad, and Menashe. He crossed to take revenge against them as well.

To the people of Succos. They were Yisroelites.

Are the palms of Zevach and Tzalmuna in your hands that you pride yourself in having rescued us from the hand of Midyon.

Thorns. "Ronzes" in old French.

At Karkor. The name of a place.

By way of the tent dwellers. By way of the lands of Kedar and Arabia, whose inhabitants were wilderness tent dwellers. Since they were occupied exclusively as shepherds, they could not dwell in houses.

East of Novach and Yagbeha. These were Yisroelite cities. He chose not to pass through them, but rather travelled roundabout, so that they would remain undetected, and could overwhelm them by surprise.

With the sun high. Before sunset, with the sun still visible high above the horizon.

Tore with them. "Broke apart" with them.²This is Targum Yonasan’s translation.

Singular, of princely appearance. Yonasan explains that one of them was of princely appearance.³Yonasan’s reading is: “One was exactly like you, of princely appearance.” However, this may be interpreted as, "They were exactly like you, all of singular appearance, for they were of princely appearance."

But the boy would not draw his sword to execute them, for he was afraid of them.

Crescent chains. Lunettes in old French, moonshaped, made of gold.

The crescent chains and crowns. The neckbands and crowns.⁴This is Targum Yonasan’s rendition.

Gidon fashioned it into an apron as a memorial to the the great salvation, demonstrating how enormous their forces were, as the nose rings of their eminent men contained so much gold.

All of Yisroel were perverted towards it after Gidon's demise.⁵But not during his lifetime. Gidon’s intentions were pure. (See Yalkut, 64.)

Baal beris. This was his name.

They did not act benevolently. They murdered his children, as stated in the narrative.⁶Ch. 9.