King James Version

What Does Judges 8:33 Mean?

Judges 8:33 in the King James Version says “And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baal...” — study this verse from Judges chapter 8 with commentary, cross-references, and original Hebrew word analysis.

“And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.”

Judges 8:33 · KJV

Context

31

And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. called: Heb. set

32

And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33

And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

34

And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

35

Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.

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Commentary

KJV Study Commentary
As soon as Gideon was dead (כַּאֲשֶׁר מֵת גִּדְעוֹן, ka'asher met gid'on)—the temporal phrase emphasizes immediacy; Israel's apostasy followed instantly upon Gideon's death. The children of Israel turned again (שָׁבוּ, shavu)—the same verb used for 'repentance' here describes returning to sin. Went a whoring after Baalim repeats the language from verse 27, creating a tragic inclusio: they went whoring after Gideon's ephod, and now after the Baals themselves.

Made Baal-berith their god (בַּעַל בְּרִית, 'Lord of the Covenant')—the supreme irony. Israel replaces Yahweh, the true Covenant LORD, with a Canaanite deity whose title usurps God's own covenant name. Baal-berith was apparently worshiped at Shechem (9:4), Abimelech's mother's hometown. The ephod that ensnared Gideon's house now facilitates national idolatry. This demonstrates the tragic pattern of Judges: each generation's compromises become the next generation's apostasy. What starts as questionable practice hardens into outright rebellion.

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Historical & Cultural Context

Baal-berith ('Baal of the Covenant') or El-berith ('God of the Covenant,' 9:46) was likely a syncretistic deity combining Canaanite Baal worship with covenant language borrowed from Yahwism—the worst kind of religious mixture. Shechem's temple to this god (9:4, 46) became a center for this apostate worship, perverting the site where Joshua had renewed the covenant (Joshua 24).

Reflection Questions

  1. How quickly do you abandon spiritual commitments when strong leadership or influence is removed?
  2. What syncretistic practices subtly replace biblical truth with worldly counterfeits in your life?
  3. How are you ensuring that your faith outlasts your lifetime through discipleship of the next generation?

Original Language Analysis

Hebrew · 15 words
וַיְהִ֗י1 of 15
H1961

to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)

כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֙2 of 15
H834

who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc

מֵ֣ת3 of 15

“was dead”

H4191

to die (literally or figuratively); causatively, to kill

גִּדְע֔וֹן4 of 15

“And it came to pass as soon as Gideon”

H1439

gidon, an israelite

וַיָּשׁ֙וּבוּ֙5 of 15

“turned again”

H7725

to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point);

בְּנֵ֣י6 of 15

“that the children”

H1121

a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or

יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל7 of 15

“of Israel”

H3478

he will rule as god; jisral, a symbolical name of jacob; also (typically) of his posterity

וַיִּזְנ֖וּ8 of 15

“and went a whoring”

H2181

to commit adultery (usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment); figuratively, to commit idolatry (

אַֽחֲרֵ֣י9 of 15

“after”

H310

properly, the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjunction, after (in various senses)

הַבְּעָלִ֑ים10 of 15

“Baalim”

H1168

baal, a phoenician deity

וַיָּשִׂ֧ימוּ11 of 15

“and made”

H7760

to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)

לָהֶ֛ם12 of 15
H0
בַּ֥עַל13 of 15
H0
בְּרִ֖ית14 of 15

“Baalberith”

H1170

baal-berith, a special deity of the shechemites

לֵֽאלֹהִֽים׃15 of 15

“their god”

H430

gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme god; occasionally applied by way of

Study Guide

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Judges. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Judges 8:33 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.

Cross-References

Verses related to Judges 8:33 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Judges 9:4Judges 2:19Judges 9:46Judges 2:17Judges 8:27Jeremiah 3:9

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