New English Translation
Judges 6:25
25That 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. Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.
Judges 6:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
- New International Version (NIV)That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
- English Standard Version (ESV)That night the Lord said to him, "Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it;
Context of Judges 6:25
23The Lord said to him, “You are safe! Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!” 24Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.” To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 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. Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27So Gideon took ten of his servants and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.
Read all of Judges 6Judges 6:25 word by word
וַיְהִי֮ בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַהוּא֒ וַיֹּ֧אמֶר ל֣וֹ יְהוָ֗ה קַ֤ח אֶת־פַּר־הַשּׁוֹר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְאָבִ֔יךָ וּפַ֥ר הַשֵּׁנִ֖י שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים וְהָרַסְתָּ֗ אֶת־מִזְבַּ֤ח הַבַּ֙עַל֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְאָבִ֔יךָ וְאֶת־הָאֲשֵׁרָ֥ה אֲשֶׁר־עָלָ֖יו תִּכְרֹֽת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And it came to pass the same nightלַ֫יְלָהlayil lêyl layelâh · nightH3915
- that the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto him, Takeלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- thy father’sאָב'âb · fatherH1
- youngפַּרpar pâr · bullockH6499
- bullockשׁוֹרshôr · cattleH7794
- even the secondשֵׁנִיshênîy · secondH8145
- of sevenשֶׁ֫בַעsheba‛ shib‛âh · sevenH7651
- years oldשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141
- and throw downהָרַסhâras · to overthrowH2040
- the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
- of Baalבַּעַלba‛al · BaalH1168
- hath, and cut downכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
- the groveאֲשֵׁרָה'ăshêrâh 'ăshêyrâh · AsherahH842
Cross-references for Judges 6:25
- Genesis 35:2So Jacob told his household and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes.
- Job 22:23If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; if you remove wicked behavior far from your tent,
- Psalms 101:2I will walk in the way of integrity. When will you come to me? I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace.
- 1 Kings 18:21Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word.
- Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
- 2 Corinthians 6:15And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever?
- Matthew 10:37“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
- Acts 4:19But Peter and John replied, “Whether it is right before God to obey you rather than God, you decide,
- Acts 5:29But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people.
- Judges 3:7The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs.
- Exodus 34:13Rather you must destroy their altars, smash their images, and cut down their Asherah poles.
- Deuteronomy 7:5Instead, this is what you must do to them: You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars, cut down their sacred Asherah poles, and burn up their idols.
Commentaries on Judges 6:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock - There is some difficulty in this verse, for, according to the Hebrew text, two bullocks are mentioned here; but there is only one mentioned in Judges 6:26, Judges 6:28. But what was this second bullock? Some think that it was a bullock that was fattened in order to be offered in sacrifice to Baal. This is very probable, as the second bullock is so particularly distinguished from another which…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25Even - Rather, as in the margin, and. Two bullocks are spoken of. The labor of both would be required for pulling down and removing the altar of Baal, and for bringing the materials for building the altar of Yahweh. The grove by it - Rather, “the idol upon it,” the Asherah, the wooden image of Astarte Judges 3:7.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 25-32Verses 25-32 See the power of God's grace, that he could raise up a reformer; and the kindness of his grace, that he would raise up a deliverer, out of the family of a leader in idolatry. Gideon must not think it enough not to worship at that altar; he must throw it down, and offer sacrifice on another. It was needful he should make peace with God, before he made war on Midian. Till sin be pardoned through the great Sacrifice, no good is to be expected…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25In Canaanite worship, Baal was a god of storms and fertility, and Asherah was often shown as a sacred tree.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 24-3224-32. it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him--The transaction in which Gideon is here described as engaged was not entered on till the night after the vision.Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 6:25
In the dictionaries
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
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