6:1 The opening formula for the Gideon narrative is identical to that for the Othniel narrative (3:7): “The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” This particular formula is used to mark the two main sections in the judge narratives. The other four major judge narratives begin with a modified version of this formula, having a continuative nuance rendered as “again did”: “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (3:12; 4:1; 10:6; 13:1).

Because of Israel’s evil, this time the Lord gives the people into the hand of the Midianites (which, according to 6:3, includes “the Amalekites and the people of the East”). Lasting seven years, this period of oppression is the shortest so far in the book, but the oppression is much more severe than that of previous accounts. For example, in the account of Ehud, Israelite oppression took the form of exacted tribute. In the days of Deborah, the highways were abandoned because of the instability of the region and the threat of military force. In this instance, however, crops and livestock are almost completely devastated, a condition that would require a quick response.

6:2 The Midianite oppression of Israel is described using the same language as that used for Othniel’s prevailing over Cushan-rishathaim in 3:10. The oppression is so intense that the Israelites are forced to resort to dens, caves, and strongholds. The exact purpose of these structures is not described. However, given the context, it seems likely that they are used to store and hide crops and livestock from the raiding Midianites. Such sites could also be for hiding people (e.g., 1 Kings 18:13), but the focus here is on agriculture. This would also explain why Gideon threshes wheat in a winepress.

6:3–5 These verses record the severity of the Midianite oppression using several different literary devices intended to highlight the extreme nature of Israel’s oppression. The author adds “the Amalekites and the people of the East” to the list of oppressors in order to note the regional scope of oppression. The use of the verbs “come up” (Judg. 6:3) and “encamp” (6:4) highlights the military nature of the invasion force. In verse 4 it is recorded that these raiders leave “no sustenance” (or “no living thing”) behind—not even a sheep, an ox, or a donkey. The verb “to devour, lay waste” appears in both verse 4 and verse 5—the oppressors devour both the produce of the land and the land itself, a complete devastation. The hordes of the Midianites include their innumerable tents, livestock, and camels to the degree that they are likened to a locust plague. This description might be intended to recall the plague of locust in Exodus 10, and certainly the curse of Deuteronomy 28:38: “You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it.” This is one of the curses listed in a lengthy series of curses set forth for those unfaithful to the covenant, especially by way of idolatry (cf. Deut. 28:15–16).

6:6 Due to the extreme nature of the Midianite oppression, Israel is “brought very low.” However, this sad state of affairs has its desired impact: Israel cries to the Lord for help. The language of repentance after having been brought low is well expressed with the same verb in Psalm 79:8:

    Do not remember against us our former iniquities;

    let your compassion come speedily to meet us,

    for we are brought very low.

6:7–10 In this instance, before the Lord raises up a judge to deliver his people, he sends a prophet to rebuke them. The appearance of a prophet in this account echoes the appearance of Deborah as a prophetess in Judges 4. Judges 6:7 explicitly connects the sending of the prophet to Israel’s cry for help in the previous verse. The prophetic rebuke in verses 8–10 comes in the form of a covenant lawsuit. This lawsuit is closely related to that delivered by the angel of the Lord in 2:1–3. Its purpose is at least twofold. First, it establishes the fact that Israel’s oppression is due to her idolatry. Second, the statement of this idolatry stands in contrast to the Lord’s faithfulness to his people as the one who delivered them from Egypt and gave them the land they have now corrupted. One element of the overall message of the Former Prophets is the faithfulness of the Lord to keep all of his covenant promises in spite of Israel’s unfaithfulness to the obligations of that covenant (Josh. 21:45; 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56). It is clear, therefore, that the Lord is faithful both to punish Israel for her idolatry and then to save her when she cries out to him for help—a double mercy. It would be cruel to allow Israel to continue in her idolatry without the consequent oppression that provokes her to repentance. The Lord is indeed jealous for his people: “You shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Ex. 34:14).

6:11 Judges 6:11–24 records Gideon’s call to serve as Israel’s next judge. As the account unfolds, it becomes clear that the calling of Gideon follows the pattern of the calling of Moses in Exodus 3. Just as the Lord saved Israel in Judges 4–5 in the pattern and likeness of the exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea, so now will he raise up Gideon in the pattern and likeness of the calling of Moses. Table 3.1 identifies some of those features common to each account.

TABLE 3.1: The Calls of Moses and Gideon21

This is the third time the angel of the Lord has appeared in Judges. He first appeared in 2:1–3 to rebuke Israel for her idolatry, and then in 5:23 to curse Meroz. This time the angel of the Lord has arrived to call and commission Gideon to serve as the instrument through which the Lord will deliver his people from the Midianites. Gideon is identified by his father and clan from the tribe of Manasseh. The scene is the terebinth at Ophrah. A terebinth is a large tree, perhaps an oak. There Gideon is beating out wheat in a winepress in order to hide from the Midianites. The translation “to hide it” could also be rendered “to flee.” Gideon has fled in order to hide the wheat and himself from the Midianites.

6:12 In verse 11 the angel of the Lord was described as sitting under the terebinth tree, perhaps watching Gideon from a distance. Now the angel manifests himself to Gideon and speaks with him. His opening speech comprises two parts. First he confirms the divine presence: “The Lord is with you.” This statement accords with the nature of the office of judge as described in 2:18: “Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge.” Second, the angel delivers what is typically treated as a vocative expression describing Gideon: “O mighty man of valor.” It is perhaps better, however, to understand the second portion of this speech as an adverbial modifier, describing the manner in which the Lord has presented himself to Gideon. In other words, when the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, he does so as a man of war ready to deliver Israel (cf. Josh. 5:13–15). This interpretation is to be preferred for at least three reasons. First, in the previous verse Gideon is described as hiding from the Midianite army—not the activity of a mighty warrior. Second, in the accounts of deliverance recorded in Judges it is the Lord who gives the enemy into the hand of the judge and goes out to lead in battle as the divine warrior (e.g., Judg. 4:14–15; 5:4–5, 20–23). Third, the defeat of the Midianites in chapter 7 is achieved by the Lord alone in the presence of three hundred Israelites who never raise a sword (7:22), so that Israel could not boast by saying, “My own hand has saved me” (7:2).

6:13 Gideon responds to the angel of the Lord by asking about the reality of the divine presence. In the previous verse, the angel stated that the Lord was with Gideon (singular). Now Gideon inquires regarding the divine presence for all Israel (plural). Gideon’s question is theological in nature. If the Lord is truly with his people, then why are they subject to Midianite oppression? Gideon’s question implies that the Lord must not be with his people. The answer to this question is not repeated; it was already provided by the prophet in verses 8–10: the Lord is not with Israel because she has not obeyed the Lord. This scene is filled with irony, given that the Lord himself is standing with Gideon speaking face to face to him while he questions that very reality. Soon Gideon will have his own road-to-Emmaus experience as he comes to discover the identity of the man with whom he is speaking.

6:14 Having already answered Gideon’s question through the prophet, the Lord responds simply by commissioning Gideon. The author now refers to the angel of the Lord as Yahweh himself when he turns to Gideon. The commission comprises three parts. First is the statement that Gideon is to “go in this might of yours.” This statement is frequently misunderstood as referring to some inherent strength in Gideon, but nothing could be further from the truth. Given the context, the strength of Gideon is the promise of the divine presence that appears in verses 12 and 16, bracketing this statement. Gideon’s strength is the Lord himself (cf. Ex. 3:11–12; 2 Chron. 20:6). The second part of the commission is the promise of victory over Midian by Gideon though the strength of the Lord. The final part is a rhetorical question used to express certainty. In other words “Do not I send you?” is to be understood as “I have indeed sent you!” This same type of language was used in the commission of Barak in Judges 4:6.

6:15–16 In response to the Lord’s commission, Gideon states that he is not qualified to lead Israel or to defeat Midian, due to the status of his clan and his position in the family. It is, however, this very condition that qualifies Gideon for service, due to the fact that “God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor. 1:27; cf. 2 Cor. 12:9). The selection of Gideon and the nature of the battle in the following chapter highlights the strength and power of the Lord, not the strength of Gideon or Israel’s army. Gideon’s objection parallels the objection of Moses in Exodus 3:11 (cf. Ex. 4:10–12), and the response to both is the same: “I will be with you.” The promise of the divine presence is what qualifies Gideon for service—nothing else.22

6:17–19 Following the promise of the divine presence is the giving of a confirmatory sign. With Moses this would be Israel’s worship at the mountain of God (Ex. 3:12). With Gideon this will be the acceptance of a meal as a gift. The sharing of a meal symbolizes the favorable relationship between two parties (cf. Gen. 18:1–8; Ex. 2:20–21).

6:20–22 The designation “angel of the Lord” returns in these verses (also “angel of God” in Judg. 6:20). Rather than the meal’s being eaten, as would be expected, it is set out on a rock and taken up in fire. The consuming of the gift in this fashion turns the meal into a sacrifice on an altar. When the Lord ascends in the flame of the offering, Gideon comes to understand the identity of the person with whom he has been speaking, and he responds with appropriate fear. To “see” or “speak with” God face to face is rare in the OT and depicts a very special relationship. The Lord condescended in this way with Jacob (Gen. 32:30), Moses (Ex. 33:11; Deut. 34:10), Israel at Sinai (Deut. 5:4), and Gideon. In each instance the human party responds with fear, and the Lord provides assurance with a statement such as “Fear not!” The encounter with Jacob is instructive: “So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered’” (Gen. 32:20). Later in Judges (13:19–23) these same events will be repeated with Samson’s parents. Finally, the seeing of God’s face constitutes the eschatological hope of final satisfaction, when “they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Rev. 22:4). When that day comes there will be no fear, only worship.

6:23–24 The Lord responds graciously to Gideon’s fear with three words of comfort. In response Gideon builds an altar to memorialize the event. The name of the altar, “The Lord is peace,” reflects the first word of assurance given to Gideon, “Peace be to you.” With Gideon’s fear transformed into worship as he builds an altar to the Lord, he is now ready to destroy the altar of Baal in his father’s house.

6:25–26 Before Gideon marches out to fight the Midianites, he must first deal with the true cause of Israel’s oppression: her own idolatry. On the very night the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, he is commanded to destroy the altar of Baal and the Asherah with it. Asherah, the consort of Baal, was typically represented by a tree or wooden pole. The command to “pull down” the altar constitutes an act of faithfulness to the covenant. In a section of Exodus describing Israel’s occupation of the land it is commanded, “You shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces” (Ex. 23:24; cf. Ex. 23:33). The Hebrew verb translated “overthrow” is the same verb translated “pull down” in Judges 6:25.

Most understand Gideon to take two bulls from his father’s household. However, the text could also be read in a way that indicates just one bull: “Take the bull that belongs to your father, that is, the second bull seven years old.”23 Here “second” would identify the specific bull to be selected from the herd. With this bull Gideon will pull down the altar of Baal and then offer it as a sacrifice on a new altar built for “the Lord your God.” The stones of the new altar are to be “laid in due order.” The word translated here is also a technical term for a battle line of soldiers; it features prominently in the David and Goliath narrative, for example. Its use here may suggest that the Lord is getting ready to do battle, both with Baal and with the Midianites hoards.

6:27 Gideon does just what the Lord has commanded. He does so at night because he fears how the people of the town will respond. This fear is often considered to be a flaw in Gideon’s character, even a lack of faith. It is unclear, however, why this should be so. First, verse 25 indicates that the Lord commanded Gideon to tear down the altar of Baal “that night.” Second, Gideon is right to be afraid. The next morning the accusing mob is ready to put him to death for what he has done. Third, the text states that Gideon did exactly what the Lord had commanded him to do. It is perhaps better to understand Gideon’s obedience in spite of fear as an expression of courage. This is the same Gideon who earlier in the chapter was hiding from the Midianites in a winepress. Now he is acting courageously by standing with the Lord against Israel’s idolatry.

6:28–30 As Gideon’s fear rightly anticipated, the people of the town respond by mobbing together. They demand that Gideon’s father hand over his son in order to be put to death. The severity of this response may seem extreme—why would the destruction of an altar provoke such a violent reaction? Perhaps the people of the town think they will come under the curse of Baal and Asherah, jeopardizing the flourishing of their crops and livestock. Or perhaps they are angered by the destruction of a site whose worship would include illicit sexual activity. Either way, it is tragic that the town does not applaud the work of Gideon. This is a clear indication of the progressive deterioration of Israel at this time.

6:31–32 The text does not tell us why, but Joash defends his son by putting Baal on trial. In the tradition of Elijah and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18, Baal is given the opportunity to defend the honor of his altar by putting Gideon to death: “If he is a god, let him contend for himself.” The fact that Gideon remains alive is the implicit condemnation of this false and impotent god. The Hebrew verb translated “contend” appears four times in these two verses. The term has a range of meaning that includes “to attack, brawl, quarrel, complain, or engage in a lawsuit.” The legal nuance best suits this particular context. Gideon’s vindication is memorialized in his new name, “Jerubbaal.” The first part of the name is derived from the Hebrew verb translated “contend” in these verses. The second part is the name Baal. This is the name Samuel recalls in his farewell speech in 1 Samuel 12:11. This section of narrative began with the time marker “that night” (Judg. 6:25), symbolizing the darkness of Israel’s idolatry. Now, with the destruction of Baal’s altar and his reputation, a new day has dawned for Israel, and so the narrative comes to an end with a reference to “that day” (v. 32).

6:33 This next section of the narrative begins with reference to the events described in verse 3. The Midianites, along with the Amalekites and the people of the East, have crossed the Jordan for their annual plundering of Israel’s crops and livestock. The use of the word “all” denotes a large invasion force, as innumerable as locusts (v. 5). In response the Lord clothes Gideon with the Spirit, and Gideon summons Israel to battle and asks the Lord to perform two signs with the fleece of a sheep.

6:34 The twofold promise of divine presence (vv. 12, 16) comes to full expression when the Lord clothes Gideon with the Spirit. It is this enabling presence of the Spirit that provides Gideon with the necessary strength and ability to fulfill his calling as judge. In Judges Othniel (3:10), Jephthah (11:29), and Samson (13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14) also receive the enabling power of the Spirit. The language of being “clothed” with the Spirit is rare in the OT, appearing only with Gideon here, with Amasai in 1 Chronicles 12:18, and with Zechariah in 2 Chronicles 24:20. In the NT, however, Christians are exhorted to put on the “armor of light” (Rom. 13:12), the “Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 13:14; cf. Gal. 3:27), the “new self” (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10), and various expressions of love (Col. 3:12). In the case of Gideon the Lord clothes him for battle in the likeness of Ephesians 6:11: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (cf. 1 Thess. 5:8).

6:35 Warriors assembled from Gideon’s own clan, the Abiezrites (Judg. 6:34), are sent out as messengers to assemble warriors from four tribes: Manasseh (Gideon’s tribe), Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. According to 7:3, approximately thirty-two thousand warriors answer the call of Gideon. With the army of Israel before him, Gideon will ask the Lord to perform two signs in order to provoke faith and encourage those assembled.

6:36–40 In the presence of the assembled forces Gideon asks the Lord to perform two signs before entering into battle with the Midianites. These signs are not employed in order to determine the will of God. God has spoken clearly to Gideon, and Gideon understands what God desires him to do: to “save Israel by my hand, as you have said.”24 Additionally, the request for a sign before entering into battle does not necessarily constitute a lack of faith on Gideon’s part. He is now clothed with the Spirit of God and serving as God’s instrument of deliverance.

We have already seen how the call of Gideon connects him with Moses in the tradition of Exodus 3. In the same way, the signs of Gideon correspond to similar signs given to Moses in Exodus 4.25 There the Lord gives Moses two signs, the sign of the staff changing into a serpent and the sign of a leprous hand being made clean. The elements of the sign are symbolic of the events to which they point. For example, the staff that becomes a serpent represents Pharaoh, who wears the image of a serpent on his crown. Moses is then commanded to take the serpent with his hand, and it turns back into a staff. This sign demonstrates that the Lord will indeed give Pharaoh into the hand of Moses. These signs are to be performed so that the Israelites will believe that God has raised up Moses to deliver his people (Ex. 4:1, 30–31). In the same way, the fleece signs of Gideon are intended to demonstrate that the Lord has indeed raised up Gideon to deliver Israel from Midianite oppression. Once again, these signs do not reveal the will of God; rather, they are signs coming after the revelation of God’s will to provide his people with the courage to do that which he has revealed to them.

The ground of the threshing floor represents the land of Israel. The expression “all the ground” occurs three times. The word for “ground” in Hebrew also means “land,” and a Hebrew reader would have made the connection. The fleece of wool represents the Midianite army and their hordes of camels that have crossed the Jordan to consume Israel’s crops and livestock. The dew symbolizes the blessing of God (Gen. 27:28; Deut. 33:13 ESV mg.; Ps. 133:3), the crops and livestock produced from God’s gift of the land to his people. In the first fleece sign the land is dry and the fleece is wet with dew, symbolizing Israel’s current situation, as the Midianites consume what God intended for Israel in the form of blessing. In the second fleece sign the fleece is dry and the land is wet with dew, symbolizing that God is about to reverse the situation and return the conditions of blessing to his people.

By the time we arrive at the end of this chapter, the Lord has sent his prophet to rebuke Israel for her idolatry, raised up a Spirit-empowered deliverer, destroyed the altar of Baal and Asherah, assembled the army of Israel, and performed two signs to encourage the faith of those assembled for battle. Now the Lord is ready to fight for Israel against the Midianites and purge them from the land.

7:1–2 The army of Israel has assembled and encamped against the Midianites.26 But before the Lord leads out in battle, he must first ensure that Israel will understand the nature and significance of the upcoming victory. One of the major themes running through Judges is that the Lord himself leads in battle to deliver his people, doing so in the tradition of the exodus. This is why he always introduces himself to his people in the OT by declaring, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex. 20:2; cf. Judges 2:1, 12; 6:8, 13; 11:13, 16; 19:30). The victory of God at the Red Sea established the pattern by which he would continue to save and deliver his people—“The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name” (Ex. 15:3). Reflecting on this theme, the prophet Isaiah states, “The Lord goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes” (Isa. 42:13).

The Lord understands the nature of Israel’s spiritual blindness and graciously puts on display the truth of his power and glory in order to prevent his people from returning to their idolatry. Sadly, they fail to learn this lesson. When the battle is over, they will attempt to make Gideon their king: “Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian’” (Judg. 8:22). Once again, the Israelites confuse the instrument of the Lord’s deliverance (Gideon) with the actual agent of deliverance (the Lord himself). The Israelites should respond with the words of Psalm 20, especially verse 7: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

7:3 In order to prevent Israel from boasting in her own strength, the Lord reduces the size of the army that will strike the first great blow against the Midianites. The Lord uses two tests to reduce the size of the army, the test of trembling and the test of water. In the first test the Lord commands Gideon to dismiss all who are “fearful and trembling.” In Judges 7:1 Israel had assembled at the “spring of Harod” (= “spring of trembling”). Thus at the spring of trembling the Lord dismisses those who are trembling. In Deuteronomy 20 the Lord establishes laws for Israel’s wars. One such law deals with a fearful warrior: “The officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own’” (Deut. 20:8). Nevertheless, it is surprising that nearly 70 percent of the army is dismissed due to fear.

7:4 Having dismissed 70 percent of the standing army, the Lord institutes a second test in order to reduce further the size of the army. This second test divides the army by the way in which the soldiers drink water from the spring at their camp. The word translated “test” is a metallurgical term meaning to “smelt, refine, or sift.” As such, the intention of the Lord’s test is to refine or sift the army until he has reduced its forces to the desired number.

7:5–6 The exact nature of the prescribed test is unclear due to a potential difficulty with the original Hebrew text. In Judges 7:5 the army is to be divided into two groups. The first group drinks from the spring like a dog, lapping with the tongue. The second group kneels down to drink. In verse 6, however, it is stated that the first group that lapped like a dog drank by “putting their hands to their mouths” and the second group knelt down to drink. The trouble arises with the first group. Do the soldiers lap like a dog with their tongues, or do they put their hands to their mouths (something a dog cannot do)? It appears this problem has been caused by the misplacement of the words “putting their hands to their mouth” (v. 6), two prepositional phrases in Hebrew. Some have suggested that these two prepositional phrases should appear at the end of verse 5 rendering the second group as “those who kneel down to drink with their hands to their mouths.”27 This makes good sense. In this reading the two groups are distinguished by those who lap water like a dog with their tongues and those who cup their hands to drink water like a human. The original Hebrew text has been preserved, with one phrase simply misplaced over the long history of faithful transmission. This interpretation is further supported by the LXX. In some LXX manuscripts verse 6 refers to “those who lapped with their tongue,” omitting the mention of “the hands” that has caused the confusion. The text does not indicate why the Lord uses this method to separate the two groups. We only know that the Lord chooses the smaller group to work with Gideon.

7:7–8 After the completion of the sifting or refining process, only three hundred men remain with Gideon, a number highlighted three times in verses 6–8. This is a 99 percent reduction in forces! In chapter 8 the Midianites will number at least 135,000 men. Humanly speaking, the odds are stacked against Israel, being outnumbered by a ratio of 450 to 1. The other Israelites are dismissed “every man to his home [or “place”]” (v. 7), that is, to his “tent” (v. 8) at the army camp. Later, after the Lord uses the three hundred men to defeat Midian, the rest of the army will come out in pursuit of the survivors.

7:9 The expression “that same night” marks the beginning of a new section in the narrative, the destruction of the Midianites. This same expression appeared in 6:25 to begin the section recording the destruction of the altar of Baal. The Lord commands Gideon to arise and go down into the camp, “for I have given it into your hand.” The language of giving someone or something over into the hand of another plays a significant role in chapter 7. It is used five times (vv. 2, 7, 9, 14, 15). Additionally, in verse 11 the Lord strengthens Gideon’s hand. This marks the reversal of the Lord’s giving Israel “into the hand of Midian” (6:1).

7:10–11 Before Gideon summons his army of three hundred warriors to engage the Midianite hordes, the Lord provides him with an opportunity to confront any lingering fear. The nature of the command is instructive: “If you are afraid to go down, go down . . .” The verb “go down” is used four times in these two verses. Gideon’s fear to go down will be solved by his going down to the Midianite camp. In this way the Lord will strengthen the hand of Gideon, providing the encouragement necessary to deal with his fear. Gideon’s fear is not to be understood as a character flaw. He has been commanded to engage the Midianite army with only three hundred men. His fear is understandable, and yet he obeys the Lord by going down into the Midianite camp to deal with that fear. Obedience to the Lord in the midst of fear is courageous, not sinful.

7:12 The narrative pauses briefly to describe the impressive size of the Midianite forces with reference to 6:5. To that previous description the characterization “as the sand that is on the seashore” is added. Gideon’s army of three hundred is about to engage in battle with what are considered innumerable forces, which are compared to a locust plague (cf. Ex. 10:14; Deut. 28:38; Ps. 78:46; Jer. 46:23; Joel 1:4) and equipped with camels without number. These camels would certainly give the Midianites a strategic advantage in ground warfare. There is, however, a clue to the fate of this army hidden in the text. In this verse it is recorded that the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the East “lay along the valley.” The verb translated “lay” also means “fall”—they are “falling in the valley.” This is the same verb used to describe the deaths of Eglon (Judg. 3:25), the army of Sisera (4:16), and Sisera himself (4:22; 5:27 [3x]). This verb appears two more times in the dream account that follows and then climactically to describe the death of twelve hundred thousand enemy soldiers in 8:10. In fact, the form of the verb in verse 12 is identical to that in verse 10, thus foreshadowing here the later fate of this enemy army. The verb is used later in Judges also to describe similar deaths, including the Levite’s concubine (19:27) and those slain from the tribe of Benjamin (20:44, 46).

7:13–14 In verse 11 the Lord commanded Gideon to go down to the Midianite camp and “hear what they say” in order to be encouraged. Now Gideon and Purah overhear the recounting (v. 13) and subsequent interpretation of a dream (v. 14). In the dream a man sees a loaf of bread rolling into the Midianite camp that strikes a tent and flattens it. The actual point of connection between the sword of Gideon and this cake of barley bread is unknown. Perhaps the bread represents what the Midianites have plundered from the Israelites, coming back upon them in judgment. The man’s friend provides the interpretation of the dream: “God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” Similar dreams with corresponding interpretations occur with both Joseph (Genesis 37; 40–41) and Daniel (Daniel 2; 4; 7).

7:15 Gideon’s response to the dream and its interpretation is now noted. His fear has been transformed into worship yet a second time (cf. Judg. 6:22–24). In 7:12 the Midianite forces are described as being without “number,” which forms the rational basis for Gideon’s fear. Now the “telling” of the dream turns Gideon’s fear into worship. The word for “number” and “telling” is the same in Hebrew; the usage in this context highlights the fear/worship transformation. The wordplay also connects to the “telling” recorded in verse 13, from the same Hebrew root (safar). This section of the narrative comes to an end by returning to the encouragement of verse 9, by which the Lord commanded Gideon to “arise” and go down into the camp because he had given it into his hand. Now Gideon summons the three hundred to “arise,” for the Lord has given the camp into their hand.

7:16–18 These verses record Gideon’s plan for battle. His tactics are certainly unexpected; it is unstated whether they are of his device or the Lord’s. For an army of only three hundred men we might expect the use of horses, spears, swords, bows, arrows, and as many shields as possible. But instead the army uses trumpets (ram’s horns), torches, and empty jars in a nighttime attack. These implements of weakness will highlight the fact that it is the Lord himself who saves his people.

The plan is simple enough. Gideon divides his men into three groups in order to surround the Midianite camp. By placing the torches in the jars, they can approach the camp at night in stealth. The blowing of the trumpets and the smashing of the jars will cause great commotion and confusion. The battle cry aligns Gideon with the Lord and will throw the Midianite camp into great panic, given the interpretation of the dream provided in verse 14: God has given “Midian and all the camp” into the hand of Gideon.

7:19–20 Gideon’s plan for battle is carried out “at the beginning of the middle watch,” which begins at midnight and lasts four hours. From a human perspective this plan is sheer folly. A handful of soldiers armed with torches, trumpets (ram’s horns), and a battle cry would have the odds stacked seriously against them. This battle plan, however, recalls the destruction of Jericho in Joshua 6. There on the seventh day the men of war and seven priests marched around the city seven times, shouted, and sounded the trumpets (Josh. 6:20–21). At that very moment the walls fell down and the city was devoted to destruction. The fantastic events at Jericho and now here with Gideon serve to highlight the true source of Israel’s victory: the warrior Yahweh.

7:21–22 The description of the actual battle is just as striking as the tactics employed. For Israel, “every man stood in his place around the camp.” They do nothing. They simply stand and watch while the Midianite army runs, cries out, and flees. The explanation of Midian’s response appears in Judges 7:22. The relationship between verses 21 and 22 is one not of cause and effect but of effect and then cause. In verse 22 the author returns to the sounding of the trumpets in verse 20 and the flight of the Midianite army in verse 21 and explains, “The Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army.” In other words, while Gideon and his men stand around the camp, the Midianites kill each other inside the camp. The Lord uses Gideon’s surprise attack at midnight to throw the enemy into a great panic and thus also into a great slaughter. Those who survive flee east to return home, but Gideon will pursue and finish what the Lord has started.

7:23 With the Midianite army in flight, Gideon calls out the warriors previously dismissed in verses 2–7 (cf. 6:35). Together they will pursue those who have survived the slaughter in the camp.

7:24–25 In addition to the tribes assembled in 6:35 (Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali), Gideon now calls upon Ephraim to seize the crossing points at the Jordan in order to prevent the Midianite army from returning home. Ephraim captures two Midianite princes, puts them to death, and memorializes the event by naming the locations of their deaths “the rock of Oreb” and “the winepress of Zeeb.” This reference to the winepress returns us to the beginning of the narrative, in which Gideon was threshing grain in a winepress in order to hide from the Midianites. The Lord heard Israel’s cry for help, and now Israel is threshing the Midianites in the winepress. It is the Lord who delivers his people from the enemy. The people of God will recall these events and remember the power of God to deliver not only in the past but also in the future, when ultimate deliverance will come in the fullness of time. Psalm 83:11–12 declares,

    Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

    all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

    who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves

    of the pastures of God.”

The basis for this imprecatory prayer appears at the end of the psalm:

    That they may know that you alone,

    whose name is the Lord,

    are the Most High over all the earth. (Ps. 83:18)

8:1–3 With the defeat of Midian almost complete, Israel becomes its own worst enemy. First, the tribe of Ephraim complains “fiercely” against Gideon for not calling it out to battle as he did the tribes summed in Judges 6:35. The verb rendered “accused” in 8:1 is the same as that used in 6:31–32 when the people of the town “contended” against Gideon for breaking down the altar of Baal. This same verb also forms the first part (Jerub) of his new name, Jerubbaal. Gideon defuses the anger of the Ephraimites with a bit of diplomacy. In the form of a proverb (8:2) he flatters the tribe of Ephraim for its greatness in comparison to his own clan. Then he applauds their victory in battle as being greater than his own (v. 3). Gideon’s diplomacy of humility is wise, as it turns away the wrath of the Ephraimites without any further hostility. This brief episode foreshadows similar events recorded in 12:1–6, when the Ephraimites contend with Jephthah. In that instance, however, the diplomacy of Jephthah will not be enough, as forty-two thousand Ephraimites will perish. Episodes such as these serve to highlight the progressive deterioration of Israel as she become more and more Canaanite in her attitudes and practices.

8:4–9 With his band of three hundred warriors Gideon crosses the Jordan to capture the kings of Midian (Zebah and Zalmunna) along with fifteen thousand soldiers who have survived the initial battle. Weary from pursuit, Gideon stops at Succoth and Penuel (cf. Gen. 32:30–31) in order to feed and sustain his men. Both towns reject Gideon’s request for help, and so he promises retribution when he returns “in peace.” Gideon has been raised up by the Lord and clothed with his Spirit to serve as the instrument of Israel’s deliverance from Midianite oppression. To refuse to come to his aid is to refuse the Lord himself (cf. Judg. 7:18, 20), which explains the severity of his response. In this way we are reminded of the words of the angel of the Lord in the song of Deborah:

    Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord,

    curse its inhabitants thoroughly,

    because they did not come to the help of the Lord,

    to the help of the Lord against the mighty. (5:23)

8:10–12 Having fled to Karkor, the remaining Midianite camp “felt secure” (8:11). The exact locations of these sites remain unknown. However, scholars estimate that the army fled approximately 100 miles (160 km) east of the Jordan. This would have been a considerable trek for Gideon and his band of three hundred hungry and weary warriors. In addition to the two kings, the surviving army totals approximately 15,000 men. The text also notes that the number of fallen warriors was a staggering “120,000 men who drew the sword.” The characterization of these men as those who “drew the sword” links to the way in which they were defeated: “The Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army” (7:22). The fact that Gideon and his small band of weary warriors rout an army of 15,000 continues the theme of the Lord’s enabling presence with Gideon by the power of his Spirit. When the Lord called Gideon to service he promised him, “I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man” (6:16).

8:13–17 Having defeated the Midianite army, Gideon returns to Succoth and Penuel with Zebah and Zalmunna “in . . . hand” to fulfill his promises to the inhabitants of those cities. Some may interpret Gideon’s actions as overly violent or vengeful, but the Israelites in these two cities had refused to assist their brothers in the war of the Lord against the oppression of Midian. As such, they have become the enemy of the Lord and so are treated according to his law. In Deuteronomy 20:10–13, for instance, it is legislated that if a city does not make peace with Israel’s army, the men of the city must be put to the sword. As such, the execution of the men of Penuel (Judg. 8:17) demonstrates that they have become the enemy of the Lord by not coming to the aid of Gideon and his army in their time of need. Once again the author provides readers with a glimpse of the inner corruption of Israel that will come to climactic expression in chapters 19–21. The theme of Israel’s corruption continues with further escalation in the accounts of Jephthah and Samson.

8:18–19 Having captured and returned with the Midianite kings, Gideon interrogates them in order to discover the parties responsible for the previously unmentioned killing of his brothers at Tabor. The threat of the Midianites in the land extended beyond plundering of crops and livestock to include the execution of leading figures’ offering resistance to the plunderers. Perhaps this is why the Lord chose Gideon as the instrument of his deliverance. Gideon will serve as the “avenger of blood” for his brothers and all Israel (Num. 35:16–21). Some have argued that Gideon’s actions are violent and unjustified, perhaps even a violation of the sixth commandment (“You shall not murder”; Ex. 20:13). However, as the avenger of blood, it is Gideon’s responsibility to enact this very punishment on the murderous kings: “The avenger of blood shall himself put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shall put him to death” (Num. 35:19). In reference to Gideon and his brothers the Midianites declare, “Every one of them resembled the son of a king.” This is the first explicit reference to Israelite kingship in Judges, a theme that will play a major role in the two conclusions to the book (Judges 17–21).

8:20–21 Gideon commands his oldest son, Jether, to execute Zebah and Zalmunna. But Jether declines, for two reasons. First, he is afraid. This recalls similar statements regarding Gideon earlier in the narrative. It was Gideon’s fear that caused him to destroy the altar of Baal at night (6:27) and again to go down into the Midianite camp to hear the report of a dream and its interpretation (7:10). In this way we are reminded of the true Gideon (fearful) and the significance of the enabling presence of God’s Spirit at work in him to deliver Israel. The second reason Jether declines, or perhaps the underlying reason for his fear, is his age. He is still a “young man” and so probably lacks battle experience. The word used here for Jether’s youth is the same word used repeatedly in reference to David in his encounter with Goliath (1 Sam. 17:33, 42, 55, 58). It is unknown why Gideon commands his son to execute the two kings. Perhaps such a death would be shameful (cf. Judg. 9:54). But they mock the boy and incite Gideon to execute them himself: “For as for the man, so is his strength.” The final words of the kings seal their fate and so fulfill the word of the Lord to Gideon: “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” (6:14; cf. comment there for the nature and source of Gideon’s strength). The execution of these two kings brings the Midianite oppression of Israel to an end.

8:22–23 The men of Israel respond to their deliverance by attempting to make Gideon their king. Though the exact word for kingship in not employed, the dynastic nature of the request certainly implies kingship (cf. 1 Kings 4:21). Israel’s request is tragic. The people’s reasoning is their perception that Gideon has saved them from Midian—but nothing could be further from the truth. It was the Lord who performed the fleece signs to make clear his intentions to the assembled forces. It was the Lord who whittled down the army to three hundred so they would not falsely attribute victory to the strength of their own hand. It was the Lord who routed the Midianite army while three hundred warriors stood by with trumpets and torches in hand. And it was the Lord who clothed Gideon with his Spirit to accomplish his will. The attempt to make Gideon king is to reject the kingship of the Lord, the true deliverer of Israel. If Israel’s request is a low point in the book, then Gideon’s response is the corresponding high point by way of contrast. By the end of Judges, however, the repeated refrain that there was no king in the land will constitute Israel’s ultimate rejection of the Lord as her true King (Judg. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).

8:24–26 Having denied the request of the men of Israel, Gideon counters with his own request: a gold earring from the spoils of each man. The abundance of gold earrings is explained by their source, the Ishmaelites. The Ishmaelites were also children of Abraham, the older half-brother of Isaac by Hagar, Sarah’s handmaiden (Gen. 16:15). Of them the Lord said, “As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation” (Gen. 17:20). The association of the Ishmaelites and the Midianites goes back to Genesis 37:25–28, but the exact relationship remains enigmatic. The weight of the offering amounts to just over 40 pounds (19 kg), a small fortune indeed.

8:27 With the gold collected, Gideon makes an “ephod.” The English word ephod is simply a transliteration of the Hebrew word. It is a type of outer garment normally associated with priests, especially the high priest of Israel (Exodus 35; 39). In Judges 17–18 Micah will build an illegitimate “shrine” (“a house for gods”; Judg. 17:5) and place an ephod in it. When David brings the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, he dances before the Lord while wearing a linen ephod (2 Sam. 6:14; 1 Chron. 15:27). When he flees Saul, he commands the priest to bring him the ephod in order to speak with the Lord and discern his will (1 Sam. 23:6–14). This oracular use of the ephod best explains Gideon’s actions. Having rejected kingship, he will serve as Israel’s judge, doing the will of the Lord by means of consulting him through the ephod. It is a double tragedy, therefore, that “all Israel” will whore after it (cf. Judg. 2:17) and that it will become a snare (cf. 2:3) to Gideon and his household. But this is Israel’s theme song throughout the book: the irresistible lure of idolatry in the face of the Lord’s faithfulness, mercy, and power.

8:28 Upon the Lord’s defeat of Midian, the land has rest for forty years, the same amount of time associated with Othniel (3:11) and Barak (5:31).

8:29–31 Because Gideon has rejected Israel’s offer of kingship, he simply returns to his house to live out his days. Then, in preparation for the upcoming Abimelech narrative, the author of the account tells us of Gideon’s seventy sons and many wives as well as his concubine in Shechem, who bears him a son named Abimelech, the anti-judge of the book of Judges. Reference to multiple wives, in violation of the original marriage-covenant standard, serves frequently as a harbinger of judgment and tragedy. For example, the marriages of the sons of God to the daughters of man in Genesis 6 mark the beginning of the flood judgment, while the sexual corruption of Sodom and Gomorrah precipitate their destruction by fire in Genesis 19. Additionally, in 1 Kings 11 Solomon’s vast harem leads him into grievous idolatry, provoking the Lord to anger and resulting in the division of the kingdom, the beginning of the end of Israel’s tenure in the land. As such, the reference to Gideon’s many wives and sons hints at the tragic events that will befall his household in Judges 9.

8:32 The death of a judge normally marks the end of the account of that judge and the subsequent return of the people to idolatry. The same is true here—but with extended comment. The reference to Gideon’s death “in a good old age” connects him to Abraham (Gen. 15:15; 25:8) and David (1 Chron. 29:28), the only two other people in the OT whose deaths are described in this way. Although all of these men are sinners, they are commended for their faith and courage and appear together in the so-called hall of faith in Hebrews 11.

8:33–35 Gideon’s death precipitates Israel’s immediate return to idolatry. The depiction of idolatry as “whoring after” is rooted in the covenantal nature of Israel’s relationship to the Lord. Just as a spouse might be unfaithful to a marriage covenant by whoring after other partners (cf. Hosea 1–3), so Israel is unfaithful to her covenantal relationship with the Lord (cf. Ezekiel 16). This reality is expressed also in the name of their false god, “Baal-berith” (= “husband/lord of a covenant”). In their idolatry, Israel forgets the Lord (cf. comment on Judg. 3:7). Having forgotten the Lord and his great deliverance, the people also fail in gratitude toward Gideon as the instrument of the Lord’s deliverance. The close connection between the Lord and the judge will continue in the following narratives. That is to say, Israel will treat the judge with the same contempt with which they treat the Lord. This is yet another device used to characterize the ever-increasing corruption of Israel depicted in Judges.