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Gideon
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Boyd’s Bible Dictionary
:
(destroyer). The powerful warrior of
Manasseh
, and judge of
Israel
for 40 years (Judg. 6-8).
Concise Bible Dictionary
:
Son
of
Joash
, of the tribe of
Manasseh
, one of the
judges
of
Israel
. An angel of the
Lord
appeared to him while he was
threshing
wheat
to hide it from the
Midianites
, and said, “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty
man
of valor.” Thus addressed, the true though weak
faith
that was in Gideon was manifested, and he said to the Lord, “If the Lord be with us, why is all this befallen us? And where be all His
miracles
which our
fathers
told us of?”
Jehovah
added, “Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?” Gideon pleaded that his family was
poor
, and that he was the least in his
father
’s
house
. He was further encouraged. The first thing he was bid to do was to throw down the
altar
of
Baal
, and erect an altar to Jehovah, and offer an
offering
thereon. Gideon obeyed, but he did it by
night
, for he feared to do it by
day
. The men of the city desired his
death
, but his father protected him, saying, Let Baal plead for himself, and symbolically named Gideon
JERUBBAAL
, “Let Baal plead.” In
2 Samuel 11:21
21
Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. (2 Samuel 11:21)
it is
JERUBBESHETH
, “Let the shameful thing plead,” meaning the same, without mentioning the name of Baal (compare
Jer. 11:13
13
For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal. (Jeremiah 11:13)
;
Hos. 9:10
10
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baal-peor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved. (Hosea 9:10)
).
Obedience led to strength: the
Spirit
of the Lord came upon him, and he blew a trumpet, and sent messengers to the tribes of Manasseh,
Asher
,
Zebulun
, and
Naphtali
. But his small though true faith wanted a sign from
God
that He would save Israel by him God graciously responded by the moisture and then by the dryness of the fleece of
wool
. God declared that Gideon’s followers were too many: they would take the
glory
to themselves, and say, “mine own hand hath saved me.” So he bade all that were fearful and afraid to return, and more than two-thirds went back, leaving but 10,000: proving that the mass of the people were unfit to fight the battles of the Lord. Still the people were too many, and they are tested at the water: those that fell on their knees to drink were sent away, and only
three
hundred men remained, those who had lapped a little water from the hand, as satisfied with a hasty refreshment.
God then told Gideon to go down to the host, for He had delivered it into his hand; but if he was afraid, he could first go with his
servant
and hear what the enemy said. He was still faint-hearted and therefore went to listen, and there he heard himself compared to “a cake of
barley
bread
,” but that God would deliver
Midian
into his hand. Gideon at once arranged his men into three companies, each man having a trumpet, and a
lamp
inside a
pitcher
. When they reached the
camp
, the
trumpets
were blown, and the pitchers broken. The Midianites were dismayed and some of them in the confusion and terror killed one another, and the others fled, pursued by the tribes before named, and by
Ephraim
. Ephraim proudly found fault with Gideon for not
calling
them to the battle at first; but a modest answer appeased their
wrath
. The conquest was
complete
, and the men of
Succoth
and
Penuel
were punished for not aiding Gideon with bread when he was faint.
Israel desired Gideon to rule over them, but he refused, saying, “The Lord shall rule over you.” He requested of the
army
the golden earrings taken from the enemy. With these he made an
ephod
, and placed it in his city, and all Israel went in
idolatry
after it, and it became a
snare
to Gideon and his house. Alas, the man of faith, who had thrown down the altar of Baal, was now led astray with a golden ephod! A memorial of God’s intervention is not present faith in the God who has intervened. The
time
of victory is a time of peculiar danger, when many being off their
guard
have fallen. During the
life
-time of Gideon Israel dwelt in
peace
during forty years, but at his decease the people turned to idols and were ungrateful to the house of Gideon (
Judg. 6:11
11
And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. (Judges 6:11)
—
Judg. 8:35
35
Neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel. (Judges 8:35)
). He is called
GEDEON
in
Hebrews 11:32
32
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: (Hebrews 11:32)
, where his faith is spoken of.
Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:
Number:
1439
(
find all occurrences in KJV Bible
)
Transliteration:
Gid`own
Phonic:
ghid-ohn’
Meaning:
from
1438
; feller (i.e. warrior); Gidon, an Israelite
KJV Usage:
Gideon
Jackson’s
Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names
:
the cutter down
Potts’
Bible Proper Names
:
Great trunk of a tree; tree-feller, i. e., impetuous warrior:―an Israelite [GEDEON], Judg. 6:11. {Caudex eximius}
Related Books and Articles:
Gideon: Gideon Prepared for Service: Judges 6:11-40
From:
Meditations on Judges
By:
Henri L. Rossier
Narrator:
Ivona Gentwo
Show More Sources
Judges, Meditations on the Book of: Gideon Prepared for Service
From:
The Remembrancer: 1894
Gideon: What Characterizes God's Witnesses in the Day of Ruin: Judges 7:1-14
From:
Meditations on Judges
By:
Henri L. Rossier
Narrator:
Ivona Gentwo
Show More Sources
Judges, Meditations on the Book of: What Characterizes God's Witnesses in the Day of Ruin
From:
The Remembrancer: 1894
Gideon: What Testimony Consists In: Judges 7:15-25
From:
Meditations on Judges
By:
Henri L. Rossier
Narrator:
Ivona Gentwo
Show More Sources
Judges, Meditations on the Book of: What Testimony Consists In
From:
The Remembrancer: 1894
Gideon: Difficulties and Snares in Service: Judges 8:1-23
From:
Meditations on Judges
By:
Henri L. Rossier
Narrator:
Ivona Gentwo
Show More Sources
Judges, Meditations on the Book of: Difficulties and Snares in Service
From:
The Remembrancer: 1894
Gideon: Gideon's Ephod: Judges 8:24-35
From:
Meditations on Judges
By:
Henri L. Rossier
Narrator:
Ivona Gentwo
Show More Sources
Judges, Meditations on the Book of: Gideon's Ephod
From:
The Remembrancer: 1894
Gideon and His Companions: Part 1
From:
Things New and Old: Volume 14
By:
Charles Henry Mackintosh
Narrator:
Chris Genthree
Show More Sources
Gideon and His Companions: Part 1
From:
Mackintosh Treasury, The: Vol. 2
Gideon and His Companions: Part 2
From:
Things New and Old: Volume 14
By:
Charles Henry Mackintosh
Narrator:
Chris Genthree
Show More Sources
Gideon and His Companions: Part 2
From:
Mackintosh Treasury, The: Vol. 2
Gideon and His Companions: Part 3
From:
Things New and Old: Volume 14
By:
Charles Henry Mackintosh
Narrator:
Chris Genthree
Show More Sources
Gideon and His Companions: Part 3
From:
Mackintosh Treasury, The: Vol. 2
Gideon and His Companions: Part 4
From:
Things New and Old: Volume 14
By:
Charles Henry Mackintosh
Narrator:
Chris Genthree
Show More Sources
Gideon and His Companions: Part 4
From:
Mackintosh Treasury, The: Vol. 2
Gideon and His Companions: Part 5
From:
Things New and Old: Volume 14
By:
Charles Henry Mackintosh
Narrator:
Chris Genthree
Show More Sources
Gideon and His Companions: Part 5
From:
Mackintosh Treasury, The: Vol. 2
Gideon and His Companions: Part 6
From:
Things New and Old: Volume 14
By:
Charles Henry Mackintosh
Narrator:
Chris Genthree
Show More Sources
Gideon and His Companions: Part 6
From:
Mackintosh Treasury, The: Vol. 2
Gideon and His Companions: Part 7
From:
Things New and Old: Volume 14
By:
Charles Henry Mackintosh
Narrator:
Chris Genthree
Show More Sources
Gideon and His Companions: Part 7
From:
Mackintosh Treasury, The: Vol. 2
Incidents in the Life of Gideon
By:
Clifford Henry Brown
Narrator:
Chris Genthree
Breaking the Earthen Vessel
By:
Armistead Mason Barry
Narrator:
Chris Genthree
Call: 1-630-543-1441
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, … rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
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