Judges 6:40
WEB
God did so that night; for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
BSB
And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.
KJV
And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H6213
v — do, make
Derivation: a primitive root;
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
KJV: accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, × certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, feast, (fight-) ing man, finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, hinder, hold (a feast), × indeed, be industrious, journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, × sacrifice, serve, set, shew, × sin, spend, × surely, take, × thoroughly, trim, × very, vex, be (warr-) ior, work(-man), yield, use.
vb — do
עָשָׂה 2622 vb. do, make
Qal 2524
I.
1. do (1560 t.)
2. deal with
3. oft. in phr. do kindness with
4. abs. act, act with effect
II.
1. make (670 t.)
2. produce, yield
3. prepare, esp. of dressing and cooking food
4. make offering
5. attend to, put in order
6. observe, celebrate, religious festival
7. acquire property of various kinds
8. appoint priests
9. bring about of י׳’s effecting a deliverance
10. use
11. spend, pass, days of life
Niph. 97
1. be done
2.
a. be made, of concr. things
b. be produced from vine
c. be prepared, of food
d. be offered
e. be observed, passover
f. be used
Pu. I was made
vb — press
[עָשָׂה] vb. Pi. press, squeeze
H430
n-m — gods, God, magistrates
Derivation: plural of 433;
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
KJV: angels, × exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), × (very) great, judges, × mighty.
n.m.pl — gods
אֱלֹהִים 2570 n.m.pl.
1. pl. in number.
a. rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power
b. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels
c. angels
d. gods
2. pl. intensive
a. god or goddess
b. godlike one
c. works of God, or things belongng to him
d. God
3. הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God
4. אֱלֹהִים = God
H3651
adv — set upright, just, rightly, so
Derivation: from 3559;
properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner, time and relation; often with other particles)
KJV: after that (this, -ward, -wards), as... as, (for-) asmuch as yet, be (for which) cause, following, howbeit, in (the) like (manner, -wise), × the more, right, (even) so, state, straightway, such (thing), surely, there (where) -fore, this, thus, true, well, × you.
forasmuch as
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
adj — right
כֵּן adj. right, veritable, honest
1. right
2. veritable, true
3. pl. concr. honest (men)
adv — so
כֵּן adv. so
H3915
n-m — twist, night, adversity
Derivation: or (Isaiah 21:11) לֵיל; also לַיְלָה; from the same as 3883;
properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e. night; figuratively, adversity
KJV: (mid-)night (season).
n.m — night
לַ֫יְלָה, לַ֫יִל 242 n.m. night
H1931
p — he, she, it, self, same, this, that, as, are
Derivation: of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is הִיא; he a primitive word, the third person pronoun singular;
he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are
KJV: he, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.
m — he
הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it
1. an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
2. It resumes the subj. with emph.
3. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
4. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
5. As an emph. predicate, of God
6. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
7. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
H1961
v — exist, be, become, come to pass
Derivation: a primitive root (compare 1933);
to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
KJV: beacon, × altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, follow, happen, × have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, × use.
vb — fall out
הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be
Qal
I.
1.
a. Fall out, happen
b. occur, take place, come about, come to pass
2. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass
a.
(1). וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
(2). rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
b. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
II. Come into being, become
1.
a. abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
b. sq. prep.
2. become
a. sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
b. sq. pred. adj.
c. become like
d. sq. pred. לְ pers.
e. sq. לְ pred.
f. oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.
g. with עַל and לְ
h. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
III. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)
1. exist, be in existence
2. abide, remain, continue
3. with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie
4. as copula, joining subj. & pred.
5. periphrastic conjug.
Niph.
1. either be done, be brought about, or occur, come to pass
2. be done, finished, gone
H2721
n-m — drought, desolation
Derivation: a collaterally form of 2719;
drought or desolation
KJV: desolation, drought, dry, heat, × utterly, waste.
n.m — dryness
חֹ֫רֶב n.m. dryness, drought, heat
1. dryness
2. drought
3. parching heat
n.[m.] — desolation
חֹ֫רֶב n.[m.] desolation
H413
prep — near, with, among, to
Derivation: (but only used in the shortened constructive form אֶל ); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e.
near, with or among; often in general, to
KJV: about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in(-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).
prep — motion to
אֶל (nearly always followed by Makkeph), prep. denoting motion to or direction towards (whether physical or mental).
1. of motion to or unto a person or place
2. Where the limit is actually entered, into
3. Of direction towards anything
4. Where the motion or direction implied appears from the context to be of a hostile character, אֶל = against
5. Unto sometimes acquires from the context the sense of in addition to
6. Metaph. in regard to, concerning, on account of
7. Of rule or standard according to (rare)
8. Expressing presence at a spot, against, at, by, not merely after verbs implying motion
9. Prefixed to other preps. it combines with them the idea of motion or direction to
H1492
n-f — fleece
Derivation: feminine from 1494;
a fleece
KJV: fleece.
n.f — fleece
גִּזָּה n.f. fleece
H905
n-m — separation, part, branch, bar, chief, apart, only, besides
Derivation: from 909;
properly, separation; by implication, a part of the body, branch of a tree, bar for carrying; figuratively, chief of a city; especially (with prepositional prefix) as an adverb, apart, only, besides
KJV: alone, apart, bar, besides, branch, by self, of each alike, except, only, part, staff, strength.
n.m — separation
בַּד, בָּ֑ד n.m. separation, concr. part
1. prop. in a state of separation, alone, by itself
2. concr. part
3. parts, specif. extended from something
H5921
prep — above, over, upon, against
Derivation: properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following);
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
KJV: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.
forasmuch as
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
subst — above
עַל, עָ֑ל
I. subst. height
II. As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
1. Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed
a. —
(a). of clothing, etc., which any one wears
(b). With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it
b. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him
c. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him
d. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him
e. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
f. Of the ground or basis, on which a thing is done
2. It expresses excess
3. It denotes elevation or pre-eminence
4. It expresses addition
5. It expresses the idea of being extended, or suspended over anything, without however being in contact with it, above, over
6. From the sense of inclining or impending over, על comes to denote contiguity or proximity, Engl. by (or sts. on)
7. In connection with verbs of motion (actual or fig.)
8. By writers of the silver age, על is sts. used with the force of a dative
9. With other particles:
III. As conj.
a. עַל אֲשֶׁר because that
b. עַל כִּי similar in meaning, but less frequent
c. עַל alone:
(a). because
(b). notwithstanding that, although
IV. Compounds:
1. with כְּ (rare and late)
a. as concerning, as upon
b. the like of their deeds is the like of (that which) he will repay
2. מֵעַל from upon, from over, from by
H3605
n-m — whole, all, any, every
Derivation: or (Jeremiah 33:8) כּוֹל; from 3634;
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
KJV: (in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).
n.m — the whole
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
1. with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
2. Absolutely:
a. without the art., all things, all
b. with the art. הַכֹּל
(a). where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
(b). in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
H776
n-f — earth, land
Derivation: from an unused root probably meaning to be firm;
the earth (at large, or partitively a land)
KJV: × common, country, earth, field, ground, land, × natins, way, + wilderness, world.
n. f — earth
אֶ֫רֶץ n. f. & (seld.) m. earth, land
1.
a. earth, whole earth (opp. to a part)
b. earth, opp. to heaven, sky
c. earth = inhabitants of earth
2. land =
a. country, territory
b. district, region
c. trial territory
d. piece of ground
e. specif. land of Canaan, or Israel
f. = inhabitants of land
g. used even of Shᵉʼôl
3.
a. ground, surface of ground
b. soil, as productive
4. אֶרֶץ in phrases
a. people of the land
b. in measurements of distance
c. the country of the plain, level or plain country
d. land of the living
e. end(s) of the earth
5. pl. אֲרָצוֹת is almost wholly late; it denotes lands, countries, often in contrast to Canaan, lands of the nations, etc.
H2919
n-m — dew, covering
Derivation: from 2926;
dew (as covering vegetation)
KJV: dew.
n.m — night-mist
טַל n.m. night-mist, dew
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Verses 33–40
Judges 6:33–40
Here we have, I. The descent which the enemies of Israel made upon them, Jdg 6:33. A vast number of Midianites, Amalekites, and Arabians, got together, and came over Jordan, none either caring or daring to guard that important and advantageous pass against them, and they made their headquarters in the valley of Jezreel, in the heart of Manasseh's tribe, not far from Gideon's city. Some think that the notice they had of Gideon's destroying Baal's altar brought them over, and that they came to plead for Baal and to make that a pretence for quarrelling with Israel; but it is more likely that it was now harvest-time, when they had been wont each year to make such a visit as this (Jdg 6:3), and that they were expected when Gideon was threshing, Jdg 6:11. God raised up Gideon to be ready against this terrible blow came. Their success so many years in these incursions, the little opposition they had met with and the great booty they had carried off, made them now both very eager and very confident. But it proved that the measure of their iniquity was full and the year of recompence had come; they must now make an end to spoil and must be spoiled, and they are gathered as sheaves to the floor (Mic 4:12, Mic 4:13), for Gideon to thresh.
II. The preparation which Gideon makes to attack them in their camp, Jdg 6:34, Jdg 6:35. 1. God by his Spirit put life into Gideon: The Spirit of the Lord clothes Gideon (so the word is), clothed him as a robe, to put honour upon him, clothed him as a coat of mail, to put defence upon him. Those are well clad that are thus clothed. A spirit of fortitude from before the Lord clothed Gideon; so the Chaldee. He was of himself a mighty man of valour; yet personal strength and courage, though vigorously exerted, would not suffice for this great action; he must have the armour of God upon him, and this is what he must depend upon: The Spirit of the Lord clothed him in an extraordinary manner. Whom God calls to his work he will qualify and animate for it. 2. Gideon with his trumpet put life into his neighbours, God working with him; he blew a trumpet, to call in volunteers, and more came in than perhaps he expected. (1.) The men of Abiezer, though lately enraged against him for throwing down the altar of Baal, and though they had condemned him to death as a criminal, were now convinced of their error, bravely came in to his assistance, and submitted to him as their general: Abiezer was gathered after him, Jdg 6:34. So suddenly can God turn the hearts even of idolaters and persecutors. (2.) Distant tribes, even Asher and Naphtali, which lay most remote, though strangers to him, obeyed his summons, and sent him in the best of their forces, Jdg 6:35. Though they lay furthest from the danger, yet, considering that if their neighbours were over-run by the Midianites their own turn would be next, they were forward to join against a common enemy.
III. The signs which God gratified him with, for the confirming both of his own faith and that of his followers; and perhaps it was more for their sakes than for his own that he desired them. Or, perhaps, he desired by these to be satisfied whether this was the time of his conquering the Midianites, or whether he was to wait for some other opportunity. Observe, 1. His request for a sign (Jdg 6:36, Jdg 6:37): "Let me by this know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand, let a fleece of wool, spread in the open air, be wet with the dew, and let the ground about it be dry." The purport of this is, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief. He found his own faith weak and wavering, and therefore begged of God by this sign to perfect what was lacking in it. We may suppose that God, who intended to give him these signs, for the glorifying of his own power and goodness, put it into his heart to ask them. Yet, when he repeated his request for a second sign, the reverse of the former, he did it with a very humble apology, deprecating God's displeasure, because it looked so like a peevish humoursome distrust of God and dissatisfaction with the many assurances he had already given him (Jdg 6:39): Let not thy anger be hot against me. Though he took the boldness to ask another sign, yet he did it with such fear and trembling as showed that the familiarity God had graciously admitted him to did not breed any contempt of God's glory, nor presumption on God's goodness. Abraham had given him an example of this, when God gave him leave to be very free with him (Gen 18:30, Gen 18:32), O let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. God's favour must be sought with great reverence, a due sense of our distance, and a religious fear of his wrath. 2. God's gracious grant of his request. See how tender God is of true believers though they be weak, and how ready to condescend to their infirmities, that the bruised reed may not be broken nor the smoking flax quenched. Gideon would have the fleece wet and the ground dry; but then, lest any should object, "It is natural for wool, if ever so little moisture fall, to drink it in and retain it, and therefore there was nothing extraordinary in this," though the quantity wrung out was sufficient to obviate such an objection, yet he desires that next night the ground might be wet and the fleece dry, and it is done, so willing is God to give to the heirs of promise strong consolation (Heb 6:17, Heb 6:18), even by two immutable things. He suffers himself, not only to be prevailed with by their importunities, but even to be prescribed to by their doubts and dissatisfactions. These signs were, (1.) Truly miraculous, and therefore abundantly serving to confirm his commission. It is said of the dew that it is from the Lord, and tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men (Mic 5:7); and yet God here in this matter hearkened to the voice of a man; as to Joshua, in directing the course of the sun, so to Gideon in directing that of the dew, by which it appears that it falls not by chance, but by providence. The latter sign inverted the former, and, to please Gideon, it was wrought backward and forward, whence Dr. Fuller observes that heaven's real miracles will endure turning, being inside and outside both alike. (2.) Very significant. He and his men were going to engage the Midianites; could God distinguish between a small fleece of Israel and the vast floor of Midian? Yes, by this he is made to know that he can. Is Gideon desirous that the dew of divine grace might descend upon himself in particular? He sees the fleece wet with dew to assure him of it. Does he desire that God will be as the dew to all Israel? Behold, all the ground is wet. Some make this fleece an emblem of the Jewish nation, which, when time was, was wet with the dew of God's word and ordinances, while the rest of the world was dry; but since the rejection of Christ and his gospel they are dry as the heath in the wilderness, while the nations about are as a watered garden.
Cross-references: Judg 6:33 · Judg 6:3 · Judg 6:11 · Mic 4:12 · Mic 4:13 · Judg 6:34 · Judg 6:35 · Judg 6:36 · Judg 6:37 · Judg 6:39 · Gen 18:30 · Gen 18:32 · Heb 6:17 · Heb 6:18 · Mic 5:7