6:25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old. 1 Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 6:26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern. 2 Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.”
6:28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw 3 the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar.
1 tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar.
2 tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.
3 tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men.
4 tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause.