16 He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers.
16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught
16 And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson.
16 Then he took the seventy-seven leaders of Succoth and thrashed them with desert thorns and thistles.
16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
16 Then Gideon took the elders of the town and taught them a lesson, punishing them with thorns and briers from the wilderness.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 8:16
Commentary on Judges 8:13-17
(Read Judges 8:13-17)
The active servants of the Lord meet with more dangerous opposition from false professors than from open enemies; but they must not care for the behaviour of those who are Israelites in name, but Midianites in heart. They must pursue the enemies of their souls, and of the cause of God, though they are ready to faint through inward conflicts and outward hardships. And they shall be enabled to persevere. The less men help, and the more they seek to hinder, the more will the Lord assist. Gideon's warning being slighted, the punishment was just. Many are taught with the briers and thorns of affliction, who would not learn otherwise.