Judges 6:28

THEY DEMAND THE DEATH OF GIDEON

"And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son that he may die, because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the Ashera that was by it. And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye contend for Baal, or will ye save him? he that will contend for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one hath broken down his altar. Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying Let Baal contend against him, because he hath broken down his altar."

This is one of the great paragraphs of the O.T. Joash appears here as the head of the community of Ophrah, and the indignation of the citizens of that place over the destruction of Baal's altar suggests that Joash had gone along with the community in the matter of Baal-worship and that he actually had no confidence whatever in Baal as any kind of a deity.

When the irate citizens inquired as to who had done it, they quickly learned that it was Gideon. As Cundall said, "A secret known to ten men is no secret."[17]

When the citizens demanded that Gideon be put to death, Joash's answer was the ultimate in common sense:

"What nonsense is this? he says. You are contending for a so-called god. If he cannot help himself, how on earth could he be of any help to you? A god is supposed to save us, and here you are proposing to save Baal. Do you think that I will allow you to put Gideon to death? The answer is NO! If you want to put somebody to death, bring out the idiots who wish to contend for Baal and let's put them to death right this very minute!"

That reply, which I have paraphrased, certainly cooled off the citizens of Ophrah, and we hear no more of their wishing to put someone to death.

"Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, Let Baal contend against him, because he hath broken down his altar" (Judges 6:32). This is a plain declaration of God's Word that Joash gave Gideon a new name that very day, as proved by the words, `on that day.' We must therefore disagree with Boling who wrote that, "Gideon's Baal-name, of course, was given to him at birth,"[18] a view which was apparently also held by Bruce who explained Jerubbaal as merely, "The new significance"[19] of an old name, that is, a name given to Gideon at birth. If that is the truth, how did it happen that the only name ever heard of for this Biblical character is Gideon (until the events of this chapter which resulted in the new name)?

"On that day he called him Jerubbaal" (Judges 6:32). We are simply astonished at the various meanings assigned by reputable scholars to this name.

`May Baal give increase' ... Cundall (Tyndale's O.T. Commentary, p. 106).

`Let-Baal-Sue' ... (Boling, The Anchor Bible, p. 237).

`Let-Baal-strive' ... (Yates, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 246).

`Let-Baal-Plead' ... (Hervey, The Pulpit Commentary, p. 67).

`Let-Baal-Contend' ... (Bruce, The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 263)

`Baal founds' ... (J. G. G. Norman, The New Bible Dictionary, p. 468).

`Discomfiter of Baal' ... (Lockyer, All the Men of the Bible, p. 127).

`Adversary of Baal' ... (Moore, International Critical Commentary, p. 195).

`Baal Fighter' ... (C. F. Keil, Vol. 2, p. 338).

It is this writer's opinion that NONE of these names could possibly have been given to Gideon "at the time of his birth," by a father who was tolerating, and in some measure supporting, Baal-worship in Ophrah.

The `nickname' Jerubbaal, as Hervey noted, was something like `Coeur de Lion,' which was the `nickname' of England's King Richard.[20] This name appears later as Jerubbesheth (the equivalent of Jerubbosheth), thus using the word `shame' in the place of `Baal.' See 2Sam. 2:8,1 Chronicles 8:33. Another name compounded from the word `Baal' which underwent the same change is that of Eshbaal, which became Ishbosheth.