The leaders of the town of Succoth laugh in Gideon’s face. By asking a question, they show their refusal to come to the aid of Gideon and his men. However, the text does not say why these people respond in this way.

And the officials of Succoth said: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And is better translated “But” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version), since the leaders of Succoth refuse Gideon’s request for food. The Hebrew word rendered officials (sar), referring to the town leaders, is the same one translated “princes” in verse 8.3, so some irony may be intended (see comments on verse 4.2, where this word is rendered “commander”). In this context the verb said may be rendered “answered” (Contemporary English Version), “replied” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), or “asked.”

Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand…? is a rhetorical question. There is a strong play on words here, as the leaders of Succoth mock Gideon. The Hebrew is literally “Is the palm of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand…?” The Hebrew word for “palm” refers to the inside of the hand, so they are saying “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands…?” which means “Have you already defeated Zebah and Zalmunna…?” Once again the word hand plays an important role in the book of Judges. The word already adds irony to this remark. Translators may be able to retain some of its flavor by saying “Do you already hold Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand…?” If this rendering is not possible, a freer translation may be needed, such as “Have you already captured Zebah and Zalmunna…?” In many languages a strong affirmation would be better than a question here, for example, “You haven’t even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet…!”

That we should give bread to your army: This part of the question implies that there is no reason for the people of Succoth to give Gideon’s army food, since they have not yet earned it by defeating the enemy. The Hebrew word for bread is not preceded by the word for “loaves” as it is in verse 8.5, so here it seems to be a more direct reference to “food” (Good News Translation). For the Hebrew word rendered army, see the comments on verse 4.2. It may be translated “troops” or “soldiers.” Possible models here are “Do you really think we are going to give food to your army?” and “Why should we feed your soldiers?” In some languages it will be better to reverse the order of the two clauses in the question: “Why should we give your army any food? You haven’t captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet.”

Translation models for this verse are:

• But the leaders of Succoth said, “You haven’t even captured Zebah and Zalmunna! So why should we give your soldiers anything to eat?”

• But the leaders of Succoth replied, “Why should we give your army any food? Zebah and Zalmunna aren’t in your hands yet!”

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 .