Judges 6:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face."

NIV: When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, "Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!"

NASB: When Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, 'Oh, Lord God! For I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!'

CSB: When Gideon realized that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, "Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!"

NLT: When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he cried out, 'Oh, Sovereign Lord, I’m doomed! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!'

KJV: And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.

NKJV: Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”

Scripture gives us ample evidence to understand that Gideon's nature was neither daring nor confident (Judges 6:17, 27, 36–40). It's possible that when he first requested God provide proof of His identity, he was hoping to find the whole thing was a hoax. Here, rather than reacting to confirmation (Judges 6:18–21) with courage, Gideon seems to despair. He had clearly already seen the Man's face. Apparently, Gideon didn't fully believe the man was a manifestation of the Lord until fire consumed Gideon's meal and the Angel vanished into thin air.

Instead of being excited, Gideon becomes disturbed and afraid. It was common knowledge that nobody can see the Lord's face and live (Exodus 33:18–23). Gideon clearly associates the Angel of the Lord with the Lord Himself—and he has seen His face! Gideon cries out, "Alas! O LORD God!" He is fearful for his life.

However, what Gideon has seen is referred to as a Theophany or a Christophany, meaning a visible, material manifestation of God, rather than God in His full and undisguised glory. God will reassure Gideon that he's not about to die (Judges 6:23).

Judges 6:11–27 begins in a town called Ophrah. There, the Angel of the Lord appears to a man named Gideon. The Lord calls Gideon mighty, despite his apparent lack of influence or power, and commands him to save Israel from Midian. After a display of power, God commands Gideon to tear down the town's altars to false idols, replacing them with an altar to Yahweh complete with a sacrifice of his father's bull. Gideon does so under the cover of darkness out of fear of his family and the townspeople.

Israel follows the sad pattern of the book of Judges, and once again turns to evil and idols. God turns them over to the Midianites. These foreign raiders spend the next seven years invading and consuming Israel's crops and livestock. Israel cries for help to the Lord. His first step is to send a prophet to remind them of God's goodness and their disobedience. The Lord then appears to Gideon, commanding him to save Israel because God will be with him. Gideon obeys God's command to tear down a Baal altar and build one to Yahweh in its place. He calls his countrymen to follow him and asks for signs from God.

The book of Judges contains a series of stories with a common theme: Israel falls into sin, suffers, and is rescued by God, only to fall once again (Judges 1—2). The next phase in Israel's downward spiral comes after 40 years of peace, won by Deborah and Barak (Judges 4—5). Israel is punished for sin through the Midianites. After seven years, the Israelites cry out for help. The Lord appears to Gideon, challenging the timid man to lead the battle against Israel's oppressors. Empowered by the Spirit, Gideon calls for his people to follow him, but still asks the Lord for signs. Gideon's successful campaigns are depicted in chapters 7 and 8.

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).