Zeeb
“Wolf”
Summary
One of two Midianite princes slain by the Ephraimites at the Jordan fords during Gideon's defeat of the Midianite invasion.
☩The Pursuit
Zeeb and Oreb were princes or generals of the Midianite army, ranking below the two kings Zebah and Zalmunna. When Gideon's surprise night attack threw the Midianite camp into confusion, these two princes fled toward the Jordan. Gideon summoned the men of Ephraim to seize the fords and cut off the fleeing Midianites.
☩Death and Memorial
The Ephraimites captured both Oreb and Zeeb. Zeeb, whose name means 'wolf,' was slain at a winepress which afterward bore his name—'the winepress of Zeeb.' The victory over these two princes was so significant that the Ephraimites brought their heads to Gideon as trophies, and their names became proverbial for divine deliverance.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Zeeb," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Zeeb," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).