Then said he to Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom you killed at Tabor? They answered, As you are, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.
There is no greater error among present-day scholars than this outburst against Gideon's faithful obedience to the commandment of God who commanded, "Whosoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image"  (Genesis 9:6).  "This is not merely a permission legalizing, but an imperative command enjoining capital punishment for murderers."[18]  "When God commands man to execute murderers, He delegates this task to him, and it becomes his God-given responsibility to do it."[19]