Judges 6:12

12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him and said unto him, "The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor."

Judges 6:12 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 6:12

And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him
He stayed some time under the oak, and Gideon being busy in threshing, took no notice of him wherefore he came and stood before him, in his sight:

and said unto him, the Lord is with thee;
the gracious presence of God was with Gideon while he was threshing, who very probably was sending up ejaculations to heaven, on account of the distressed case of Israel, and was deep in meditation about the affairs of the people of God, and contriving how to deliver them; or the angel might mean himself, who was no other than Jehovah, the eternal Word of God, who was present with him, and spake unto him; and so the Targum,

``my Word is thy help:''

thou mighty man of valour;
who very probably was a stout man in body, and of a courageous mind naturally, and might at this instant have an increase both of bodily strength and greatness of soul; or, however, this was said to animate and encourage him to do what he was about to be sent to do.

Judges 6:12 In-Context

10 And I said unto you: `I am the LORD your God. Fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell.' But ye have not obeyed My voice."

11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite; and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the wine press to hide it from the Midianites.

12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him and said unto him, "The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor."

13 And Gideon said unto him, "Oh my lord, if the LORD be with us, why then has all this befallen us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, `Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."

14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, "Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee?"