Judges 6:25
in Judges 6On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said unto him, Take thy father’s bullock, even the second bullock seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the Asherah that is by it;
KJV
And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
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This verse in Judges 6
Commentary
10 notes on this verseThen the man, instructed and fore-knowing what was to be, observes the heavenly mysteries, and therefore, according to the warning, slew the bullock destined by his father to idols, and himself offered to God another bullock seven years old. By doing which he most plainly showed that after the coming of the Lord all Gentile sacrifices should be done away, and that only the sacrifice of the Lord's passion should be offered for the redemption of the people.
This site's exposition
a second bull seven years old
on Judges 6:25-27
His father's altar to Baal and the Asherah pole stand at Ophrah, so what verse 10 charged against the nation stands in the called man's yard. Deuteronomy 7:5 and 12:3 had commanded this act, so his first order is an old, unkept one. The bull is seven years old as Midian's rule has run seven years, and fear of "his father’s household" sends him out by night.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
The former, we may suppose, he was to offer for himself, the latter for the sins of the people whom he was to deliver. It was requisite he should thus make peace with God, before he made war on Midian. Till sin be pardoned through the great sacrifice, no good is to be expected.
), which we may suppose this son, as far as was in his power, witnessed against. He was of the half tribe of Manasseh that lay in Canaan, of the family of Abiezer; the eldest house of that tribe, Josh. xvii. Hitherto the judges were raised up out of that tribe which suffered most by the oppression, and probably it was so here.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The second bullock - He was to offer one for himself, the other for the sins of the people, whom he was to deliver. 'Till sin be pardoned thro' the great sacrifice, no good is to be expected.
And it came to pass the same night,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Even - Rather, as in the margin, and. Two bullocks are spoken of. The labor of both would be required for pulling down and removing the altar of Baal, and for bringing the materials for building the altar of Yahweh. The grove by it - Rather, “the idol upon it,” the Asherah, the wooden image of Astarte Jdg 3:7.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him--The transaction in which Gideon is here described as engaged was not entered on till the night after the vision.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
A violent commotion was excited next day, and vengeance vowed against Gideon as the perpetrator. "Joash, his father, quieted the mob in a manner similar to that of the town clerk of Ephesus. It was not for them to take the matter into their own hands.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock - There is some difficulty in this verse, for, according to the Hebrew text, two bullocks are mentioned here; but there is only one mentioned in Jdg 6:26, Jdg 6:28. But what was this second bullock? Some think that it was a bullock that was fattened in order to be offered in sacrifice to Baal. This is very probable, as the second bullock is so particularly distinguished from another which belonged to Gideon’s father. As the altar was built upon the ground of Joash, yet appears to have been public property, (see Jdg 6:29, Jdg 6:30), so this second ox was probably reared and fattened at the expense of the men of that village, else why should they so particularly resent its being offered to Jehovah?
The words behind it
27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִי֮ | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| בַּלַּ֣יְלָה | balaylah | in the night | H3915 → | 233 times |
| הַהוּא֒ | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וַיֹּ֧אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| ל֣וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| קַ֤ח | kach | take | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| פַּר־ | par- | [the] young bull of | H6499 → | 132 times |
| הַשּׁוֹר֙ | hashor | the ox | H7794 → | |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לְאָבִ֔יךָ | leavikha | [belongs] to father your | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וּפַ֥ר | ufar | and [the] young bull | H6499 → | 132 times |
| הַשֵּׁנִ֖י | hasheni | the second | H8145 → | 156 times |
| שֶׁ֣בַע | sheva' | seven | H7651 → | 394 times |
| שָׁנִ֑ים | shanim | years | H8141 → | 877 times |
| וְהָרַסְתָּ֗ | veharasta | and you will tear down | H2040 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִזְבַּ֤ח | mizbach | [the] altar of | H4196 → | 401 times |
| הַבַּ֙עַל֙ | habaal | <the> Baal | H1168 → | 82 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לְאָבִ֔יךָ | leavikha | [belongs] to father your | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאֲשֵׁרָ֥ה | haasherah | the Asherah pole | H842 → | 40 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עָלָ֖יו | ʾalav | [is] at it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| תִּכְרֹֽת׃ | tikhrot | you will cut down | H3772 → | 288 times |
וַיְהִי֮and it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
בַּלַּ֣יְלָהin the night
balaylahH3915 →233 times
הַהוּא֒<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
וַיֹּ֧אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
ל֣וֹto <the> him
lo
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
קַ֤חtake
kachH3947 →966 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
פַּר־[the] young bull of
par-H6499 →132 times
הַשּׁוֹר֙the ox
hashorH7794 →
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לְאָבִ֔יךָ[belongs] to father your
leavikhaH1 →1212 times
וּפַ֥רand [the] young bull
ufarH6499 →132 times
הַשֵּׁנִ֖יthe second
hasheniH8145 →156 times
שֶׁ֣בַעseven
sheva'H7651 →394 times
שָׁנִ֑יםyears
shanimH8141 →877 times
וְהָרַסְתָּ֗and you will tear down
veharastaH2040 →
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מִזְבַּ֤ח[the] altar of
mizbachH4196 →401 times
הַבַּ֙עַל֙<the> Baal
habaalH1168 →82 times
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לְאָבִ֔יךָ[belongs] to father your
leavikhaH1 →1212 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
הָאֲשֵׁרָ֥הthe Asherah pole
haasherahH842 →40 times
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
עָלָ֖יו[is] at it
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
תִּכְרֹֽת׃you will cut down
tikhrotH3772 →288 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
Matthew 10:37Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
it leads to
- Luke 14:26
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.
- Matthew 22:37
Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
- Philippians 3:7–9
But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.
- 2 Corinthians 5:14–15
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.
- Luke 14:26
Through
Acts 5:29But Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.
it leads to
- Acts 4:19
But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God.
- 1 Samuel 15:24
Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have transgressed the LORD’s commandment and your instructions, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
- Mark 7:7–9
They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’
- Genesis 3:17
And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because…
- Acts 4:19
Where this verse is studied
About Judges
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, On the Holy Spirit, Book 1; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.