Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 6:26
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.
26. build an altar unto the Lord ] The present narrative tells another story about Gideon independently of what has gone before, Jdg 6:24.
this strong hold ] Strictly ‘place of refuge’; but sometimes, as here and in Isa 17:9-10, the idea of strength is added. For Jehovah’s altar a new site is to be chosen.
in the orderly manner ] The cognate verb is used in Num 23:4 of arranging altars, and elsewhere of arranging in order offerings or wood for sacrifice. The noun generally means a row or rank, esp. the ranks of an army, e.g. 1Sa 4:2; 1Sa 4:12 (‘army,’ marg. ‘array’); hence it may denote here the row or course of stones built into the altar. But the exact sense of the word is uncertain. The marg. may be ignored.
the second bullock ] Probably the second has been introduced here and in Jdg 6:28 for the sake of verbal harmony with Jdg 6:25, where, however, the text is corrupt.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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 Elijahs 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.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 26. With the wood of the grove] It is probable that 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. The Scandinavians also had wooden gods.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Upon the top of this rock; of which Jdg 6:20,21. Heb. of this strong hold; for in that calamitous time the Israelites retreated to such rocks, and hid and fortified themselves in them.
In the ordered place, i.e. in a plain and smooth part of the rock, where an altar may be conveniently built. Or,
in order, i.e. in such manner as I have appointed; for God had given rules about the building of altars.
Offer a burnt-sacrifice: 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.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
24-32. it came to pass the samenight, that the Lord said unto himThe transaction in whichGideon is here described as engaged was not entered on till the nightafter the vision.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And build an altar to the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock,…. Where the provisions were laid, and out of which came forth fire that consumed them; and where the altar, called by the name of Jehovahshalom, had been built by him, near it very probably; and there might be room enough for both upon the top of the rock; for this seems to be a distinct altar from that that was erected as a monumental altar, in memory of the miracle there wrought, and in gratitude by Gideon for the preservation of his life, and the peace and prosperity there and then promised, and which altar was to continue, and did; but this was for sacrifice, and only for the present time; for the proper place for sacrifice was the tabernacle: and this was to be built in the ordered place; either in the place where Gideon was ordered to put the flesh and the unleavened cakes; or in an orderly way and manner, according as was commanded in the law, as that it should be of earth and unhewn stones, and so framed as that it might be fit to have the wood and sacrifice laid in order on it; or in a plain place, as Kimchi, upon the top of the rock, where he might lay in order the stones of the altar:
and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shall cut down; mention being made only of one bullock that was to be offered, has made some think that only one was ordered to be taken, namely, this second, which agrees with our version of Jud 6:25 for if two were taken, what became of the first, since only the second was ordered to be sacrificed? to which Kimchi makes answer, that he was ordered to take it away, that his father might not offer it to an idol, as he intended, and therefore this was done to prevent idolatry; and as this second bullock was to be a burnt sacrifice, and to be burned with the wood of the grove just cut down, it seems to confirm the sense of such versions and interpreters who understand it of an idol on the altar of Baal; since wood just cut down would not be fit to burn, whereas an idol of wood, that had been of some standing, would be very proper: everything ordered and done were different from the laws and usages directed to by Moses, and practised by the Jews. Gideon was no priest, and yet bid to offer sacrifice, and that on an altar of his own erecting, and not the altar of God; and upon the top of a rock, and not at the tabernacle; and the wood of a grove or idol was to be made use of, which in other cases was not allowed; and all this done in the night, which was not the time of sacrificing; but the divine warrant was sufficient for Gideon. The Jews say u, there were eight things that were made free or allowed now, which were not at another time: and it was necessary, before Gideon acted the part of a deliverer, that he should become a reformer, and it was proper to begin at his own family.
u T. Bab. Temurah, fol. 28. 2. & 29. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(26) Of this rock.The word is not selah, as in Jdg. 6:20, or tsor, as in Jdg. 6:21, but malioz, stronghold, probably the citadel of Ophrah. The LXX. render it as a proper name (maoz), or in some MSS., on the top of this mountain. The word only occurs elsewhere in Hebrew poetry.
In the ordered place.The margin reads, in an orderly manner; but probably neither version is quite correct. The Hebrew word is bammaarachah (comp. Lev. 24:6; 2Ch. 2:4); and as the particle be is used of the materials with which a thing is built in 1Ki. 15:22; some here render it, with the materials. That the Jews themselves were not quite certain of the meaning appears from the various versions. The LXX. render it, in the arrangement, and the Vulg., on which you have before placed the sacrifice. It means with the Asherah pillar hewed down, and split up into firewood. The Jews point out the peculiar features of this burnt offering: (1) It was not at Shiloh; (2) it was not offered by a priest; (3) it was offered at night; and (4) the fire was kindled with the unhallowed materials of an idol. The Divine command was, of course, more than sufficient to justify these merely ritual irregularities; and, indeed, it is clear that in these rude times, when the country was in the hands of the heathen, the Levitic order of worship became, for the time, impossible in many particulars. Prophets and those directly commissioned by heaven were tacitly regarded as exempt from the strict rules of outward ritual which were necessary for the mass of the nation.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
26. Upon the top of this rock Rather, the top of this stronghold. The reference is to the fortified summit of the mountain or hill on which Ophrah stood, not the rock on which Gideon had already built his Jehovah-shalom altar.
In the ordered place Rather, as in the margin, in an orderly manner; literally, with the arrangement; that is, with that order, arrangement, and disposition which becomes a thing so sacred as an altar to Jehovah. Some, without sufficient reason, understand the Hebrew word to refer to the materials of the overthrown altar of Baal, out of which the new altar was to be built; others to the pieces of wood at the Baal altar which were lying there in readiness for use in the idol sacrifices.
The wood of the grove Rather, the wood of the Asherah; that is, of the wooden statue mentioned in the preceding verse.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“ And build an altar to Yahweh your God on 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 you shall cut down.”
The rock on which Yahweh caused the offering to be sent up by fire was now described as a ‘strong place’ or ‘stronghold’. It is where the angel of Yahweh, the captain of Yahweh’s host has stood (Jos 5:14). There an altar to Yahweh must be built in accordance with Exo 20:24-25. It is from there that He will go out to possess the land.
“In the orderly manner. And take the second bullock and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.” The ‘orderly manner’ means as prescribed in Exo 20:24. The Asherah-image or pole was to be burnt and thus basically be handed over to Yahweh. And its fire was to be used to offer up the second bull to Yahweh. It must thus have been fairly large.
“Offer a burnt (or ‘whole”) offering.’ It is not necessary to assume from this that Gideon himself offered the burnt offering. He may well secretly have called on a tribal priest, for to ‘offer an offering’ usually in Israel meant through a priest’ (compare Luk 2:24 where there can be no doubt on the matter). This kind of offering, ‘a whole offering’, was totally burned up as a complete offering to God. We note that a bullock was to be offered when ‘the whole congregation of Israel’ had sinned (Lev 4:13; Lev 4:21) as was true here. Israel’s failure to sacrifice rightly to Yahweh was being remedied.
The offering of the bullock was also significant in that Baal was figured in the form of a bull, so that in symbolism both Baal and Asherah were being burned up and offered to Yahweh. Perhaps there was in it a hint that Baal, pictured in the form of the bullock, had held sway for the seven years of the bullock’s life, and that his reign was now ended. When the town awoke in the morning they would witness an altar of unhewn stones, clearly dedicated to Yahweh, and the remains of the bull and of the Asherah-image on it, demonstrating that they had been deposed and replaced by Yahweh. It may equally signify that the seven year ‘reign’ of the Midianites was also now ended.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Gideon’s apprehension doth not seem to have arisen from fear of offence, in that he did it by night; but for fear of interruption, he wished to accomplish the divine command, and therefore did it perhaps the same night. He well knew the consequence of the people’s displeasure, but which it should seem he did not fear.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 6:26 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.
Ver. 26. And take the second bullock. ] Appointed likely for Baal. This bullock was to be offered up, and with the wood of the grove, in sacrifice to the Lord. We see then that things which have been abused to idolatry, may afterwards be lawfully used in God’s service, as churches, monasteries, chalices, &c. So the men of Bethshemesh took and used the Philistines’ cart and cattle. 1Sa 6:15
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
rock = strong place.
ordered place, or due order.
offer. See App-43.
as = according as.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
build: 2Sa 24:18
rock: Heb. strong place
the ordered place: or, an orderly manner, 1Co 14:33, 1Co 14:40
Reciprocal: Lev 17:8 – that offereth Deu 7:5 – and cut Jdg 13:16 – and if Jdg 21:4 – built there 1Sa 6:14 – offered 1Sa 7:9 – a sucking 1Ki 18:32 – And with
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 6:26. Upon the top of this rock Hebrew, of this strong hold. For in that calamitous time the Israelites retreated to such rocks, and hid and fortified themselves in them. In the ordered place That is, in a plain and smooth part of the rock, where an altar may be conveniently built; and offer a burnt-sacrifice 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.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
6:26 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 {l} grove which thou shalt cut down.
(l) Which grew about Baal’s altar.