Gideon

Biblical Account

Gideon is a judge whose story appears in Judges 6–8. A judge was a leader of Israel in the period before the monarchy. Gideon was the son of Joash, of the Abiezrite clan of the tribe of Manasseh. At the time, Israel had been oppressed by Midian for seven years. While Gideon was secretly threshing wheat in a winepress, the angel of the LORD appeared to him and called him (Judges 6:11-12). Gideon tore down his father's altar of Baal and the Asherah pole, and as a result he was given the name "Jerubbaal," meaning "let Baal contend against him" (Judges 6:32).

Before going into battle, Gideon asked twice for a sign. First he asked that dew fall only on the fleece, and then that only the fleece remain dry (Judges 6:36-40). So that Israel could not boast of having saved itself (Judges 7:2), God reduced Gideon's army of thirty-two thousand men until only the three hundred who lapped water from their hands remained. With these men Gideon routed the Midianite camp using trumpets and torches hidden inside pitchers.

After the victory, when the people asked him to become their king, Gideon refused, saying, "the LORD shall rule over you" (Judges 8:23). However, he made an ephod (a type of priestly garment) from the gold taken as spoil, and all Israel "went thither a whoring after it," so that it became a snare (Judges 8:27). Afterward the land had rest for forty years. Gideon had many wives and fathered seventy sons. The story of Abimelech, his son by a concubine in Shechem, continues in Judges 9.

Significance Within the Bible

The Gideon narrative illustrates two themes of Judges: God raises up and uses the weak and the small, and the true king of Israel is the LORD. The ephod incident late in Gideon's life fits the pattern of the latter part of Judges, in which the judges increasingly falter.

Other books of the Bible also refer to these events:

• Isaiah 9:4 and Psalms 83:11 recall this victory by referring to "the day of Midian" and to the princes of Midian.
• 1 Samuel 12:11 mentions him under the name "Jerubbaal."
• In the New Testament, Hebrews 11:32 lists him among the people of faith.

Interpretations and Debates

• The sign of the fleece: Some read the episode as a model for discerning God's will. Others see it as a sign of weakness, since Gideon repeatedly sought confirmation after he had already received God's word. The text records only that God answered and does not evaluate the request.
• The selection of the three hundred: It is often said that those who drank from their hands were alert warriors who kept watch. The text, however, gives no such explanation. The reason it does state is that the army was reduced to show that the victory belonged to God (Judges 7:2).
• Evaluation of Gideon: Some interpreters emphasize Gideon as a hero of faith to be imitated. Others regard him as a flawed man who was nonetheless used by grace. The emphasis depends on how one reads the commendation in Hebrews alongside the later accounts of the ephod and his many wives.

In the Korean Church

"Gideon's three hundred warriors" is a frequent sermon theme, illustrating that God uses devoted people even when they are few. The name "Gideon" is sometimes given to church fellowships and mission societies. The story of the trumpets and torches is also commonly taught in Sunday school curricula and at Vacation Bible School. "Gideon's fleece" is also used figuratively to describe asking God for a specific sign. Gideons International, known for placing Bibles in hotels, hospitals, and similar settings, is likewise named after him.