1. Judges 8:18 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What is the intent behind the kings’ reply?

Judges 8:18 (ESV)

18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where are the men whom you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king.”

Instead of answering his question, they make a desperate attempt at flattery. At the same time, their drawing of a connection between Gideon and royalty introduces the motif of Israelite kingship for the first time in the book.1