Judges 6:2-12

2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.

3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country.

4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.

5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.

6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.

7 When the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian,

8 he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land.

10 I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”

Judges 6:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 6

In this chapter we have an account of the distressed condition Israel was in through the Midianites, Jud 6:1-6, of a prophet being sent unto them to reprieve them for their sins, Jud 6:7-10 of an angel appearing to Gideon, with an order to him to go and save Israel out of the hands of the Midianites, Jud 6:11-16 and of a sign given him by the angel, whereby he knew this order was of God, Jud 6:17-24, and of the reformation from idolatry in his father's family he made upon this, throwing down the altar of Baal, and building one for the Lord, Jud 6:25-32, and of the preparation he made to fight the Midianites and others, Jud 6:33-35, but first desired a sign of the Lord, that Israel would be saved by his hand, which was granted and repeated, Jud 6:36-40.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Samuel 13:6; Isaiah 5:30; Isaiah 8:21; Isaiah 26:16; Isaiah 37:3
• 2. Isaiah 2:19; Jeremiah 48:28; Jeremiah 49:8,30
• 3. Job 24:8; Jeremiah 41:9; Hebrews 11:38
• 4. Numbers 13:29; Judges 3:13
• 5. S Genesis 25:6; Isaiah 11:14; Jeremiah 49:28
• 6. Leviticus 26:16; Deuteronomy 28:30,51; Isaiah 10:6; Isaiah 39:6; Isaiah 42:22
• 7. S Genesis 10:19
• 8. S Deuteronomy 28:42; Judges 7:12
• 9. Judges 8:10; Isaiah 21:7; Isaiah 60:6; Jeremiah 49:32
• 10. S Judges 3:9
• 11. S Judges 3:9
• 12. Deuteronomy 18:15; 1 Kings 20:13,22; 2 Kings 17:13,23; Nehemiah 9:29; Job 36:10; Jeremiah 25:5; Ezekiel 18:30-31
• 13. S Judges 2:1
• 14. Joshua 24:17
• 15. S Numbers 10:9; Psalms 136:24
• 16. Psalms 44:2
• 17. S Exodus 20:5; 2 Kings 17:35
• 18. S Joshua 24:15; Jeremiah 10:2
• 19. S Genesis 16:7
• 20. S Joshua 18:23
• 21. ver 29; Judges 7:14; Judges 8:13,29
• 22. S Numbers 26:30; Joshua 17:2
• 23. Judges 7:1; Judges 8:1; Hebrews 11:32
• 24. Ruth 2:17; Ruth 3:2; 1 Samuel 23:1; 1 Chronicles 21:20
• 25. Nehemiah 13:15; Isaiah 16:10; Isaiah 63:3; Lamentations 1:15; Joel 3:13
• 26. S Joshua 1:5; Ruth 2:4; 1 Samuel 10:7; Psalms 129:8; Judges 13:3; Luke 1:11,28
• 27. Judges 11:1