Judges 6:25

25 That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old.^[a] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole^[b] beside it.

Judges 6:25 in Other Translations

25 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:

25 That night the LORD said to him, "Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it

25 That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it.

25 That night this happened. God said to him, "Take your father's best seven-year-old bull, the prime one. Tear down your father's Baal altar and chop down the Asherah fertility pole beside it.

25 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;

25 That same night the LORD said to Gideon, "Take a bull from your father's herd, a bull that is seven years old. Tear down your father's altar dedicated to the god Baal and cut down the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah that is next to it.

25 On that very night the Lord said to him, "Take your father's young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.

25 That same night the LORD spoke to Gideon. He said, "Get the second bull from your father's herd. Get the one that is seven years old. Tear down the altar your father built in honor of Baal. Cut down the pole that is beside it. The pole is used to worship the goddess Asherah.

Judges 6:25 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 6:25

And it came to pass the same night
The night which followed the day in which the angel appeared to Gideon as he was threshing:

that the Lord said unto him;
perhaps in a dream, since it was in the night: take thy father's young bullock: or "the bullock, the ox" ^F16; a bullock which was a large grown ox, and was not only his father's property, but what his father designed and set apart for the service of Baal; and though it was his father's, yet having a divine warrant for it, it was sufficient for him to take it without his leave, and especially as it was designed for such an ill use:

even the second bullock of seven years old;
which, according to Hesiod

---

FOOTNOTES:

F17 is in its prime and full strength at nine years old, and lives much longer. In Homer ^F18, one of five years old is said to be sacrificed: this further describes what he was to take, the second that stood in the stall of the bullocks, or that drew in the second row at plough, or the second in age and value, or the second that was set apart for the service of Baal; though the words may be rendered, "and the second bullock" ^F19; besides that of his father's, he was to take another, which perhaps belonged to the people, and was the second in birth or age with respect to the former, being seven years old; or, as the Targum is, that had been fatted seven years, and had been so long preparing for the sacrifice of Baal; which was as long as the tyranny of the Midianites over them, and was occasioned by the idolatry of the people of Israel; and such a bullock was ordered to be taken with respect to that, and to show that it would end with the sacrifice of this creature:

and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath;
upon his ground, in some part of his possessions, and perhaps built at his own expense, though for public use:

and cut down the grove that is by it;
or "about it", as the Vulgate Latin version; it being usual with the Heathens to plant groves near or around their altars and temples where religious worship was performed; partly to make them more pleasant and venerable, and partly for the commission of deeds which would not bear the light; or "over it", for they were commonly tall trees which grew over the altar they erected. Some render it, "upon it" ^F20, and understand by it an idol placed on it: so the Arabic version is,

``cut down the female idol Asira (perhaps the same with Astarte), which is upon the same altar;''

and so the Syriac version to the same purpose, which calls it the idol Estere, set upon the altar.

F16 (rwvx rp) "juvencum bovem", Drusius; "juvencum adultiorem", Junius & Tremellius.
F17 Opera & dies, l. 2. ver. 54. 55.
F18 Iliad. 2. ver. 403. & Iliad. 7. ver. 35.
F19 (rpw) "et juvencum alium", Tigurine version; "et alterum taurum", V. L. "et juvencum secundum", Pagninus, Montanus.
F20 (wyle) (ep' anto) , Sept. "super illud", Montanus, Junius & Tremellius.

Judges 6:25 In-Context

23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”

24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 That same night the LORD said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.

26 Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering.”

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

Cross References

• 1. ver 26,28,30; Exodus 34:13; S Judges 2:13; Deuteronomy 7:5

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "Take a full-grown, mature bull from your father’s herd"
• [b]. That is, a wooden symbol of the goddess Asherah; also in verses 26, 28 and 30