Judges 6:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.

NIV: Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.

NASB: So the Spirit of the Lord covered Gideon like clothing; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him.

CSB: The Spirit of the Lord enveloped Gideon, and he blew the ram's horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him.

NLT: Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.

KJV: But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.

NKJV: But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.

A remarkable thing happens in this verse. When God first called Gideon, he was literally hiding from the enemy (Judges 6:11–12). His first response to the Lord's call was a request for a miraculous confirmation (Judges 6:17). Gideon had described himself as the least of his father's household and from the weakest of the clans of his tribe (Judges 6:15). Implied in this analysis was an assumption that no one would ever want to follow him into battle. The Lord simply responded that He would be with Gideon (Judges 6:16).

Now the Lord comes to Gideon in an undeniably powerful way. The Holy Spirit surrounds and empowers Gideon—the text symbolically depicts this as being like clothing. The very power of God comes to rest in and on Gideon in the form of God's own Spirit. The evidence of this, to Gideon and everyone else, is that when lowly, timid, controversial Gideon (Judges 6:29–30) sounds the trumpet to battle invading Midianites, everyone follows.

This begins with the people of his own clan, the Abiezrites. Some of these same people had called for Gideon to be killed in the previous verses. Now his clansmen come to fight by his side. It's possible he gained their respect when he boldly tore down the Baal altar—but it's also likely the Lord's Spirit is at work through Gideon. This sudden fervor is contagious, and other tribes will follow suit (Judges 6:35).

Judges 6:28–35 describes what happens when Gideon's neighbors discover he has toppled the Baal altar and Asherah pole and replaced them with an altar to Yahweh. They demand Gideon's father Joash let them kill Gideon. Joash defends his son, challenging Baal to fight his own battles, if he cares to. This earns Gideon the nickname Jerubbaal, implying his conflict with Baal. When the Midianites return on another raid to take Israel's food (Judges 6:1–5), God empowers Gideon and people from several tribes to battle against Midian and her allies from east of the Jordan.

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).