Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 6:19
And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought [it] out unto him under the oak, and presented [it].
19. a kid ] Cf. Jdg 13:15; Jdg 13:19 and Gen 18:7 (a calf). An ephah was approximately equivalent to our bushel; in Gen 18:6 Abraham orders the same quantity, ‘three seahs’ (= one ephah, cf. Isa 5:10 ephah in LXX = ). Unleavened cakes could be made rapidly, 1Sa 28:24; for the basket and pot cf. Gen 40:16 ff., 1Sa 2:14.
and presented it ] lit. ‘brought it near,’ cf. Gen 27:25. Perhaps we should read with the LXX and drew near (involving only a change of vowels), for the meal has not yet passed out of Gideon’s hands; he is expecting to be told what to do with it.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Unleavened cakes – As being much more quickly baked (compare Gen 19:3) (and as connected with the meat offering). An ephah, containing 3 measures, was the quantity of flour commonly used at one baking Gen 18:6; Exo 16:16.
Presented it – A word especially, though not exclusively, proper for offerings to God. See Amo 5:25, where the same word is rendered offered.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 19. Made ready a kid – the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot] The manner in which the Arabs entertain strangers will cast light on this verse. Dr. Shaw observes: “Besides a bowl of milk, and a basket of figs, raisins, or dates, which upon our arrival were presented to us to stay our appetite, the master of the tent fetched us from his flock according to the number of our company, a kid or a goat, a lamb or a sheep; half of which was immediately seethed by his wife, and served up with cucasoe; the rest was made kab-ab, i.e., cut to pieces and roasted, which we reserved for our breakfast or dinner next day.” May we not suppose, says Mr. Harmer, that Gideon, presenting some slight refreshment to the supposed prophet, according to the present Arab mode, desired him to stay till he could provide something more substantial; that he immediately killed a kid, seethed part of it, and, when ready, brought out the stewed meat in a pot, with unleavened cakes of bread which he had baked; and the other part, the kab-ab, in a basket, for him to carry with him for some after-repast in his journey. See Shaw’s and Pococke’s Travels, and Harmer’s Observations.
Brought it out unto him under the oak] Probably where he had a tent, which, with the shade of the oak, sheltered them from the heat of the sun, and yet afforded the privilege of the refreshing breeze. Under a shade in the open air the Arabs, to the present day, are accustomed to receive their guests.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Of an ephah of flour, to wit, out of the choicest part of a whole ephah; as also he brought to him the best part of a kid dressed; for a whole ephah and a whole kid had been very superfluous, and improper to provide for and set before one man.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
19-23. Gideon went in, and madeready a kid; . . . the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the brothin a pot(See on Ge 18:7). Theflesh seems to have been roasted, which is done by cutting it intokobab, that is, into small pieces, fixed on a skewer, and put beforethe fire. The broth was for immediate use; the other, brought in ahand-basket was intended to be a future supply to the traveller. Themiraculous fire that consumed it and the vanishing of the stranger,not by walking, but as a spirit in the fire, filled Gideon with awe.A consciousness of demerit fills the heart of every fallen man at thethought of God, with fear of His wrath; and this feeling wasincreased by a belief prevalent in ancient times, that whoever saw anangel would forthwith die. The acceptance of Gideon’s sacrificebetokened the acceptance of his person; but it required an expressassurance of the divine blessing, given in some unknown manner, torestore his comfort and peace of mind.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Gideon went in,…. Into his own house, or his father’s:
and made ready a kid; boiled it, as appears by the broth he brought, at least part of it was so dressed; and perhaps it was only some part of one that he brought, since a whole one was too much to be set before one person, and if even he himself intended to eat with him:
and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour; that is, probably those were made out of an ephah of flour; not that the whole ephah was made into cakes; since an omer, the tenth part of an ephah, was sufficient for one man a whole day; and, according to the computation of Waserus n an ephah was enough for forty five men for a whole day; unless it can be thought that this was done to show his great hospitality to a stranger, and the great respect he had for him as a messenger of God: the rather unleavened cakes were brought, because of dispatch, being soon made. Jarchi says, from hence it may be learned that it was now the time of the passover, and of waving the sheaf; but this is no sufficient proof of it; besides, if this was new wheat Gideon had been threshing, it shows it to be about the wheat harvest, which was not till Pentecost; it was the barley harvest that began at the passover:
the flesh he put in a basket; the flesh of the kid which was boiled, or if any part of it was dressed another way, it was put by itself in a basket for more easy and commodious carriage:
and he put the broth in a pot; a brazen pot, as Kimchi interprets it, in which the kid was boiled; and this, as he says, was the water it was boiled in:
and brought it out unto him under the oak; where he appeared, and was now waiting the return of Gideon there:
and presented it; set it before him, perhaps upon a table, which might be brought by his servants, or on a seat, which was placed under the oak to sit upon under its shade for pleasure.
n De Antiqu. mensuris Heb. l. 2. c. 5. sect. 9.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(19) Unleavened cakes.Because these were most quickly made, as by Lot for the angels, and by the Witch of Endor for Saul (Gen. 19:3; 1Sa. 28:24).
Of an ephah of flour.About 22 lbs. A homer would have been sufficient, as we see from Exo. 16:16. An ephah is ten homers; but Eastern hospitality considers nothing to be too lavish.
Presented it.See Jdg. 13:19. The Vatican MS. of the LXX. renders it approached, which is inadequate, and the other MSS. worshipped, which is too strong. The word has a middle sense: offered it with respect and reverence.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
19. A kid cakes Compare the similar meal which Abraham prepared for his divine guests under the oak of Mamre. Gen 18:5-8.
An ephah A measure of about four and one half pecks.
Flesh he put in a basket broth in a pot “The Orientals do not, as we do, use broth in which meat has been boiled as a soup. But they do use stews, such as the pottage for which Esau sold his birthright, and such as the sons of the prophet were preparing when they put into it by mistake some poisonous herb. Thus, we apprehend, part of the kid was prepared, and this was the part brought out in the pot. While this was in preparation over the fire, the other part had been cut up into slips and roasted before the fire upon skewers, in which way meat is very rapidly dressed in the East into what is called kaboobs, which stand in the same place as chops and steaks with us, only that the pieces are very much smaller. This, we apprehend, was what was brought in the basket.” Kitto.
‘ And Gideon went in and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour. The flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak and presented it.’
The broth suggests that the kid was boiled. The whole meal was of ultra-generous proportions as befitted such a guest. In view of their poverty-stricken situation this demonstrated how impressed Gideon was with his visitor. A whole lamb and an ephah of flour. The mention of an ephah of flour may suggest a sacrificial intent in Gideon’s mind (compare Eze 45:24). An ephah was far more than would be expected for a visitor, as was a whole kid (a tenth of an ephah would feed a man for a day). Gideon was still clearly in two minds about Him and was not sure whether to bring a meal or a sacrifice.
For the whole consider Gen 18:6-8, where Yahweh was brought a feast b y Abraham, a passage which Gideon may have had in mind. But this was a feast indeed.
Jdg 6:19. And Gideonmade ready, &c. All roasted meat is a delicacy among the Arabs, and rarely eaten by them. Stewed meat likewise is only to be met with at their feasts and great tables, and is consequently a delicacy also; the common diet being only boiled meat, with rice, potage, and pilaw, stewed meat with the soup, &c. This soup, or something very much like it, we may believe was the broth which Gideon presented to the angel, whom he took for a mere mortal messenger of God. It may have been wondered, why he should bring out his broth, from an opinion that it would have been better kept within, and given to the poor after the supposed prophet should be withdrawn; but these passages explain the fact. The broth, as our translators imagine it, was, I conclude, the stewed savoury meat that he had prepared, with such sort of liquor as the eastern people at this day bring their stewed meat in to the most dignified and honourable persons. What then is meant by the flesh put into the basket? Dr. Shaw seems entirely to have cleared up the matter in p. 12 of his preface, where he says, “Besides a bowl of milk, and a basket of figs, raisins, or dates, which upon our arrival were presented to us, to stay our appetites, the master of the tent fetched us from his flock, (according to the number of our company) a kid or a goat, a lamb or a sheep; half of which was immediately seethed by his wife, and served up with cuscasooe: the rest was made kab-ab; i.e. cut to pieces, and roasted; which we reserved for our breakfast or dinner next day.” May we not imagine, that Gideon, presenting some slight refreshment to the supposed prophet, according to the present Arab mode, desired him to stay till he could provide something more substantial; that he immediately killed a kid, seethed part of it, made kab-ab of another part; and when it was ready, brought out the stewed meat in a pot, with unleavened cakes of bread which he had baked; and the kab-ab in a basket, for his carrying with him, to serve him for some after-repast in his journey? Nothing can be more conformable to the present Arab customs, or a more easy explanation of the text; nothing more convenient for the carriage of the reserved meat than a light basket; as Thevenot informs us, he carried his ready-dressed meat with him in a maund. What others may think of the passage, I know not; but till I met with these remarks I never could account for Gideon’s bringing out the meat to the angel in a basket. With respect to his leaving the supposed prophet under a tree while he was buried, (instead of introducing him to some apartment of his habitation,) and bringing the repast out to him there, I would here observe, that not only Arabs who live in tents, and their dependents, but those also who live in houses, as did Gideon, practise it still. Dr. Pococke frequently observed it among the Maronites, and was so struck with their conformity to ancient custom, that he could not forbear taking particular notice of it; laymen of quality and ecclesiastics, the patriarch and bishops, as well as poor obscure priests, treating their guests in the same manner. Travels, vol. 2: p. 95, 96. 104. See Observations on Scripture, p. 178.
Observe, Gideon presented it to the angel! Wherefore? Did he know indeed that our Jesus was, as well as now is, a priest forever, after the order of Melchisedec? Psa 110:4 ; Heb 7:15-17 .
Jdg 6:19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought [it] out unto him under the oak, and presented [it].
Ver. 19. Under the oak. ] Where, as a wayfaring man, he had reposed himself. Jdg 6:11
kid = kid of the goats.
unleavened. For offering: quickly made.
ephah. See App-51.
a basket = the tray. Hebrew. sal, always connected with royalty, or sacrifice.
a pot = the pot.
Face to Face with the Angel of Jehovah
Jdg 6:19-27
Gideon realized the momentous character of that interview. He only wanted to be sure that it was no dream or fancy, and so hence the proposal of the flesh and broth. As the fire started forth at the Angels touch, he knew that the veil of the unseen world had been rent to send him direction and help. At first he was startled, and then the peace of God fell upon his soul. He heard the Voice that uttered a similar benediction in Dan 10:19 and Joh 20:26. The peace of God henceforth kept His heart and mind.
On Gideons side, God required an act of immediate obedience: the destruction-though they stood on his fathers property-of the hideous emblems of cruel and unclean rites and the substitution of an altar to the Lord. Ten of his household servants, beneath the spell of his personality, aided him in this heroic deed, which exposed him to disownment by his family and the forfeiture of his life by the townsfolk. God demands that we should love Him best, Luk 14:26-27; Luk 14:33. But when our heart is perfect toward Him, He shows Himself strong in our behalf, 2Ch 16:9.
and made: Dr. Shaw observes, “Besides a bowl of milk, and a basket of figs, raisins, or dates, which upon our arrival were presented to us, to stay our appetite, the master of the tent fetched us from his flock, according to the number of our company, a kid or a goat, a lamb or a sheep; half of which was immediately seethed by his wife, and served up with cucasoe; the rest was made kabab, i.e., cut to pieces and roasted, which we reserved for our breakfast or dinner next day.” May we not suppose, says Mr. Harmer, that Gideon presented some slight refreshment to the supposed prophet, according to the present Arab mode, and desired him to stay till he could provide something more substantial; that he immediately killed a kid, seethed a part of it, and when ready brought the stewed meat in a pot, with unleavened cakes of bread, which he had baked; and the other part, the kabab, in a basket for him to carry with him, for some after repast in his journey? Jdg 13:15-19, Gen 18:6-8
a kid: Heb. a kid of the goats
unleavened cakes: Lev 2:4
Reciprocal: Gen 19:3 – unleavened Jdg 13:19 – took
6:19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an {h} ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought [it] out unto him under the oak, and presented [it].
(h) Of Ephah, read Exo 16:36.
The Angel’s sign 6:19-24
The food Gideon offered his visitor was what a person would normally set before a guest one wished to honor in a special way in that culture. The Angel directed Gideon to place the food on the rock as a sacrifice on an altar. The Angel’s miracle convinced Gideon that He was God and that He would fulfill His promises to be with Gideon and to grant him victory. Perhaps Gideon remembered how God had consumed the sacrifice on the brazen altar similarly when the Israelites dedicated the tabernacle in the wilderness. If so, this memory might have encouraged him to believe that the same God who had delivered Israel then was still with His people and could deliver them again.
"The acceptance of the sacrifice was also a token of the acceptance of his person; it went to confirm the commission now given him, and to afford him every needed assurance of success." [Note: Bush, p. 88.]
This miracle strengthened Gideon’s faith greatly. In building an altar to Yahweh, Gideon acknowledged Him as his God.
"God had taught Gideon that it was not his inadequacy but God’s adequacy that really counted." [Note: Inrig, p. 95.]
God presented Himself to Gideon as the same God who had appeared to the patriarchs and had fulfilled His promises to them (cf. Genesis 18).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)