Judges 6:15

15 And he said to him, O Lord, how may I be the saviour of Israel? See, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

Judges 6:15 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 6:15

And he said unto him, oh my Lord
Whether he had yet suspected who he was, or took him still for some eminent person, is not certain; it is very probable he began to think he was some extraordinary person sent of God, and speaking in his name, and therefore expostulates with him about the work he put him upon:

wherewith shall I save Israel?
in what way is it possible for me to do it, who had neither men nor money sufficient for such an undertaking?

behold, my family is poor in Manasseh;
of which tribe he was, and the "thousand" in it, as the word F12 here used signifies, was the meanest of all the thousands in that tribe; some render it, "my father" F13:

and I am the least in my father's house;
perhaps the youngest son; though some take him, and others his father, to be the Chiliarch, or head of the thousand; but by these words of his it does not seem as if either was true; not but that he was of some wealth and substance, power and authority, by having such a number of servants as to take "ten" of them with him, ( Judges 6:27 ) however, this he says in great humility and modesty, having no high thoughts of himself and family, nor any dependence on his own strength, and on an arm of flesh.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 (ypla) "chilias, mea", Montanus, Drusius; "mea millenaria", Tigurine version; "mille meum", Piscator.
F13 "Pater meus", Pagninus; so some in Drusius.

Judges 6:15 In-Context

13 Then Gideon said to him, O my lord, if the Lord is with us why has all this come on us? And where are all his works of power, of which our fathers have given us word, saying, Did not the Lord take us out of Egypt? But now he has given us up, handing us over to the power of Midian.
14 And the Lord, turning to him, said, Go in the strength you have and be Israel's saviour from Midian: have I not sent you?
15 And he said to him, O Lord, how may I be the saviour of Israel? See, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
16 Then the Lord said to him, Truly, I will be with you, and you will overcome the Midianites as if they were one man.
17 So he said to him, If now I have grace in your eyes, then give me a sign that it is you who are talking to me.

Related Articles

The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.