Judges 6 (NET)

Oppression and Confrontation

1 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight,1 so the Lord turned them over to2 Midian for seven years. 2 The Midianites3 overwhelmed Israel.4 Because of Midian the Israelites made shelters5 for themselves in the hills, as well as caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops,6 the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east would attack them.7 4 They invaded the land8 and devoured9 its crops10 all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat,11 and they took away12 the sheep, oxen, and donkeys. 5 When they invaded13 with their cattle and tents, they were as thick14 as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted.15 They came to devour16 the land. 6 Israel was so severely weakened by Midian that the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help because of Midian, 8 he17 sent a prophet18 to the Israelites. He said to them, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I brought you up from Egypt19 and took you out of that place of slavery.20 9 I rescued you from Egypt’s power21 and from the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave their land to you. 10 I said to you, “I am the Lord your God! Do not worship22 the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are now living!” But you have disobeyed me.’”23

Gideon Meets Some Visitors

11 The Lord’s angelic messenger24 came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash’s son Gideon25 was threshing26 wheat in a winepress27 so he could hide it from the Midianites.28 12 The Lord’s messenger appeared and said to him, “The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!” 13 Gideon said to him, “Pardon me,29 but if the Lord is with us, why has such disaster30 overtaken us? Where are all his miraculous deeds our ancestors told us about? They said,31 ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 Then the Lord himself32 turned to him and said, “You have the strength.33 Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites!34 Have I not sent you?” 15 Gideon35 said to him, “But Lord,36 how37 can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.”38 16 The Lord said to him, “Ah, but39 I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.”40 17 Gideon41 said to him, “If you really are pleased with me,42 then give me43 a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 18 Do not leave this place until I come back44 with a gift45 and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat,46 along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food47 to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock,48 and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed.49 21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff.50 Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The Lord’s messenger then disappeared.51

22 When Gideon realized52 that it was the Lord’s messenger, he53 said, “Oh no!54 Master, Lord!55 I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!” 23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe!56 Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!” 24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.”57 To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Gideon Destroys the Altar

25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old.58 Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern.59 Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants60 and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family61 and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.62

28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw63 the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 29 They said to one another,64 “Who did this?”65 They investigated the matter thoroughly66 and concluded67 that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him!68 He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him,69 “Must you fight Baal’s battles?70 Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause71 will die by morning!72 If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles!73 After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.”74 32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub-Baal,75 because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”

Gideon Summons an Army and Seeks Confirmation

33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east76 assembled. They crossed the Jordan River77 and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 34 The Lord’s spirit took control of78 Gideon. He blew a trumpet,79 summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.80 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well.81 He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.

36 Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel,82 as you promised, then give me a sign as proof.83 37 Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it84 is dry, then I will be sure85 that you will use me to deliver Israel,86 as you promised.” 38 The Lord did as he asked.87 When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl.88 39 Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign.89 Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.”90 40 That night God did as he asked.91 Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.

16:1tn Heb “in the eyes of.” 26:1tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.” 36:2tn Heb “the hand of Midian.” 46:2tn Heb “The hand of Midian was strong against Israel.” 56:2tn Or possibly “secret storage places.” The Hebrew word occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. 66:3tn Heb “Whenever Israel sowed seed.” 76:3tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east would go up, they would go up against him.” The translation assumes that וְעָלוּ (vÿ’alu) is dittographic (note the following עָלָיו, ’alayv). 86:4tn Heb “They encamped against them.” 96:4tn Heb “destroyed.” 106:4tn Heb “the crops of the land.” 116:4tn Heb “They left no sustenance in Israel.” 126:4tn The words “they took away” are supplied in the translation for clarification. 136:5tn Heb “came up.” 146:5tn Heb “numerous.” 156:5tn Heb “To them and to their camels there was no number.” 166:5tn Heb “destroy.” The translation “devour” carries through the imagery of a locust plague earlier in this verse. 176:8tn Heb “the Lord”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons. 186:8tn Heb “a man, a prophet.” Hebrew idiom sometimes puts a generic term before a more specific designation. 196:8tc Some ancient witnesses read “from the land of Egypt.” מֵאֶרֶץ (me’erets, “from the land [of]”) could have been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton (note the following מִמִּצְרַיִם [mimmitsrayim, “from Egypt”]). 206:8tn Heb “of the house of slavery.” 216:9tn Heb “hand” (also a second time later in this verse). 226:10tn Heb “Do not fear.” 236:10tn Heb “you have not listened to my voice.” 246:11tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.sn The Lord’s angelic messenger is also mentioned in Judg 2:1. 256:11tn Heb “Now Gideon his son…” The Hebrew circumstantial clause (note the pattern vav [ו] + subject + predicate) breaks the narrative sequence and indicates that the angel’s arrival coincided with Gideon’s threshing. 266:11tn Heb “beating out.” 276:11sn Threshing wheat in a winepress. One would normally thresh wheat at the threshing floor outside the city. Animals and a threshing sledge would be employed. Because of the Midianite threat, Gideon was forced to thresh with a stick in a winepress inside the city. For further discussion see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 63. 286:11tn Heb “Midian.” 296:13tn Heb “But my lord.” 306:13tn Heb “all this.” 316:13tn Heb “saying.” 326:14sn Some interpreters equate the Lord and the messenger in this story, but they are more likely distinct. In vv. 22-23 the Lord and Gideon continue to carry on a conversation after the messenger has vanished (v. 21). 336:14tn Heb “Go in this strength of yours.” 346:14tn Heb “the hand of Midian.” 356:15tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 366:15tn Note the switch to אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Lord”). Gideon seems aware that he is speaking to someone other than, and superior to, the messenger, whom he addressed as אֲדֹנִי (’adoniy, “my lord”) in v. 13. 376:15tn Heb “with what.” 386:15tn Heb “in my father’s house.” 396:16tn Or “certainly.” 406:16tn Heb “You will strike down Midian as one man.” The idiom “as one man” emphasizes the collective unity of a group (see Judg 20:8, 11). Here it may carry the force, “as if they were just one man.” 416:17tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 426:17tn Heb “If I have found favor in your eyes.” 436:17tn Heb “perform for me.” 446:18tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons. 456:18tn Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, “gift”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission. In some cases it is used of a gift offered to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. The word can also carry a sacrificial connotation. 466:19tn Heb “a kid from among the goats.” 476:19tn The words “the food” are not in the Hebrew text (an implied direct object). They are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons. 486:20tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.” 496:20tn Heb “and he did so.” 506:21tn Heb “extended the tip of the staff which was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread.” 516:21tn Heb “went from his eyes.” 526:22tn Heb “saw.” 536:22tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons. 546:22tn Or “Ah!” 556:22tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (’adonay yÿhvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15], Lord”). 566:23tn Heb “Peace to you.” For a similar use of this idiom to introduce a reassuring word, see Gen 43:23. 576:24tn Heb “The Lord is peace.” Gideon’s name for the altar plays on the Lord’s reassuring words to him, “Peace to you.” 586:25tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar. 596:26tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction. 606:27tn Heb “men from among his servants.” 616:27tn Heb “house.” 626:27tn Heb “so he did it at night.” 636:28tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men. 646:29tn Heb “each one to his neighbor.” 656:29tn Heb “this thing.” 666:29tn Heb “they inquired and searched.” The synonyms are joined to emphasize the care with which they conducted their inquiry. 676:29tn Heb “and said.” Perhaps the plural subject is indefinite. If so, it could be translated, “they were told.” 686:30tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause. 696:31tn Heb “to all who stood against him.” 706:31tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?” 716:31tn Heb “fights for him.” 726:31sn Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning. This may be a warning to the crowd that Joash intends to defend his son and to kill anyone who tries to execute Gideon. Then again, it may be a sarcastic statement about Baal’s apparent inability to defend his own honor. Anyone who takes up Baal’s cause may end up dead, perhaps by the same hand that pulled down the pagan god’s altar. 736:31tn Heb “fight for himself.” 746:31tn Heb “for he pulled down his altar.” The subject of the verb, if not Gideon, is indefinite (in which case a passive translation is permissible). 756:32tn Heb “He called him on that day Jerub-Baal.” The name means, at least by popular etymology, “Let Baal fight!” 766:33tn Heb “Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east.” 776:33tn The words “the Jordan River” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification. 786:34tn Heb “clothed.” 796:34tn That is, “mustered an army.” 806:34tn Heb “Abiezer was summoned after him.” 816:35tn Heb “and he also was summoned after him.” 826:36tn More literally, “you are about to deliver Israel by my hand.” 836:36tn The words “then give me a sign as proof” are supplied in the translation for clarification. 846:37tn Heb “all the ground.” 856:37tn Or “know.” 866:37tn Heb “you will deliver Israel by my hand.” 876:38tn Heb “And it was so.” 886:38tn Heb “dew dripped from the fleece – a bowl full of water.” 896:39tn Heb “Let your anger not rage at me, so that I might speak only this once.” 906:39tn Heb “let the fleece alone be dry, while dew is on all the ground.” 916:40tn Heb “God did so that night.”