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27 Gideon used all this to make[a] an ephod,[b] which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites[c] prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it[d] there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 8:27 tn Heb “made it into.”
  2. Judges 8:27 sn In Exod 28:4-6 and several other texts an ephod is described as a priestly or cultic garment. In some cases an ephod is used to obtain a divine oracle (1 Sam 23:9; 30:7). Here the ephod is made of gold and is described as being quite heavy (70-75 lbs?). Some identify it as an idol, but it was more likely a cultic object fashioned in the form of a garment which was used for oracular purposes. For discussion of the ephod in the OT, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 236-43, and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 349-52.
  3. Judges 8:27 tn Heb “Israel” (a collective singular).
  4. Judges 8:27 tn The words “by worshiping it” are supplied in the translation for clarity.