שופטים, פרק ח׳, פסוק ט״ז

The refusal to provide food to a starving army in the middle of a military campaign brings severe consequences. Following their betrayal, the punishment of the people of Sukkot is finally carried out by Gideon. The primary approach among commentators is that Gideon's response was not merely a harsh verbal reprimand, but an act of physical breaking and suffering [רש״י, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, מצודת ציון]. He inflicted a painful physical beating upon the people. However, another perspective suggests that the physical act served a broader purpose. Through this severe punishment, Gideon forced the people to truly understand and realize the gravity of their crime [רד״ק].

A difference of opinion exists regarding exactly how this beating was administered. One approach explains that Gideon personally used desert thorns and briers as weapons to strike the people of the city [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A second approach offers a different angle, suggesting that Gideon did not carry out the beating himself. Instead, he forced the elders of the city to take the thorns and whip their own people. This method was designed to extract a double penalty. Beyond the intense physical pain, being punished by their own leaders added a profound layer of public disgrace and humiliation [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ].