Judges 6:17-20

6:17 Gideon ¹  said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, ²  then give me ³  a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me. 6:18 Do not leave this place until I come back ⁴  with a gift ⁵  and present it to you.” The Lord said, “I will stay here until you come back.”

6:19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, ⁶  along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food ⁷  to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, ⁸  and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. ⁹ 

[6:17]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:17]  ² tn Heb “If I have found favor in your eyes.”

[6:17]  ³ tn Heb “perform for me.”

[6:18]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, “gift”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission. In some cases it is used of a gift offered to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. The word can also carry a sacrificial connotation.

[6:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “a kid from among the goats.”

[6:19]  ⁸ tn The words “the food” are not in the Hebrew text (an implied direct object). They are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.

[6:20]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”

[6:20]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and he did so.”