Judges 6

King James Version

Full text for Judges Chapter 6

1¶ And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

2And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: [and] because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which [are] in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

3And [so] it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

4And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

5For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; [for] both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.

6And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.

7¶ And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,

8That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;

9And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;

10And I said unto you, I [am] the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

11¶ And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which [was] in Ophrah, that [pertained] unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide [it] from the Midianites.

12And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD [is] with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

13And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where [be] all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

14And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

15And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family [is] poor in Manasseh, and I [am] the least in my father's house.

16And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

17And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

18Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set [it] before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

19And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: 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].

20And 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.

21Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that [was] in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.

22And when Gideon perceived that he [was] an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

23And the LORD said unto him, Peace [be] unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

24Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it [is] yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25¶ And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that [is] by it:

26And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.

27Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and [so] it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do [it] by day, that he did [it] by night.

28And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that [was] by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar [that was] built.

29And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

30Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that [was] by it.

31And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst [it is yet] morning: if he [be] a god, let him plead for himself, because [one] hath cast down his altar.

32Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.

33¶ Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

34But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.

35And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

36And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

37Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; [and] if the dew be on the fleece only, and [it be] dry upon all the earth [beside], then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

38And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, 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.

40And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

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.

Medium Summary

After seven years of oppressive Midianite rule, during which Israel was greatly impoverished and forced to hide in dens, the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. A prophet was sent to remind them of God's past deliverance and their disobedience in fearing other gods. Subsequently, the Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, a humble man threshing wheat in secret, and declared him a "mighty man of valour" chosen to save Israel. Gideon, expressing doubt about God's presence and his own ability, requested a sign, which was granted when fire consumed his offering. That same night, Gideon was commanded to tear down his father's altar of Baal and the grove, which he did under cover of darkness, leading to him being named Jerubbaal. As the Midianites gathered for battle, the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who then sought further confirmation through two signs involving a fleece of wool.

Long Summary

The chapter begins with the children of Israel once more doing evil in the LORD's sight, resulting in their delivery into the hand of Midian for seven years. The Midianites, along with the Amalekites and children of the east, greatly oppressed Israel, destroying their crops and livestock, forcing them to seek refuge in mountain dens and caves. In their severe impoverishment, Israel cried out to the LORD. In response, the LORD sent a prophet who rebuked Israel, reminding them of God's deliverance from Egypt and their failure to obey His voice by fearing the gods of the Amorites. Following this, the Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, who was secretly threshing wheat, and hailed him as a "mighty man of valour" destined to save Israel. Gideon, questioning God's presence amidst their suffering and his own family's low standing, requested a sign. He prepared an offering of a kid and unleavened cakes, which the Angel consumed with fire from a rock, confirming His divine identity before departing. Gideon, realizing he had seen the Angel of the LORD, was filled with fear but was reassured by God. That night, the LORD commanded Gideon to tear down his father's altar of Baal and the accompanying grove, and to build an altar to the LORD and offer a burnt sacrifice. Fearing his household and the city's men, Gideon performed this act by night. In the morning, the city sought to kill Gideon for his actions, but his father Joash defended him, suggesting Baal should contend for himself, leading to Gideon being called Jerubbaal. Subsequently, the Midianites and their allies gathered for war in the valley of Jezreel. The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew a trumpet to gather the Abiezrites and sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to muster forces. Seeking further divine assurance, Gideon requested two signs: first, that a fleece of wool be wet with dew while the ground remained dry, which occurred; and second, that the fleece be dry while the ground was wet, which also God granted, confirming His intention to save Israel through Gideon.

Core Concepts

  • Midianite OppressionThe children of Israel faced severe oppression for seven years from the Midianites, Amalekites, and children of the east, who destroyed their crops and livestock, forcing them to hide in mountain strongholds.
  • Prophetic RebukeThe LORD sent a prophet to remind Israel of His past deliverance from Egypt and their failure to obey His command not to fear the gods of the Amorites, which was the cause of their current suffering.
  • Gideon's Call and DoubtThe Angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, commissioning him to deliver Israel, despite Gideon's initial skepticism about God's presence and his own perceived weakness and humble family background.
  • Divine Confirmation by FireGideon requested a sign, and the Angel of the LORD confirmed His divine authority by touching Gideon's offering with a staff, causing fire to consume the sacrifice from the rock, after which the Angel vanished.
  • Destruction of IdolatryGideon, by divine command, secretly tore down his father's altar of Baal and cut down the associated grove, building an altar to the LORD in its place, which led to him being named Jerubbaal.
  • The Fleece SignsGideon sought two specific miraculous signs involving a fleece of wool – first, that it be wet while the ground was dry, and then the reverse – to confirm God's will and assurance that He would indeed save Israel by Gideon's hand.