Who were Gideon's primary opponents in his narrative?

• A. Philistines
• B. Ammonites
• C. Canaanites
• D. Midianites

Answer: (D)

Gideon’s story centers on Israel’s oppression by the Midianites. The Midianites, along with Amalekites and other eastern peoples, repeatedly raid the land, ruin crops, and drive the Israelites into caves. This ongoing threat is what prompts God to raise Gideon up as deliverer and sets the sequence of events in motion, culminating in a dramatic defeat of a Midianite force with a small, divinely guided army. Because the narrative consistently portrays the Midianites as the main oppressors and primary opponents, they are the correct answer. The other groups listed appear in different biblical contexts or times, but they are not the central adversaries in the Gideon account.