שופטים, פרק ח׳, פסוק י״ז

Gideon's campaign reaches a dramatic climax as his response to a lack of national loyalty turns deadly. The punishment of the city of Penuel escalates from the destruction of property to a severe loss of life, as Gideon not only tears down the city's tower but also kills its men.

This lethal outcome raises a question, as Gideon's initial threat only mentioned destroying the tower, not taking lives. The primary approach among commentators is that the killing was never part of the original punishment. Instead, it was the result of active resistance. When Gideon arrived to dismantle the tower, the men of the city boldly confronted him and fought to defend their structure, leading to their deaths in the ensuing battle [רד״ק, מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Conversely, another perspective suggests that Gideon had indeed promised to kill them from the start as part of his planned penalty, but this specific threat was simply not recorded earlier in the narrative [רלב״ג].

The fate of Penuel stands out as notably harsher than that of the neighboring city of Succoth, whose men were punished only by being whipped with thorns. This increased severity is due to several factors. First, the people of Penuel lacked any valid excuse for their refusal to help [מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, even though Penuel was a smaller city, its residents arrogantly repeated the exact same disrespectful answer that Succoth had given, which only fueled Gideon's anger [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Their exceptional boldness stemmed directly from an inflated sense of security provided by their fortified tower [רד״ק].

Beyond the immediate conflict over the tower, the severe punishment was rooted in three fundamental sins committed by both Succoth and Penuel. They refused to join God's battle despite their proximity to the front lines, they denied basic charity by withholding bread and water from exhausted soldiers, and they spoke harshly in rebellion against Gideon. Since Gideon held the status of a king, rebelling against him was a capital offense. Ultimately, the execution of the men of Penuel, who had dared to take up arms against him, was meant to serve as a powerful, public warning to the rest of the Israelites, ensuring they would never again engage in such traitorous behavior [אברבנאל].