Judges 6:15

15 And Gideon answered (to the angel), and said, My lord, I beseech, in what thing shall I deliver Israel? (My lord, I beseech thee, how can I save Israel?) Lo! my family is the lowest in Manasseh, and I am the least in the house of my father.

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.

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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 And Gideon said to him, My lord, I beseech, if the Lord is with us, why then have all these evils taken us? Where be the marvels of him, which our fathers told, and said, The Lord hath led us out of Egypt? For now he hath forsaken us, and hath betaken us into the hand of Midian. (And Gideon said to him, My lord, I beseech thee, if the Lord is with us, then why have all these evils overtaken us? Where be his miracles, which our fathers told us about? Yea, they said, The Lord led us out of Egypt. But now, he hath deserted us, and hath delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.)

14 And the Lord beheld to him, and said, Go thou in this strength of thee, and thou shalt deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; (and) know thou, that I have sent thee.

15 And Gideon answered (to the angel), and said, My lord, I beseech, in what thing shall I deliver Israel? (My lord, I beseech thee, how can I save Israel?) Lo! my family is the lowest in Manasseh, and I am the least in the house of my father.

16 And the Lord said to him, I shall be with thee, and thou shalt smite Midian as one man. (And the Lord said to him, I shall be with thee, and thou shalt strike down all of the Midianites like one man.)

17 And Gideon said, If I have found grace before thee, give to me a sign, that thou, that speakest to me, art sent of God's part; (And Gideon said to the angel, If I have found grace before thee, give me a sign, that thou, who speakest to me, art sent from God;)