Ephraim's annoyed

In order to capture the retreating Midianites, Gideon would need to enlist some helpers.

Ephraim (another Hebrew tribe) would be perfect. The Midianites were headed in that direction, so they could be trapped from both sides. It was also going to take more than 300 men to sort out this mess of a battlefield, so Gideon called upon the original 32'000 men from Naphtali, Asher and Mannaseh.

The Ephramites were annoyed.

They had been waiting for the opportunity 'to get their own back' on the Midianites (always with the revenge!). When the herald came to announce the news that Gideon's 300 had done the impossible, the people of Ephraim would have been ambivalent (feeling overjoyed as well as furious).

Why didn't this Gideon from Ophrah call the mighty men of Ephraim to help him?

Ephraim was renouned for their impressive track record . . .

Joshua had been from the tribe and ALSO their city of Shiloh had been the home of the tabernacle (God's 9-man super tent!). Mannaseh had been ignored by Joseph, in favour of Ephraim, surely THEY had a right to be involved?!

2 of the most notorious Midianite generals are captured by Ephraimites. Oreb (raven) and Zeeb (wolf) are be-headed and the severed heads are taken to Gideon.

Why?

Was this a good will gesture to honour Gideon and attempt to make peace between the 2 tribes?

Or was this a message to Mannaseh from Ephraim . . . "look at what the mighty men of Ephraim have accomplished"?

From the criticism that follows, it seems that the latter is true.

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