New Living Translation
Judges 6:25
25That 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.
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
23“It is all right,” the Lord replied. “Do not be afraid. You will not die.” 24And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means “the Lord is peace”). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day. 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. 26Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” 27So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town.
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 everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing.
- Job 22:23If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored— so clean up your life.
- Psalms 101:2I will be careful to live a blameless life— when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.
- 1 Kings 18:21Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.
- Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
- 2 Corinthians 6:15What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?
- Matthew 10:37“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.
- Acts 4:19But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?
- Acts 5:29But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.
- Judges 3:7The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles.
- Exodus 34:13Instead, you must break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles.
- Deuteronomy 7:5This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn 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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