Zalmunna was a Midianite king mentioned in the Book of Judges, specifically in the narrative concerning Gideon, one of the judges of Israel. His account is primarily found in Judges 8, where he is depicted as a leader of the Midianites, who were oppressing the Israelites during the time of the judges.

Biblical Account:

Zalmunna, along with another Midianite king named Zebah, led their people in raids against Israel, causing significant distress and hardship. The Midianites, described as numerous as locusts, would invade Israel during the harvest, destroying crops and livestock, which left the Israelites impoverished and desperate (Judges 6:1-6).

In response to the cries of the Israelites, God raised up Gideon to deliver His people. Gideon, with a divinely reduced army of 300 men, achieved a miraculous victory over the Midianites. The account in Judges 7 describes how Gideon’s small force, armed with trumpets, jars, and torches, routed the Midianite camp, causing confusion and leading to a self-destructive panic among the enemy forces.

Following this initial victory, Gideon pursued the fleeing Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. The pursuit is detailed in Judges 8, where Gideon and his men, exhausted yet determined, crossed the Jordan River to continue their chase. Despite being denied assistance by the towns of Succoth and Penuel, Gideon pressed on and eventually captured the two kings.

Judges 8:10-12 : "Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the East. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen. Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked their camp unexpectedly. Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but he pursued them and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army."

Upon capturing Zebah and Zalmunna, Gideon confronted them about the killing of his brothers at Tabor. The kings admitted to the act, which led Gideon to execute them as retribution for their deeds (Judges 8:18-21). This act of justice was significant in the context of the ancient Near Eastern culture, where blood vengeance was a common practice.

Theological Significance:

Zalmunna's defeat is emblematic of God's deliverance of Israel through unlikely means and individuals. The narrative underscores the theme of divine intervention and the importance of faith and obedience to God's commands. Gideon's victory over the Midianites, including the capture and execution of Zalmunna, serves as a testament to God's power and His ability to save His people against overwhelming odds.

The account of Zalmunna also highlights the cyclical nature of Israel's history during the time of the judges, characterized by periods of apostasy, oppression, repentance, and deliverance. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and the mercy available through repentance and divine intervention.

Cultural and Historical Context:

The Midianites were a nomadic people often in conflict with Israel. Their raids were not only military incursions but also economic, aimed at crippling Israel's resources. The defeat of Zalmunna and Zebah marked a significant turning point in the struggle between Israel and the Midianites, temporarily restoring peace and stability to the region.

Zalmunna's account, as part of the larger narrative of Gideon, is a vivid illustration of the challenges faced by the Israelites in maintaining their covenant relationship with God amidst external threats and internal failings.Zalmunna

shadow; image; idol forbidden

Zalmunna

[ZEBAH]

One of the two kings of Midian whom the "Lord delivered" into the hands of Gideon. He was slain afterwards with Zebah (Judges 8:5-21). (see ZEBAH.) ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA

ze'-ba (zebhach, "victim"), zal-mun'-a (tsalmunna`, "protection refused"): Two Midianite kings or chiefs whom Gideon slew (Judges 8:4-21 Psalm 83:11 (Hebrew text, verse 12)). The name zebhach (Zebee) is very much like that of ze'ebh (Zeb, "Zeeb" in the Septuagint). Moore (Judgess, 220) says that tsalmunna` is probably "a genuine Midianite name"; Noldeke conjectured that it contains that of a deity (ts(a)lm), and a compound form tslmshzbh, is found in an inscription from Teima, a place East of the Midianite capital (Corpus Inscriptionum Semiticarum, II, cxiiiff).

The narrative of Judges 8:4-21 is not to be connected with that of 8:1-3. Budde (Kurzer Hand-Comm. z. Altes Testament, XXII) would join 8:4 to 6:34; Moore (ICC) following Budde's earlier work (1890) would connect it with a part of 7:22b, describing the direction of the flight, while Nowack (Hand-Komm.) regards the battle of 8:11 as the same as that of 7:11 if; he then takes the latter part of 8:11 to refer to the place of the camp at night. There are many difficulties in forming a natural connection for the verses. It may be noted that in 8:18 Gideon is not "the least in my father's house," as he represents himself to be in 6:15.

The whole section tells of a daring raid made by Gideon upon the Midianites. Some of his own kin had been slain by Midianite hordes at Ophrah (Judges 8:18 f), and, stirred by this, Gideon went in hot pursuit with 300 men (Judges 8:4). He requested provisions for his men from the people of Succoth and Penuel, but was refused this. He then went on and caught the Midianites unawares at Karkor (Judges 8:10) and captured their two chiefs. He then had his revenge on the two towns, and returned probably to his home with the two notable prisoners. These he determined to slay to avenge the death of his own kinsmen, and called upon his eldest son to perform this solemn public duty that he owed to the dead. His son, apparently only a boy, hesitated, and he did the deed himself. W. R. Smith (Lectures on the Religion of the Semites, 2nd edition, 417, note) compares with this call to Gideon's son the choice of young men or lads as sacrificers in Exodus 24:5, and says that the Saracens also charged lads with the execution of their captives.

The narrative reminds one of David's romantic life in 1 Samuel 25; 1 Samuel 27; 30. It is throughout a characteristic picture of the life of the early Hebrews in Palestine, for whom it was a sacred duty to avenge the dead. It affords a splendid illustration of what is meant by the spirit of Yahweh coming upon, or rather "clothing itself with" (Revised Version margin) Gideon (Judges 6:34); compare also Saul's call to action (1 Samuel 11:1-11), and also Judges 19 f.

David Francis Roberts

6759. Tsalmunna -- a king of Midian
... 6758, 6759. Tsalmunna. 6760 . a king of Midian. Transliteration: Tsalmunna
Phonetic Spelling: (tsal-moon-naw') Short Definition: Zalmunna. ... Zalmunna. ...
/hebrew/6759.htm - 6k

Gideon's Brave Band
... the men of Succoth, "Give, I beg of you, loaves of bread to the people who follow
me, for they are faint and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/gideons brave band.htm

Psalm 83
... 11Like Oreb and like Zeeb make. their noble men to fall; Like Zeba and Zalmunna
like,. make thou their princes all; ^12Who said, For our possession. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/anonymous/scottish psalter and paraphrases/psalm 83.htm

Judges
... to the earlier version, viii.4-21, which is on a smaller scale, Gideon, accompanied
by part of his clan, takes the lives of Zebah and Zalmunna to avenge his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/mcfadyen/introduction to the old testament/judges.htm

The Story of Gideon and his Three Hundred Soldiers
... three hundred men followed closely after them, fought another battle with them,
destroyed them utterly, and took their two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, whom he ...
/.../marshall/the wonder book of bible stories/the story of gideon and.htm

Shoes of Iron, and Strength Sufficient: a New Year's Promise
... the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." Are we not often too much like the young
man Jether, who was bidden by his father to slay Zebah and Zalmunna, but he ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 35 1889/shoes of iron and strength.htm

Discussion of the Subject of Permission
... Penuel to withhold bread from the army of Gideon, partly that He might test the
constancy of those, who were "pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna," partly that ...
/.../arminius/the works of james arminius vol 3/discussion of the subject of.htm

The Saints' Privilege and Profit;
The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3. <. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the saints privilege and profit.htm

Zalmunna (9 Occurrences)
... 21). (see ZEBAH.). Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ZEBAH AND ZALMUNNA. ze ... Roberts.
Multi-Version Concordance Zalmunna (9 Occurrences). Judges ...
/z/zalmunna.htm - 13k

Zebah (9 Occurrences)
... host of the Midianites who invaded the land of Israel, and over whom Gideon gained
a great and decisive victory (Judges 8). Zebah and Zalmunna had succeeded in ...
/z/zebah.htm - 13k

Succoth (18 Occurrences)
... said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow
me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings ...
/s/succoth.htm - 16k

Weariness (44 Occurrences)
... 5 And he said to the men of Succoth, Give bread cakes to my people, for they are
overcome with weariness, and I am going on after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings ...
/w/weariness.htm - 19k

Wearied (36 Occurrences)
... of Succoth, 'Give, I pray you, cakes of bread to the people who 'are' at my feet,
for they 'are' wearied, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna kings of ...
/w/wearied.htm - 17k

Weary (77 Occurrences)
... of Succoth, 'Give, I pray you, cakes of bread to the people who 'are' at my feet,
for they 'are' wearied, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna kings of ...
/w/weary.htm - 29k

Zalmun'na (8 Occurrences)
Zalmun'na. Zalmunna, Zalmun'na. Zalmunnah . ... Psalms 83:11 Make their nobles like
Oreb and Zeeb, and like Zebah and Zalmunna all their princes; (See RSV). ...
/z/zalmun'na.htm - 8k

Gideon (45 Occurrences)
... 2. The Midianite Oppression: The Midianites under Zebah and Zalmunna, their two
greatest chiefs, accompanied by other wild tribes of the eastern desert, had ...
/g/gideon.htm - 36k

Zebab (1 Occurrence)
... Judges 8:12 and Zebab and Zalmunna flee, and he pursueth after them, and captureth
the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and all the camp he hath caused ...
/z/zebab.htm - 6k

Karkor (1 Occurrence)
... Here Gideon overtook and routed a fugitive band of Midianites under Zeba and Zalmunna,
whom he took captive. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. KARKOR. ...
/k/karkor.htm - 7k

What is the significance of Mount Tabor in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is an avenger of blood in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

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