Gideon made an ephod of it, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel played the prostitute after it there; and it became a snare to Gideon, and to his house.
Gideon wisely refused their flattering offer, but he failed to give credit to Yahweh for the victory (cf. ch. 5). God had made provision for an Israelite king in the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). Evidently Gideon believed Israel was better off under the current arrangement of judgeships whereby Yahweh, Israel’s true king, would raise up deliverers like himself when He saw fit (Judges 8:23). This was a wise decision, and it was in harmony with God’s will. Yet Gideon’s subsequent decision (Judges 8:24-27) belied his words: he led Israel back into idolatry, out of which he had just led them. Rather than following Moses as his role model, who though hesitant at first had proved faithful, Gideon followed the example of Aaron, who requested the people’s jewelry to make an idol (Exodus 32:1-6).