Judges6

The children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, leading to seven years of severe oppression by the Midianites, who destroyed their sustenance. When Israel cried unto the LORD, an Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, commissioning him to deliver Israel despite his initial doubts. Gideon then destroyed his father's altar to Baal and the associated grove, and subsequently sought two miraculous signs involving a fleece to confirm God's will.
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Israel Oppressed by Midian

1
And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. ​
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And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. ​
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And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east; they came up against them;
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and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. ​
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For they came up with their cattle and their tents; they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy it.
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And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah. ​

The Lord Sends a Prophet

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And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah because of Midian,
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that Jehovah sent a prophet unto the children of Israel: and he said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; ​
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and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land;
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and I said unto you, I am Jehovah your God; ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. But ye have not hearkened unto my voice. ​

The Angel Appears to Gideon

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And the angel of Jehovah came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. ​
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And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him, and said unto him, Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. ​
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And Gideon said unto him, Oh, my lord, if Jehovah is with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt? but now Jehovah hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian. ​
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And Jehovah looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent thee? ​
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And he said unto him, Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. ​
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And Jehovah said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
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And he said unto him, If now I have found favor in thy sight, then show me a sign that it is thou that talkest with me.
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Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and lay it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
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And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
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And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
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Then the angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of Jehovah departed out of his sight. ​
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And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Jehovah; and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord Jehovah! forasmuch as I have seen the angel of Jehovah face to face. ​
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And Jehovah said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
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Then Gideon built an altar there unto Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. ​

Gideon Destroys Baal's Altar

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And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said unto him, Take thy father’s bullock, even the second bullock seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the Asherah that is by it; ​
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and build an altar unto Jehovah thy God upon the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which thou shalt cut down.
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Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Jehovah had spoken unto him: and it came to pass, because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, so that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. ​
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And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
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And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
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Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die, because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the Asherah that was by it.
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And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye contend for Baal? or will ye save him? he that will contend for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one hath broken down his altar. ​
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Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal contend against him, because he hath broken down his altar. ​

Gideon Seeks Confirmation

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Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. ​
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But the Spirit of Jehovah came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together after him. ​
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And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
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And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast spoken, ​
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behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast spoken. ​
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And it was so; for he rose up early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.
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And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once: let me make trial, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. ​
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And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

Study Notes for Judges 6

Verse 1

This verse initiates the fourth major cycle of sin and judgment in the book of Judges. The seven years of oppression (the longest recorded period of servitude so far) indicates the severity of Israel’s apostasy.

Verse 2

The Israelites were driven out of their homes and forced to live in natural and man-made strongholds in the mountains. This paints a picture of extreme degradation and fear, typical of a subjugated people.

Verse 4

The Midianites acted as seasonal raiders, timing their invasions to destroy the harvest and livestock, thereby crippling Israelite society economically and ensuring dependency.

Verse 6

Impoverishment finally drives Israel to repentance. The cycle of the judges always begins with the people 'crying out' (Hebrew: *za'aq*) to the Lord for rescue.

Verse 8

Before delivering a savior (judge), the Lord sends a prophet to address the root cause: spiritual failure. The prophet reminds them of God’s history of redemption (Exodus) and their covenant obligations.

Verse 10

The core sin was syncretism—worshiping the local Canaanite deities (the gods of the Amorites, specifically Baal) alongside Yahweh, a direct violation of the first commandment.

Verse 11

Gideon is introduced threshing wheat secretly in a winepress (a sunken stone vat), a location completely unsuitable for the task, illustrating his fear of the Midianite raiders.

Verse 12

The 'Angel of the LORD' (*mal'akh Yahweh*) is often interpreted as a Christophany (a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ). The greeting, 'mighty man of valour,' is ironic given Gideon’s hidden activity.

Verse 13

Gideon’s response reflects the theological crisis of the era: if God is sovereign, why has He abandoned His people? He focuses on God’s past miracles versus their present suffering.

Verse 14

The Lord commissions Gideon not based on Gideon’s military prowess or status, but purely on divine appointment: “Have not I sent thee?”

Verse 15

Gideon expresses profound insecurity, claiming the weakest position within his clan and tribe. This pattern of God choosing the marginalized highlights that salvation comes through divine power, not human strength.

Verse 21

The fire consuming the offering demonstrates the divine acceptance of the sacrifice and confirms the identity of the messenger, paralleling the acceptance of priestly offerings (Lev. 9:24).

Verse 22

The ancient belief was that seeing God or His angel face-to-face resulted in death (cf. Exod. 33:20). Gideon’s fear is rooted in traditional reverence.

Verse 24

Gideon names the altar *Jehovah-shalom* ('The LORD is Peace'). This signifies that true peace (*shalom*) is found in the presence of God, who overcomes human fear and threat of death.

Verse 25

Gideon’s first act of deliverance is spiritual: destroying the altar of the fertility god Baal in his own family. The seven-year-old bullock may symbolize the seven years of Midianite oppression.

Verse 27

Gideon’s fear of his own community shows that the spiritual battle against idolatry was deeply personal and dangerous, requiring him to operate under the cover of night.

Verse 31

Joash, Gideon’s father, defends his son by challenging the power of Baal. He argues that if Baal is a true god, he must be able to defend his own altar, marking a powerful shift away from idolatry.

Verse 32

Gideon is given the nickname *Jerubbaal*, meaning 'Let Baal contend/strive.' This name serves as a permanent memorial of his confrontation with the local deity.

Verse 33

The enemy forces gather in the Jezreel Valley, the traditional battlefield of Israel, setting the stage for the upcoming confrontation.

Verse 34

The statement 'the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon' is key to the Judges narrative, indicating divine empowerment that transforms the fearful farmer into a charismatic military leader.

Verse 36

Despite the angelic commission (v. 14) and the empowerment of the Spirit (v. 34), Gideon still seeks tangible, physical reassurance, revealing his persistent insecurity.

Verse 37

The sign of the fleece is a test of God's faithfulness, using an unnatural meteorological event. Gideon asks for the impossible, demonstrating his weak faith but sincere desire for confirmation.

Verse 39

Gideon requests the test be reversed (dry fleece, wet ground), eliminating the possibility of coincidence or natural explanation. God graciously complies, demonstrating patience with Gideon's doubt.

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