Gideon rejects the request of the Israelites to be their ruler, acknowledging the role the LORD has played in their victories up till now. However, his strong statement of allegiance to God is short-lived, as the following events will show.
Gideon said to them: This clause begins with a Hebrew waw conjunction, which Revised Standard Version omits. However, a contrastive connector such as “But” (New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) would be appropriate. In this context the general verb said may be expressed as “replied” (Contemporary English Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “answered” (Good News Translation, New American Bible), or “responded.”
Gideon’s response is quite emphatic, containing parallel lines, two negative particles, and an emphatic first person singular pronoun. The Hebrew reads literally:
Not I will rule I over you,
and not he will rule my son over you;
Yahweh he will rule over you.
Gideon not only refuses the offer of the people, but states emphatically what he has learned through past experiences: Yahweh was the real victor of the battles, not Gideon himself. These lines are poetic, and in many languages this style will be appreciated.
I will not rule over you: The pronoun I refers to Gideon, and the pronoun you to the people of Israel. For rule see verse 8.22.
And my son will not rule over you: Though Gideon makes this statement at this point in the narrative, ironically, one of Gideon’s sons will rule over the people (see verse 9.1-57). My son may refer not only to Gideon’s son, but to his descendants.
The LORD will rule over you: For the LORD.
Translation models for this verse are:
• But Gideon said to them, “No, I will not be your ruler, nor will any of my descendants. Your only ruler is Yahweh!”
• Gideon replied:
“I will not be your ruler,
nor will my son be.
Your only ruler is the LORD!”
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 .