Judges 6:31

_AND BUILD AN ALTAR UNTO THE LORD THY GOD UPON THE TOP OF THIS ROCK, IN THE ORDERED PLACE, AND TAKE THE SECOND BULLOCK, AND OFFER A BURNT SACRIFICE WITH THE WOOD OF THE GROVE WHICH THOU SHALT CUT DOWN._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

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. God, who has all hearts in his hands, influenced Joash to appear for his son against the advocates for Baal, though he had joined formerly in the worship of Baal. Let us do our duty, and trust God with our safety. Here is a challenge to Baal, to do either good or evil; the result convinced his worshippers of their folly, in praying to one to help them that could not avenge himself....

Verse Judges 6:31. _WILL YE PLEAD FOR BAAL?_] The words are very emphatic "Will ye plead in earnest תריבן for Baal? Will ye תושיען really save _him_? If he be God, אלהים _Elohim_, let him contend for himself, seeing his altar is thrown down." The _paragogic_ letters in the words _plead_ and _save_ greatly increase the sense. Joash could not slay his son; but he was satisfied he had insulted Baal: if Baal were the true God, he would avenge his own injured honour. This was a sentiment among the heathens. Thus _Tacitus_, lib. i., c. 73, A.U.C. 768, mentioning the letter of Tiberius to the consuls in behalf of _Cassius_ and _Rubrius_, two Roman knights, one of whom was accused of having sold a statue of Augustus in the auction of his gardens; and the other, of having sworn falsely by the name of Augustus, who had been deified by the senate; among other t...

From the boldness of Joash in defending his son, it is likely that the majority of the Abi-ezrites sided with him against “the men of the city,” and already felt drawn toward Gideon as their national and religious leader Judges 6:34. Joash appears as the chief magistrate of Ophrah. WILL YE PLEAD ...? WILL YE SAVE? - The emphasis is upon ye, as much as to say, What business is it of yours?...

EXPOSITION JUDGES 6:25 THE SAME NIGHT, etc. The iron was hot; it was time to strike. As regards what follows, there are two ways of understanding the verse. One, that of the A.V; supposes that only one bullock is spoken of, and that "_the _young bullock" belonging to Joash is further described as "even the second bullock of seven years old;" to which it is objected that a bullock of seven years old is not "a young bullock," "the bullock of an _ox_,"_ _as the Hebrew phrase is, and that there is no explanation of the meaning of "the second bullock;" and that the Hebrew manifestly describes two bullocks: (1) Joash's young bullock, and (2) the bullock of seven years old. The other supposes two bullocks, and instead of has the more natural rendering and. The only objection

AND JOASH SAID UNTO ALL THAT STOOD AGAINST HIM,.... Against his son; that were his accusers and adversaries, and required him to be given up to them, that they might put him to death: WILL YE PLEAD FOR BAAL? what, Israelites, and plead for Baal! or what need is there for this, cannot he plead for himself? WILL YE SAVE HIM? what, take upon you to save your god! cannot he save himself? he ought to save both himself and you, if he is a god, and not you save him: HE THAT WILL PLEAD FOR HIM, LET HIM BE PUT TO DEATH, WHILE IT IS YET MORNING; immediately, before noon, for it was now morning when they came to him; this he said to terrify them, and to express the hatred he now had of idolatry, and the just sense of its being punishable with death by the law of God. This he may be supposed to say, to save his son from their present wrath and fury, hoping by that time to find out some ways and m...

4. FOURTH DECLENSION: UNDER MIDIAN AND GIDEON, TOLA AND JAIR CHAPTER 6 _ 1. Israel's suffering from Midian (Judges 6:1)_ 2. Their repentance and the divine answer (Judges 6:7) 3. Gideon, the deliverer, chosen (Judges 6:11) 4. The restored worship (Judges 6:25) 5. The gathering for the conflict (Judges 6:33) 6. The sign of the fleece (Judges 6:36) After Deborah and Barak the land had fifty years' rest, and when again they did

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ALTAR OF BAAL. We have seen that after the Conquest Yahweh was reverently and innocently called the Baal (Lord) of the land, and that loyal Israelites gave their children Baal names. The present section, in which the Baal of Ophrah is _distinguished_ from Yahweh, and regarded as a heathen god, must have been written after the time of Hosea, who was the first to condemn the practice of applying the name Baal to the God of Israel (Hosea 2:17)_._ The point of the story is that Baal, who, if worth his salt, should be able to plead for himself, is challenged to do so, and found to be impotent. Baal has fallen on evil days, when any daring spirit can laugh at him with impunity as Elijah mocked the Phœ nician Baal (1 Kings 18:27)....

_Gideon overthrows the altar of Baal and receives the name Jerub-baal_. This story has no connexion with the preceding narrative Judges 6:11-24; for after Gideon had built the altar Jehovah-shalom (Judges 6:24), it is not likely that he would have been told to build another altar at once and in the same place (Judges 6:26). So far as any antecedents of the story exist they are to be found in Judges 6:7, which denounce the worship of Canaanite (-Amorite") gods....

JOASH SAID UNTO ALL THAT STOOD AGAINST HIM— That is, against his son. There is something rational and noble in this apology which Joash makes; and it seems very likely, that the reason which he here uses had influenced his own mind; for it appears from Joshua 6:31 that he was an idolater, till convinced by this indignity which his son offered to Baal, that the latter was a wretched idol unable to help himself. Joash, in his indignation, observes, that so far from putting Gideon to death for dishonouring Baal, the man who should be so absurd as to plead for him, ought immediately himself to be put to death; since it was evident that _he_ could be no god, by his not avenging his own cause. _While it is yet morning,_ Houbigant renders, _whoever shall defend his cause till the morning,_ let him die; which order the Syriac and Arabic follow. REFLECTIONS.—To proceed in our