Judges 6:16
in Judges 6“Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
KJV
And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
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This verse in Judges 6
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThou shalt smite the Midianites as one man - Thou shalt as surely conquer all their host as if thou hadst but one man to contend with; or, Thou shalt destroy them to a man.
This site's exposition
how can I save Israel
on Judges 6:15-16
The objection follows Moses at Exodus 3:11, and the reply, "Surely I will be with you", is the reply Moses got. Saul says nearly the same of his family at 1 Samuel 9:21, and the choice of the smallest house runs on to David. Commentators read "as one man" as Israel striking as one body or Midian falling as one man, and the Hebrew carries both.
This site's exposition
strike down all the Midianites as one man
Adam Clarke gives two senses of as one man. Gideon will overcome the whole host as surely as if he fought a single opponent, or he will destroy them to the last man. The promise answers his plea in verse 15 that his clan is the weakest in Manasseh.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), and he said, I will be with thee. This divine person appeared here to Gideon, and it is observable how he found him, (1.) Retired--all alone. God often manifests himself to his people when they are out of the noise and hurry of this world.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
"Object not thy poverty and meanness; such things have indeed often hindered men in great enterprises, but what are they to a man that has the presence of God with him, which will make up all the deficiencies of honour and estate.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
And the Lord said unto him, surely I will be with thee,.... The Targum is,"my Word shall be thy help,''which was sufficient to answer all objections taken from his meanness, unworthiness, and weakness: and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man; all together, and as easily as if thou hadst but one man to deal with, and the destruction be so entire and general that none shall be left.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Behold, my unit [lit. thousand]. The thousand member unit of which I am a constituent, under the command of its captain, is the most inadequate unit among all the units in Menasheh.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלָיו֙ | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֶהְיֶ֖ה | ʾehyeh | I will be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| עִמָּ֑ךְ | ʾimakh | with you | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| וְהִכִּיתָ֥ | vehikita | and you will strike down | H5221 → | 499 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִדְיָ֖ן | midyan | Midian | H4080 → | 59 times |
| כְּאִ֥ישׁ | keish | like a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֶחָֽד׃ | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֵלָיו֙to him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
כִּ֥יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֶהְיֶ֖הI will be
ʾehyehH1961 →3559 times
עִמָּ֑ךְwith you
ʾimakhH5973 →1050 times
וְהִכִּיתָ֥and you will strike down
vehikitaH5221 →499 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מִדְיָ֖ןMidian
midyanH4080 →59 times
כְּאִ֥ישׁlike a man
keishH376 →1663 times
אֶחָֽד׃one
ʾechadH259 →971 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
7 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 41:10Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…
it leads to
- Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 31:6–8
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 43:1–2
Now this is what the LORD says— He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your…
- Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
- Joshua 1:9
Through
Joshua 1:5No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
it leads to
- Matthew 28:20
and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- Isaiah 41:10–14
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand…
- Matthew 28:20
Where this verse is studied
About Judges
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.