He said to Jether his firstborn, Up, and kill them. But the youth didn't draw his sword; for he feared, because he was yet a youth.
It was a great disgrace to die at the hand of a woman or a youth in the ancient Near East. This implied that the person killed could not overcome his slayer. Gideon’s intent was to punish the kings with humiliation as well as death for their treatment of his brothers (Judges 8:20). However, Gideon’s young son was not ready for this adult work, so Gideon killed them himself (Judges 8:21). The crescent-shaped ornaments that Gideon took from the kings’ camels (Judges 8:21) were presumably gold and silver. The Arabians commonly wore these around their necks and used them to decorate their camels. These particular ornaments would have been very valuable since they belonged to kings.