Judges 6:37

Judges 6:37 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
• New International Version (NIV)look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said."
• New King James Version (NKJV)look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

Context of Judges 6:37

35He sent messengers throughout [the tribe of] Manasseh, and the fighting men were also called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to [the tribes of] Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them. 36Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to rescue Israel through me, as You have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of [freshly sheared] wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and it is dry on all the ground [around it], then I will know that You will rescue Israel through me, as You have said.” 38And it was so. When he got up early the next morning and squeezed the dew out of the fleece, he wrung from it a bowl full of water. 39Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn against me, so that I may speak once more. Please let me make a test once more with the fleece; now let only the fleece be dry, and let there be dew on all the ground.”

Judges 6:37 word by word

הִנֵּ֣ה אָנֹכִ֗י מַצִּ֛יג אֶת־גִּזַּ֥ת הַצֶּ֖מֶר בַּגֹּ֑רֶן אִ֡ם טַל֩ יִהְיֶ֨ה עַֽל־הַגִּזָּ֜ה לְבַדָּ֗הּ וְעַל־כָּל־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ חֹ֔רֶב וְיָדַעְתִּ֗י כִּֽי־תוֹשִׁ֧יעַ בְּיָדִ֛י אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּֽרְתָּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Behold, I will putיָצַגyâtsag · to setH3322
• a fleeceגִּזָּהgâzzah · fleeceH1492
• of woolצֶ֫מֶרtsemer · woolH6785
• in the floorגֹּ֫רֶןgôren · threshing floorH1637
• if the dewטַלţal · dewH2919
• dryחֹ֫רֶבchôreb · droughtH2721
• upon all the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
• then shall I knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• that thou wilt saveיָשַׁעyâsha‛ · to saveH3467
• Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• by mine handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• as thou hast saidדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696

Cross-references for Judges 6:37

• Deuteronomy 32:2Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As the light rain upon the tender grass, And as the spring showers upon the herb.
• Psalms 72:6May he come down like rain on the mown grass, Like showers that water the earth.
• Hosea 6:3So let us know and become personally acquainted with Him; let us press on to know and understand fully the [greatness of the] Lord [to honor, heed, and deeply cherish Him]. His appearing is prepared and is as certain as the dawn, And He will come to us [in salvation] like the [heavy] rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth.”
• Hosea 14:5I shall be like the dew to Israel; He will blossom like the lily, And he will take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
• Psalms 147:19He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
• Matthew 10:5Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them: “Do not go among the Gentiles, and do not go into a city of the Samaritans;
• Matthew 15:24He answered, “I was commissioned by God and sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Commentaries on Judges 6:37

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37The threshing floors were and still are under the open air, and usually circular. The second sign Judges 6:40, would be more convincing than the former, because it is the nature of fleeces to attract and retain moisture.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 33-40Verses 33-40 These signs are truly miraculous, and very significant. Gideon and his men were going to fight the Midianites; could God distinguish between a small fleece of Israel, and the vast floor of Midian? Gideon is made to know that God could do so. Is Gideon desirous that the dew of Divine grace might come down upon himself in particular? He sees the fleece wet with dew to assure him of it. Does he desire that God will be as the dew to all Israel?…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 36-40The fleece incident did not confirm God's plan to use Gideon, as that was already clear Judges 6:17–24. Instead, it showed God's patience with Gideon's doubts.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33-3933. all the Midianites ... pitched in Jezreel--The confederated troops of Midian, Amalek, and their neighbors, crossing the Jordan to make a fresh inroad on Canaan, encamped in the plains of Esdraelon (anciently Jezreel). The southern part of the Ghor lies in a very low level, so that there is a steep and difficult descent into Canaan by the southern wadies. Keeping this in view, we see the reason why the Midianite army, from the east of Jordan, entered…Read the comment

Topics related to Judges 6:37

• Condescension of God
• Decision
• Dew
• Faith
• Gideon
• Judge
• Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena
• Miracles
• Prayer
• Sign
• Threshing
• Token
• Wool

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Den
• Fleece
• Gideon
• God
• Midianite
• Mighty
• Sign
• Wherewith
• Wring

Commentaries on Judges 6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings