Literally, “the raven and the wolf,” picturesque names for desert chieftains. The quick action of the Ephraimites enabled them to cut off the escape of a large number of Midianites who were trying to cross the Jordan at the lower fords. Pursued from behind by the reassembled forces of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, with the Jordan on one side and the Ephraimites before them, many Midianites were forced to surrender. Among the captives were two princes, Oreb and Zeeb, who were both promptly executed. To commemorate the victory, the sites where these men were slain were named “rock of Oreb,” literally, “raven’s rock,” and “winepress of Zeeb,” literally, “wolf’s wine press,” names which they, apparently, still bore when the book of Judges was written many years later. “Raven’s rock” was still known in Isaiah’s day (Isa. 10:26).

 On the eastern side, the area now called Transjordan. According to ch. 8:4, Gideon had not yet crossed over the Jordan. Therefore, some have thought that the Ephraimites captured Oreb and Zeeb after they had crossed over to the eastern side of the river, and that they then brought the captives’ heads back to Gideon, who was still pursuing the Midianites in their flight from Jezreel toward the Jordan. The better explanation is that the author of Judges, having introduced the Ephraimites and their part in this battle, wished to complete his narrative concerning them and their dispute with Gideon before giving the long account of Gideon’s pursuit of the Midianites to the east of Jordan. For this reason he interrupted the chronological account of the battle to tell of the jealousy of the Ephraimites and how Gideon appeased them. Then in ch. 8:4 the author resumed the thread of the battle story. Gideon’s meeting with the Ephraimites would actually, then, have taken place after he returned from the total defeat of the Midianites, or at least after he crossed the Jordan.