Judges 6:25

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:
• 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;
• New Living Translation (NLT)That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it.

Context of Judges 6:25

23But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” 24So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 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. 26Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.” 27So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

Judges 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 said to his household and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.
• Job 22:23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent
• Psalms 101:2I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart.
• 1 Kings 18:21Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.
• Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
• 2 Corinthians 6:15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
• Matthew 10:37“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
• Acts 4:19But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges!
• Acts 5:29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!
• Judges 3:7The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
• Exodus 34:13Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.
• Deuteronomy 7:5This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.

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

• Altar
• Baal
• Courage
• Decision
• Gideon
• Judge
• Obedience
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Baal
• Asherah
• Bullock
• Den
• Gideon
• God
• Midianite
• Mighty
• Sign
• Wherewith

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