Judges 6:25-32
New English Translation
Gideon Destroys the Altar
25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old.[a] Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern.[b] Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants[c] and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family[d] and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.[e]
28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw[f] the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 29 They said to one another,[g] “Who did this?”[h] They investigated the matter thoroughly[i] and concluded[j] that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him![k] He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him,[l] “Must you fight Baal’s battles?[m] Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause[n] will die by morning![o] If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles![p] After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.”[q] 32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub Baal,[r] because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 6:25 tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar.
- Judges 6:26 tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.
- Judges 6:27 tn Heb “men from among his servants.”
- Judges 6:27 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 6:27 tn Heb “so he did it at night.”
- Judges 6:28 tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men.
- Judges 6:29 tn Heb “each one to his neighbor.”
- Judges 6:29 tn Heb “this thing.”
- Judges 6:29 tn Heb “they inquired and searched.” The synonyms are joined to emphasize the care with which they conducted their inquiry.
- Judges 6:29 tn Heb “and said.” Perhaps the plural subject is indefinite. If so, it could be translated, “they were told.”
- Judges 6:30 tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause.
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “to all who stood against him.”
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?”
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fights for him.”
- Judges 6:31 sn Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning. This may be a warning to the crowd that Joash intends to defend his son and to kill anyone who tries to execute Gideon. Then again, it may be a sarcastic statement about Baal’s apparent inability to defend his own honor. Anyone who takes up Baal’s cause may end up dead, perhaps by the same hand that pulled down the pagan god’s altar.
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fight for himself.”
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “for he pulled down his altar.” The subject of the verb, if not Gideon, is indefinite (in which case a passive translation is permissible).
- Judges 6:32 tn Heb “He called him on that day Jerub Baal.” The name means, at least by popular etymology, “Let Baal fight” or “Let Baal defend himself.”
Judges 6:25-32
Christian Standard Bible
Gideon Tears Down a Baal Altar
25 On that very night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal(A) that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on the top of this mound.(B) Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night.
28 When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built. 29 They said to each other, “Who did this?” After they made a thorough investigation, they said, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.” 32 That day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, since Joash said, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he tore down his altar.
Read full chapterNET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.