Judges 6:17

17 Gideon said, "If you're serious about this, do me a favor: Give me a sign to back up what you're telling me.

Judges 6:17 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 6:17

And he said unto him, if now I have found grace in thy sight,
&c. Or seeing he had, as appeared by his salutation of him as a man of might, by the work he gave him a commission to do, and by the promise of assistance and success:

then show me a sign that thou talkest with me;
in the name of God, as a messenger sent by him, whether an angel or a man; for who he was as yet Gideon was not clear in it, and that what he had said was truth, and would be certainly fulfilled; and which Gideon might desire, not so much, or at least not only for his own sake, and the confirmation of his faith, for which he is renowned, as that he might be able to satisfy others that he had a commission from God, by a messenger of his, to attempt the deliverance of Israel.

Judges 6:17 In-Context

15 Gideon said to him, "Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan's the weakest in Manasseh and I'm the runt of the litter."

16 God said to him, "I'll be with you. Believe me, you'll defeat Midian as one man."

17 Gideon said, "If you're serious about this, do me a favor: Give me a sign to back up what you're telling me.

18 Don't leave until I come back and bring you my gift." He said, "I'll wait till you get back."

19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat and a huge amount of unraised bread (he used over half a bushel of flour!). He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and took them back under the shade of the oak tree for a sacred meal.