Gideon’s Concubine

Gideon’s many wives bore him many sons (Judg. 8:30), but it was Abimelech, his son by his concubine, who became one of the most notorious figures in the days of the judges (8:31; see also Abimelech’s profile at Judg. 9:1). Concubines were usually female slaves with whom a male owner was free to have sexual relations as though they were wives. They were not considered full wives but enjoyed rights that common slaves did not.

The fact that Gideon’s concubine was from Shechem may mean that she was an Israelite born to an impoverished family that sold her into slavery (compare Judg. 9:1–3, 18). Or she may have been a Canaanite taken by Gideon as a female servant. Some Canaanites remained in Shechem during that era, and the city was a center for Baal worship (9:4).

The Israelites were forbidden to marry Canaanites (Deut. 7:1–6). Gideon, despite his apparent trust in God and victory over the Midianites, might not have been above skirting the Law, as he had demonstrated by fashioning an ephod, a sacred garment, from the Midian plunder. The object became a spiritual snare for him and his family (Judg. 8:24–27) and aided Israel in reverting to idolatry after his passing (8:33). The result of Gideon’s union with his concubine was bloodshed and civil disorder (9:1–57).

It is up to us to learn from Gideon’s mistakes and identify potential snares in our own lives. To avoid being trapped, we must search our lives and identify and forsake anything that might keep us from full obedience.

Taken from The Modern Life Study Bible