Question 1

What exactly does Yahweh command Gideon to do in vv. 25–26, and what sequence of actions is specified?

Accepted Answer

The commands are concrete and ordered. Gideon must (1) take his father’s bull—specified as “the second bull seven years old,” (2) tear down his father’s altar of Baal, (3) cut down the Asherah beside it, (4) build an altar to Yahweh on top of the “stronghold,” and do it “in the orderly manner,” and then (5) offer the second bull as a burnt offering. The wood for the offering is to come from the cut-down Asherah. The instructions combine demolition, construction, and sacrifice into one coordinated act.

Question 2

How does v. 27 describe Gideon’s obedience and his motive for acting at night?

Accepted Answer

Verse 27 affirms that Gideon “did as Yahweh had spoken,” but it also explains his timing. The narrator states Gideon feared two groups: his father’s household and the men of the city. Because of that fear, he did not do it in daytime and instead did it at night. The text does not excuse or condemn him explicitly; it simply links his secrecy to realistic danger. His obedience is real and costly, but it is carried out in a way that tries to reduce immediate personal risk.

Question 3

What details in vv. 28–29 show how the town responds once they discover the demolished altar?

Accepted Answer

The town’s response is described as a process: early in the morning they see multiple signs—the Baal altar broken, the Asherah cut down, a new altar built, and the second bull offered on it. They talk among themselves (“Who has done this?”), then they inquire and investigate. Only after asking questions do they name a specific culprit: “Gideon the son of Joash.” The narrative emphasizes that the act was public enough to be detected quickly and serious enough to prompt collective investigation rather than private retaliation.

Question 4

What reasons do the townsmen give for demanding Gideon’s death in v. 30?

Accepted Answer

They demand Joash “bring out” Gideon “that he may die,” and they give two reasons: (1) he broke down the altar of Baal, and (2) he cut down the Asherah beside it. Their focus is not on the new Yahweh altar or the burnt offering; it is on the destruction of Baal’s cult site and its associated object. This suggests they interpret Gideon’s act as a direct attack on their deity and, by extension, on the community’s stability and safety under that deity’s protection.

Question 5

In vv. 31–32, how does Joash argue back, and what point is he making about Baal?

Accepted Answer

Joash challenges the crowd with questions: are they going to contend for Baal, and are they going to “save” him? He then proposes a test: if Baal is truly a god, Baal should contend for himself because his altar was torn down. Joash’s argument makes Baal’s honor Baal’s responsibility, not the townsmen’s. The naming of Gideon as “Jerubbaal” (“Let Baal contend”) turns that argument into a public label, implying that the real proof will be whether Baal can act against Gideon.

Question 6

What does the passage imply about where religious authority and social power are located in this town?

Accepted Answer

Authority appears local and communal. The Baal altar is on Gideon’s father’s property or under his control (“your father has”), linking worship space to a household. The “men of the city” act together: they discover, investigate, decide on guilt, and confront Joash as a group. There is no judge or king shown arbitrating; the crowd seeks immediate enforcement of a death penalty. Joash’s ability to answer them publicly suggests he holds status in the community, and his words can at least interrupt their plan.

Judges 6:25-32

Scripture