When the son of Gideon is incapable of killing the two Midianite kings, they challenge Gideon to kill them himself.

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said: Then renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, which signals the quick reply here. In some languages translators may say “So” or “And,” or they may leave this conjunction untranslated. The Hebrew verb for said has a singular form, but it is not unusual in Hebrew for a combined subject such as Zebah and Zalmunna to take a singular verb.

Rise yourself, and fall upon us: Rise yourself renders an emphatic Hebrew expression, literally “Rise you.” Once again the key Hebrew verb for Rise (qum) occurs at a high point in the narrative, when an Israelite enemy will be killed or defeated. Ironically this word is placed in the mouths of the enemy. It can be better rendered “Come on” (Good News Translation) or simply “Come” (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or by another emphatic word. Fall upon us is a figurative expression for “attack us,” but the Hebrew verb for fall (pagaʿ), is not the typical one found in this book. Here the root means “meet” or “encounter.” In some contexts it can suggest a violent meeting or confrontation (see verse 18.25). We might say “Come on, kill us yourself.” Contemporary English Version thinks the kings were mocking Gideon because his son was afraid, so it says “What’s the matter, Gideon? … Do it yourself.” This rendering is quite dynamic, but it seems to go further than the text.

For as the man is, so is his strength: The two Midianite kings cite another proverb here. In many cultures this is a way to show one’s wisdom and even to win an argument. There is a slight textual problem here. Revised English Bible proposes “for you have a man’s strength,” but Revised Standard Version follows the Masoretic Text, which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives a {B} rating. Many versions try to adapt the proverb into a modern saying with a touch of irony, for example, “This is a job for a real man!” or “It takes a man to do a man’s job” (Good News Translation). Contemporary English Version takes the kings’ statement to be defiant by saying “if you’re not too much of a coward!” But proverbs are meant to be open-ended, so a literal rendering would be a very good option, which allows readers to decide what it means. Though Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version try to express mockery here, it is more likely that in such a culture where honor and shame were fundamental, the kings remained dignified, even though death was certain. Most likely as well, they would prefer to be executed by a hero, than by a young man.

And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmunna: Gideon does what the Midianite kings tell him to do. It is often the case in Hebrew narrative that what is spoken in dialogue is carried out—almost word for word—in the narration. The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And may be translated “So” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation) or “Then” (New Jerusalem Bible). As earlier in this verse, the Hebrew verb for arose (qum) is used to signal the action of an Israelite hero. However, here translators will have to decide if they want to render it literally or say “went ahead.” Contemporary English Version says “jumped up,” but this seems somewhat undignified for Gideon. Slew is the past tense of the verb “slay” (see verse 8.17). Hebrew repeats the names of the kings Zebah and Zalmunna once more to end the inclusio that began at verse 8.18. Many languages will use this same style, which adds a note of finality here.

And he took the crescents that were on the neck of their camels: Gideon takes the spoils of war. This clause closes out a bigger section of the Gideon story, since it ties back to verse 6.5 and verse 7.12, which describe the enemy troops and their great number of camels. The pronoun he refers to Gideon. In this context the general verb take may be rendered “removed,” “took off,” or “took possession of.” In many parts of the world, beasts of burden such as horses and camels were often decorated by their owners. The camels belonging to the Midianite kings wore necklaces with crescents around their necks. Crescents were ornaments in the shape of half-moons. Since these were the kings’ camels, the crescents were probably elaborate and expensive, made of precious metals and stones. It is not known if the crescent or half-moon shape had some religious significance. Contemporary English Version has “the fancy gold ornaments,” which says more than the text, but its rendering seems to anticipate verse 8.27, where Gideon melts down these ornaments and makes an idol for worship. Crescents may be rendered “expensive/costly ornaments” or “precious decorations.” For camels see verse 6.5.

Translation models for this verse are:

• Then Zebah and Zalmunna said [to Gideon], “Kill us yourself! This is work for a real man!” So Gideon killed Zebah and Zalmunna and took the decorative crescents that hung around their camels’ necks.

• Then the two kings said, “Kill us yourself, Gideon! Strength comes with age.” So Gideon killed both of them and took the expensive decorations hanging around their camels’ necks.

This episode ends with Gideon triumphant over his enemies. However, there is no mention of Yahweh here and the next episode reveals how Gideon leads the Israelites back into the worship of idols.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .