He said to them, What have I now done in comparison with you? Isn't the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
Gideon responded diplomatically and satisfied the Ephraimites (Judges 8:2). The "gleaning" of Ephraim refers to the lives and spoils the Ephraimites took from the fleeing Midianites, and the "vintage" of Abiezer refers to the Midianites that Gideon and his 300 men had defeated and slain. The Ephraimites’ victory was greater too in that they had killed two Midianite commanders, Oreb and Zeeb.