Tyndale Open Study NotesJudges 6

• After forty years of peace, religious blending caused political instability, and roaming nomads forced the Israelites to live as fugitives.

• The Midianites, once thought to be purely nomadic and based in northwest Arabia, are now known to have built cities and, for a time, controlled much of the Arabian Peninsula and southern Transjordan (the area east of the Jordan). They are joined by the Amalekites (who were earlier part of a Moabite coalition; see study note on Judges 3:12–13) and the mysterious people of the east (compare 1 Kings 4:30; Ezekiel 25:4, 10). The attacks were seasonal but very destructive.

Camels, known since around 3000 BC, are often linked to eastern nomads and their raids. This might be one of the earliest records of camels in a large military force.

This unnamed prophet and Deborah are the only prophets mentioned in Judges. This prophet criticized Israel's abandonment of faith using language similar to that in Deuteronomy and later texts.

Gideon met the angel of the Lord and became a hero. He destroyed the mixed Baal religion of his family and town. He then called his people to fight for the Lord.

• might man of valor translates a Hebrew term that is also translated as "strong warriors" (Joshua 6:2), highlighting Gideon’s potential as a military hero. It is also translated as "the rich" (2 Kings 15:20), indicating his high social status as part of a leading family.

• The LORD is with you: When God commissions someone to fight, he usually assures them of his presence (see Deuteronomy 1:30; Joshua 1:1–9).

Like other prophets or judges, Gideon hesitated to obey. He doubted God's presence and his own ability (see study note on Judges 4:8; Exodus 3:1–4:17; Jeremiah 1:4–19).

Gideon's personal and clan status was not enough to gather troops.

Encounters with divine holiness are naturally dangerous (compare Genesis 32:30; Deuteronomy 5:4–5).

The altar, with its symbolic name, honors the divine presence and favor. By the time the account was recorded, the altar likely became a pilgrimage site.

In an act commanded by God, Gideon destroyed a community altar to Baal and its Asherah pole.

In Canaanite worship, Baal was a god of storms and fertility, and Asherah was often shown as a sacred tree.

Gideon's father, Joash, was the first to follow Gideon's leadership. He left Baal for the Lord, even though he was the keeper of the Baal shrine.

The nomadic coalition (Judges 6:1–6) camped at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley. This valley separated Israel’s central tribes from the Galilean hills.

As with other inspired leaders in Judges, the spirit gave Gideon power. Paul often uses a similar metaphor in his letters (for example, Romans 13:12; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:24; 6:11; Colossians 3:10, 12, 14).

The 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.