Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 6:20
And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay [them] upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
20. He is now told to set down the flesh and the cakes upon the rock, and to pour out the broth. The latter act was distinctly sacrificial, though broth is not used elsewhere for a libation. There is reason to think that this verse did not belong to the original form of the narrative; note the terms ‘messenger of God,’ ‘rock’ (a different word from ‘rock’ in Jdg 6:21). At the same time a sentence is required, in view of Jdg 6:21, stating that Gideon set down the meal.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Pour out the broth – Libations were a very ancient form of offering (compare Gen 35:14). The drink offerings of wine under the Levitical law were poured upon the altar Exo 30:9. The pouring of the broth upon the rock was evidently of the nature of a libation. It might also, like the water poured by Elijah upon his sacrifice, make the miracle of the fire that consumed the sacrifice more apparent. (Compare 1Ki 18:33.)
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 20. Take the flesh, &c.] The angel intended to make the flesh and bread an offering to God, and the broth a libation.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And the angel of God said unto him,…. Instead of sitting down and partaking of the entertainment made for him, he bid him do as follows:
take the flesh, and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock; not as a table to eat it from, but as an altar to offer it upon; and which rock and altar might be typical of Christ, who sanctities every gift, present, and offering of his people: this rock was undoubtedly in sight, and very probably the oak, under which they were, grew upon it, or at the bottom of it, where it was no unusual thing for oaks to grow,
Ge 35:8, but it was upon the top of the rock that these were to be laid, where afterwards an altar was built, Jud 6:26
and pour out the broth; upon the flesh and cakes, and upon the rock also, which by bringing from his house must have been cool and it became cooler by being poured out, and cooler still by being poured upon a cold rock:
and he did so; he readily obeyed his orders; though he had reason to wonder he should have so ordered the food he brought for his entertainment to be thus made use of; perhaps he might expect that he intended to give him a sign, as he desired, and therefore the more readily, without any objection, complied with his order.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(20) The angel of God.Here alone in the chapter called the angel of Elohim and not of Jehovah.
Upon this rock.Rather, upon yonder crag. The living rock (Exo. 20:22) served well as an altar.
Pour out the broth.Comp. Gen. 35:14; Exo. 30:9; 1Ki. 18:34. In the first of these instances the drink offering is used as a libation; in the last Elijah pours the sea-water on the sacrifice, to show the impossibility of any deception. In 2Ma. 1:20-36 Nehemiah pours the thick water, called Naphthai, on the sacrifice, and when the sun shone there was a great fire kindled, so that every man marvelled.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. Angel of God This expression is used here instead of Angel of Jehovah, as in Jdg 6:11. The reason for the change is not easy to explain. Cassel thinks it is because “the nature of the angel, as a divine being, here begins to declare itself,” and Elohim is used instead of Jehovah to indicate “how the angel in his individual appearance can contain in himself the power of God.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘ And the Angel of God said to him, “Take the flesh, and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock. and pour out the broth, and he did so.” ’
“Pour out the broth”. This was an immediate indication that sacrifice was involved (compare Lev 17:13). The broth was probably poured over the whole.
Note the variation, ‘the angel of God ’. The directions were given by ‘God’, so that it might be emphasised that the sacrifice would be received by God under His covenant name, Yahweh. The change from ‘God’ to Yahweh then emphasises the personal nature of the reception of the offering and is deliberate on the part of the writer.
Alternatively it has been suggested that the broth was poured into cup-like holes in the rock. Such were found in many places in rocks in Palestine and may have been part of earlier religious ritual. However the action in verse 21 suggests otherwise.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Observe the trials of faith. In pouring out the broth, and laying the flesh on the cold rock, would not both cool? And how then should both be fit for sacrifice? Is it not thus frequently done by the Lord to his servants, that against hope they may, by the influences of his Holy Spirit, believe in hope? Rom 4:18 . But what I more earnestly beg the Reader not to lose sight of, in this passage, is the rock. Surely, nothing, under a symbolical representation, could more plainly point to Jesus as the sole cause of the acceptance of all sacrifice, when we call to mind that Christ was the Rock that followed Israel through the whole of the eventful history of the Church in the wilderness. And, moreover, it was on this Rock that Jehovah manifested himself to Moses, when he desired to see the face of God, as a proof of his commission. Oh! how sweet, how very sweet is it, to behold in one and the same point of view, that Jesus is both the sacrifice, and the high priest, and the altar, from whence the holy fire issues in approbation, and on which all offerings are presented.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jdg 6:20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay [them] upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
Ver. 20. And lay them upon this rock. ] Christ is called the Rock, 1Co 10:4 and that is a good rule given by the apostle in Col 3:17 , – “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
God = Elohim. See note on Jdg 6:12, above.
this = you.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
lay them: Jdg 13:19
pour out: 1Ki 18:33, 1Ki 18:34
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jdg 6:20. Lay them upon this rock Undoubtedly it gave Gideon some surprise, to be commanded to dispose thus of the refreshments which he had so hospitably prepared; but as he had doubtless by this time conceived a high opinion of this unknown person, (though he had not discovered him to be an angel,) so he readily obeyed his command.