Judges 8:23 - Clarke's commentary and critical notes on the Bible

And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you. The Lord shall rule over you - Few with such power at their command would have acted as Gideon. His speech calls them back to their first principles, and should have excited in them both shame and contrition. How different is this speech from that of Oliver Cromwell when the commons offered him the crown of England!