Person Old Testament
Zebah
Zebah was a Midianite king who, along with Zalmunna, was defeated and killed by Gideon during the time of the judges. Mentioned in 9 verses across 2 books, first at Judges 8:5.
Why it matters. Midianite king defeated by Gideon
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Zebah
Zebah was one of the two Midianite kings who led a vast army that invaded and oppressed Israel during the time of the judges. For seven years, the Midianites, along with the Amalekites and other eastern peoples, would come up against Israel, destroying crops and livestock, forcing many Israelites to seek shelter in caves. God raised up Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites. After a decisive victory, Zebah and Zalmunna fled with a remnant of their army, but Gideon pursued them across the Jordan River and overtook them at Karkor. The kings were captured and brought back to Israel, where they confessed to killing Gideon's brothers. As a result, Gideon executed them. The name Zebah is related to the Hebrew word for "sacrifice," while Zalmunna may contain a reference to a heathen deity. Their defeat is remembered as a demonstration of God's judgment and glory.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 9 verses across 2 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.