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Judges 6:26

in Judges 6

Then build a proper altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold. And with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down, take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

and build an altar unto Jehovah thy God upon the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which thou shalt cut down.

KJV

And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.

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This verse in Judges 6

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Ambrose of Milan

On the Holy Spirit, Book 1 · Written before 397.

Then 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.

This site's exposition

a proper altar to the LORD your God

John Wesley raises the difficulty that Gideon was a layman offering away from the appointed place of sacrifice. He holds that God may set aside his own institutions and that the call itself gave Gideon authority. The Asherah pole becomes the firewood.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Ordered place - That is, in a plain and smooth part of the rock, where an altar may be conveniently built. And offer - Gideon was no priest, nor was this the appointed place of sacrifice; but God can dispense with his own institutions, though we may not; and his call gave Gideon sufficient authority.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

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.
And build an altar to the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

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

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

With the wood of the grove - It is probable that אשרה Asherah here signifies Astarte; and that there was a wooden image of this goddess on the altar of Baal. Baal-peor was the same as Priapus, Astarte as Venus; these two impure idols were proper enough for the same altar. In early times, and among rude people, the images of the gods were made of wood. This is the case still with the inhabitants of the South Sea Islands, with the Indians of America, and with the inhabitants of Ceylon: many of the images of Budhoo are of wood.
1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

In the ordered place - See the margin. “Build an altar, etc., with the materials,” “the wood laid in order” (compare Gen 22:9), that, namely, which he would find ready to hand in the altar of Baal which he was to throw down. The wood of the grove - “The (blocks of) wood of the idol,” i. e. the image of Astarte. The command from God Himself to build an altar, and sacrifice upon it, is analogous to Elijah’s sacrifice 1 Kings 18, and was doubtless caused by the extraordinary circumstance of the defection of the Israelites from the worship of the true God. Possibly, too, the Midianite invasion had made the worship at Shiloh impossible at this time.

The words behind it

19 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וּבָנִ֨יתָand you will build

    uvanitaH1129 →376 times

  • מִזְבֵּ֜חַan altar

    mizbeachH4196 →401 times

  • לַיהוָ֣הto Yahweh

    layahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָGod your

    ʾeloheikhaH430 →2601 times

  • עַ֣לon

    ʾalH5921 →5755 times

  • רֹ֧אשׁ[the] top of

    roshH7218 →599 times

  • הַמָּע֛וֹזthe place of refuge

    hamaozH4581 →

  • הַזֶּ֖ה<the> this

    hazehH2088 →1180 times

  • בַּמַּֽעֲרָכָ֑הin the row

    bamaarakhahH4634 →

  • וְלָֽקַחְתָּ֙and you will take

    velakachtaH3947 →966 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • הַפָּ֣רthe young bull

    haparH6499 →132 times

  • הַשֵּׁנִ֔י<the> second

    hasheniH8145 →156 times

  • וְהַעֲלִ֣יתָand you will offer up

    vehaalitaH5927 →890 times

  • עוֹלָ֔הa burnt offering

    olahH5930 →287 times

  • בַּעֲצֵ֥יwith [the] wood<s> of

    baatzeiH6086 →328 times

  • הָאֲשֵׁרָ֖הthe Asherah pole

    haasherahH842 →40 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֥רwhich

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • תִּכְרֹֽת׃you will cut down

    tikhrotH3772 →288 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

9 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

1 Corinthians 14:40But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner.4 works1 Corinthians 14:33For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace—as in all the churches of the saints.4 works2 Samuel 24:18And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”3 works1 Kings 18:32And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.2 works1 Samuel 6:14The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.2 worksJudges 13:16And the angel of the LORD replied, “Even if I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD.” For Manoah did not know that it was the angel of the LORD.2 works
The other 3 cross-references, with their words ▾
Judges 21:4The next day the people got up early, built an altar there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings.2 worksLeviticus 17:8Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice2 works1 Samuel 7:9Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him.1 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    1 Corinthians 14:33

    For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace—as in all the churches of the saints.

    it leads to

    • James 3:17–18

      But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.

    • 1 Corinthians 14:40

      But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner.

    • 2 Thessalonians 3:16

      Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

    • Galatians 5:22

      But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

    • 1 Corinthians 11:16

      If anyone is inclined to dispute this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God.

  • Through

    1 Corinthians 14:40

    But everything must be done in a proper and orderly manner.

    it leads to

    • Colossians 2:5

      For although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I delight to see your orderly condition and firm faith in Christ.

    • Titus 1:5

      The reason I left you in Crete was that you would set in order what was unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

    • 1 Corinthians 14:26–33

      What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a psalm or a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. All of these must be done to build up the…

Where this verse is studied

About Judges

Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.
Jael, Deborah and Barak, Salomon de Bray, 1635. Public domain.
Judges: the study guide →Read Judges 6 →

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.

Read on in Judges 6 →