And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks.
The gold earrings that Gideon asked for weighed about 43 pounds of gold. This didn't even include all the other valuable things like decorations, necklaces, purple clothing that belonged to the Midianite kings, and the chains that hung around their camels' necks.
This verse shows the enormous wealth that Gideon collected from his victory over the Midianites - just the gold earrings alone weighed over 40 pounds.
📚 Historical Context
After Gideon's miraculous victory over the vast Midianite army with only 300 men, he asked each Israelite soldier to give him one gold earring from their plunder. The Midianites and other eastern peoples were known for wearing elaborate gold jewelry and decorating even their camels with valuable ornaments. This massive amount of gold demonstrates just how wealthy and powerful the enemy had been before God delivered them into Israel's hands.
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