Judges 6:19-24

6:19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, ¹  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 ²  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, ³  and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. ⁴  6:21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. ⁵  Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The Lord’s messenger then disappeared. ⁶ 

6:22 When Gideon realized ⁷  that it was the Lord’s messenger, he ⁸  said, “Oh no! ⁹  Master, Lord! ¹⁰  I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!” 6:23 The Lord said to him, “You are safe! ¹¹  Do not be afraid! You are not going to die!” 6:24 Gideon built an altar for the Lord there, and named it “The Lord is on friendly terms with me.” ¹²  To this day it is still there in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

[6:19]  ¹ tn Heb “a kid from among the goats.”

[6:19]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”

[6:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he did so.”

[6:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “extended the tip of the staff which was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread.”

[6:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “went from his eyes.”

[6:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “saw.”

[6:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[6:22]  ⁹ tn Or “Ah!”

[6:22]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (’adonay yÿhvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15], Lord”).

[6:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “Peace to you.” For a similar use of this idiom to introduce a reassuring word, see Gen 43:23.

[6:24]  ¹² tn Heb “The Lord is peace.” Gideon’s name for the altar plays on the Lord’s reassuring words to him, “Peace to you.”