וַיֹּ֜אמֶר זֶ֣בַח וְצַלְמֻנָּ֗ע ק֤וּם אַתָּה֙ וּפְגַע־בָּ֔נוּ כִּ֥י כָאִ֖ישׁ גְּבוּרָת֑וֹ וַיָּ֣קׇם גִּדְע֗וֹן וַֽיַּהֲרֹג֙ אֶת־זֶ֣בַח וְאֶת־צַלְמֻנָּ֔ע וַיִּקַּח֙ אֶת־הַשַּׂ֣הֲרֹנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּצַוְּארֵ֥י גְמַלֵּיהֶֽם׃
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, you slay us; for strength comes with manhood.” So Gideon went over and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.
(The above rendering comes from the RJPS translation, an adaptation of the NJPS translation. In this case, a footnote has been introduced with an alternative rendering: the outcome depends upon who’s involved. Before accounting for this new rendering, I will analyze the plain sense of the Hebrew term containing אִישׁ.)
The use of אִישׁ in the verbless clause כָאִישׁ גְּבוּרָתוֹ indicates the schematic depiction of a situation. A literal rendering is difficult because the meaning is largely on the situational level of discourse rather than on the informational level. It is something like: “According to the participant [involved] is the capability,” as I will now explain. I.e., the ability to complete a given task is a function of the participant involved. Because the salient situation is so immediate, the speaker can comment upon it via relatively few words. In order to unpack the clause, we must first place ourselves in that situation, and then look at each of the factors.
- The speaker’s interest in the situation in view is goal-oriented: Gideon has announced his intended goal (summary execution of the kings) and issued a directive. So what remains at issue is his capability to achieve the desired goal. I.e., someone more capable is needed.
- In the context of a stated goal, גְּבוּרָה denotes the power to achieve it, as in Isa 28:6; 30:15; 33:13.
- The prototypical meaning contribution of אִישׁ, namely to indicate a participant who is essential for grasping the depicted situation, is what would come to an audience’s mind most readily.
- The preposition כְּ here indicates a correspondence that is proportionate and dynamic, as in Num 8:4, 14:19; Deut 12:15; 16:17; Judg 9:16; 2 Sam 22:21; 1 Kgs 8:32, 39; Ps 51:3.
- The expression כָאִישׁ is tellingly fronted in the clause, to indicate that the choice of אִישׁ (the participant) is the crucial variable that determines the available גְּבוּרָה. (Accordingly, Jether is likewise considered an אִישׁ here—just not the right one for this particular task. Contrary to popular belief, Biblical Hebrew does not restrict its prototypical, situating use of אִישׁ by age.)
Compiling these factors, we find that the prototypical meaning contribution of אִישׁ instantly yields a coherent and informative text here (as usual). There is no need to invoke special considerations of age or of manhood/masculinity, as most interpreters have done. While it is true that adult-sized strength is necessary in order to dispatch these prisoners quickly (so Radak/Kimḥi), what the utterance actually articulates to Gideon is a more general principle. And in context, it is an ironic and memorable understatement.
As for rendering in English, the NJPS ‘for strength comes with manhood’ overinterprets the kings’ statement. It seems anachronistic—a retrojection of the postbiblical evolution of the meaning of אִישׁ to be more information-oriented rather than situation-oriented. Still, it is defensible, so it remains in the main RJPS translation text.
Meanwhile, the meaning derived above is conveyed in the new footnote, expressed in a manner that is compatible with this idiomatic translation and its register.