Midian prevails and Israel hides in dens and caves; the angel finds Gideon beating out wheat in the winepress: 'Hashem is with you, mighty man of valor.' The altar of Baal is broken by night, and the fleece is wet and dry.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Hashem; and Hashem delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
verse value 2862
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2862 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "the·evil" (הָרַ֖ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "in·hand·of·Midian" (בְּיַד־מִדְיָ֖ן). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "and·they·did" (root עשה, 87x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיַּעֲשׂ֧וּ [and·they·did] (392) + בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [sons·of·Israel] (603) + הָרַ֖ע [the·evil] (275) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·eyes·of] (142) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וַיִּתְּנֵ֧ם [and·he·gave·them] (506) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּיַד־מִדְיָ֖ן [in·hand·of·Midian] (120) + שֶׁ֥בַע [seven] (372) + שָׁנִֽים [years] (400) = 2862.
Rashi
"And they did evil." Up to this point it was stated, "And they added," implying that sin accumulated upon sin. But in this song, all that they had done was forgiven them, and now they begin to sin anew. This is expounded in the Aggadah of Tehillim (Midrash Tehillim 18:6):
Malbim
"And they did." In the first two instances, it is written "and they added to do evil," but now, in the days of Deborah, when they returned in complete repentance and began to sin anew, it is written "and they did." And our Sages of blessed memory said something similar to this: that through the song their sins were forgiven.
And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.
verse value 6525
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "they·did" (עָשׂ֥וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·dens" (אֶת־הַמִּנְהָרוֹת֙, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "hand·of·Midian" (יַד־מִדְיָ֖ן), "the·dens" (אֶת־הַמִּנְהָרוֹת֙), "in·the·mountains" (בֶּהָרִ֔ים). The root מדין appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "son" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 11 words. Full calculation: וַתָּ֥עׇז [and·was·strong] (483) + יַד־מִדְיָ֖ן [hand·of·Midian] (118) + עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [upon·Israel] (641) + מִפְּנֵ֨י [from·face·of] (180) + מִדְיָ֜ן [Midian] (104) + עָשׂ֥וּ [they·did] (376) + לָהֶ֣ם [to·them] (75) + בְּנֵ֣י [son] (62) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל [Israel] (541) + אֶת־הַמִּנְהָרוֹת֙ [the·dens] (1107) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + בֶּהָרִ֔ים [in·the·mountains] (257) + וְאֶת־הַמְּעָר֖וֹת [and·the·caves] (1128) + וְאֶת־הַמְּצָדֽוֹת [and·the·strongholds] (952) = 6525.
Rashi
The tunnels. (Targum:) Metamurita, and in the foreign language: Vodu"sh, and because they make a small light in a place that is not noticeable, they call them tunnels, Leiyishit"sh in the foreign language:
Caves. "Grotti" [grottoes] in Old French:
Mitzadot. "Palissedez" [palisades] in Old French, so called because they are made in the forests by felling the trees all around.
Radak
"The tunnels." Like caves, and they have a window above through which the light enters, and because of this they are called "tunnels":
The ramparts. Strong fortifications:
Metzudat David
“Because of Midian.” [This is to say that they] concealed themselves from them.
Metzudat Zion
And it was strong. From the word for strength and might:
"The refuges." The sense of light, as in (Job 3:4) "and let not light shine upon it," and they are caves that have a window through which daylight enters:
The strongholds. Strong fortresses, as in (II Samuel 5:7) 'the fortress of Zion':
Malbim
"And the hand of Midian prevailed." With each passing instance, their dominance increased until the Israelites were compelled to dig tunnels, etc.—caves through which light pierced via a small opening. And there are those who explain that these were torches they placed on the mountains to be lit when the enemy approached, in order to alert and save their property. Just as it is stated (Rosh Hashanah, chapter 2): "In the past, they would send out signal fires."
And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east; they came up against them;
verse value 1786
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·children·of·the·east" (וּבְנֵי־קֶ֖דֶם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "if·he·sowed" (אִם־זָרַ֣ע), "and·rise" (וְעָלָ֨ה). The root עלה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "upon·him" (root על, 87x in Judges). First appearance of the root קדם ("and·the·children·of·the·east") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֖ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + אִם־זָרַ֣ע [if·he·sowed] (318) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + וְעָלָ֨ה [and·rise] (111) + מִדְיָ֧ן [Midian] (104) + וַעֲמָלֵ֛ק [and·Amalek] (246) + וּבְנֵי־קֶ֖דֶם [and·the·children·of·the·east] (212) + וְעָל֥וּ [and·came·up] (112) + עָלָֽיו [upon·him] (116) = 1786.
Radak
"And it shall be, if [Israel] has sown..." – [this means] "as/when they sowed," like "And it was, when he came to his brother's wife" and "And when the Jubilee shall be for the children of Israel," and other similar [verses].
Metzudat David
“And it shall be, if seed.” This means: when the seed is sown and begins to sprout.
Metzudat Zion
If. When:
Malbim
The questions (3–5): Why is there repetition? "Midian would come up," "and they came up against him," "and they encamped against them," and so too all the matters that are doubled.
"And they went up upon it." This refers to the sowing, and likewise...
and they encamped against them, and destroyed the produce of the earth, till you come to Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
verse value 4158
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 67 letters. Verse gematria: 4158 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "strong" (עַזָּ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·left" (וְלֹֽא־יַשְׁאִ֤ירוּ, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "produce" (אֶת־יְב֣וּל), "until·you·come" (עַד־בּוֹאֲךָ֖), "strong" (עַזָּ֑ה). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges); "until·you·come" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "upon·them" (root על, 87x in Judges). First appearance of the root חנה ("and·they·encamped") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strong', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words.
Radak
"And they destroyed the produce of the land." The crops that were still in the grass stage before their maturation was complete, as well as the fruit trees—all of them they cut down and felled, leaving no means of sustenance.
"And a sheep, an ox, and a donkey." They [the Midianites] would drive them away [as plunder].
Metzudat David
“The yield of the land”: the grain crops.
“Until you come to Gaza.” From the beginning of the boundary until you arrive at Gaza, as though the text were speaking directly to a person who knows the location:
Metzudat Zion
Crops. The produce of the earth, as in (Psalms 67:7) 'the earth has given its produce':
Sustenance. The necessities of human life, as in (Genesis 45:5) 'God sent me ahead for preservation':
Malbim
"And they encamped against them." Against the people themselves, and it is explained that by rising against the sowing they would destroy the produce of the land. And by encamping against them they would not leave them any means of livelihood, etc.
For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land to destroy it.
verse value 2794
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 73 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֡י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·their·camels" (וְלִגְמַלֵּיהֶ֖ם, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·their·flocks" (וּמִקְנֵיהֶ֨ם), "they·will·go·up" (יַֽעֲל֜וּ), "and·their·tents" (וְאׇהֳלֵיהֶ֗ם). The root בוא appears 3 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "they·will·go·in" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "they·will·go·up" (root עלה, 78x in Judges); "abundance" (root הם, 74x in Judges). First appearance of the root רב ("to·abundance") in Judges. First appearance of the root גמל ("and·to·their·camels") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'number', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Rashi
They and their livestock. To graze on the grain:
Metzudat Zion
As a locust. Like a locust, and the word 'di' indicates a sense of multitude:
Malbim
“For they and their livestock will come up.” [This refers] to the crops, and “their tents will come” [refers] to the people themselves. And for both of them, whether for the people or for their camels, there is no number, for the essence of their coming was for destruction.
And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried to Hashem.
verse value 1779
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "very" (מְאֹ֖ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·hung" (וַיִּדַּ֧ל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges); "Israel" (root ישראל, 114x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Midian', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּדַּ֧ל [and·hung] (50) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל [Israel] (541) + מְאֹ֖ד [very] (45) + מִפְּנֵ֣י [from·face·of] (180) + מִדְיָ֑ן [Midian] (104) + וַיִּזְעֲק֥וּ [and·cried] (199) + בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [sons·of·Israel] (603) + אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה [to·Hashem] (57) = 1779.
Metzudat Zion
And they were impoverished. From the word for poor and needy:
And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried to Hashem because of Midian,
verse value 1519
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֖ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Israel" (בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "when·they·cried" (כִּֽי־זָעֲק֥וּ), "account·of" (אֹד֥וֹת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "and·it·was" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "sons·of·Israel" (root בן, 116x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֕י [and·it·was] (31) + כִּֽי־זָעֲק֥וּ [when·they·cried] (213) + בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [sons·of·Israel] (603) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֑ה [to·Hashem] (57) + עַ֖ל [upon] (100) + אֹד֥וֹת [account·of] (411) + מִדְיָֽן [Midian] (104) = 1519.
Metzudat Zion
"Odot [concerning]." Its Targum: "matter" [affair]:
Malbim
"And it came to pass when they cried out concerning Midian." They did not cry out over their sins, but rather they complained about the evil [afflicting them], and they did not recognize that the punishment had come as a result of their sin; therefore, He sent a prophet to admonish them.
that Hashem sent a prophet to the children of Israel; and he said to them: ‘Thus says Hashem, the God of Israel: I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
verse value 5233
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 90 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֥ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "I·brought·up" (הֶעֱלֵ֤יתִי, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 541: Israel, Israel. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "prophet" (נָבִ֖יא), "thus·says" (כֹּה־אָמַ֥ר), "I·brought·up" (הֶעֱלֵ֤יתִי). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 14 words.
Rashi
“A man, a prophet” – this refers to the prophet Pinchas, as stated in Seder Olam (Chapter 2):
Radak
"A man, a prophet." It is explained in Seder Olam that this refers to Pinchas, and he came to rebuke them and to inform them that what had happened to them occurred because of their sin.
Ralbag
And one ought to ask: since this prophet was alive, how did he not rebuke Israel all his days? And why was the prophecy of Devorah needed? And it seems that the answer to this difficulty is that he was not prophesying except at rare intervals, and there was not in him the strength by which to lead the people. And for this too you will find this place, that he needed to appoint Gideon for the action of the war of Midian. And it is possible that just as Eliyahu was sometimes seen and sometimes hidden, when the Spirit of the Lord would lift him to a distant place, so was the matter with Pinchas. And for this cause he did not serve as High Priest all his days, but his sons and his sons' sons and his sons' sons' sons served for many generations, and he was still alive, as will be clarified in the book of Chronicles. And this is because he was alive in the days of David, as it says, 'Pinchas son of Eleazar son of Aharon the priest was their leader; in former times the Lord was with him.' And no one else in the lineage of Aharon is afterward found who is called Pinchas son of Eleazar son of Aharon, as is clarified there in the book of their genealogies.
Malbim
“A man, a prophet.” Since afterward an angel was sent, he is called “a man” here, as it says: “Thus says the Lord: Your hands have done evil to you,” and it explains—
a) "I am the One who brought you up from Egypt by signs and wonders, so that through this you would recognize My greatness and My power, and fear the awe of exaltedness."
b) “And I brought you out from the house of bondage.” You should have recognized this kindness, and also known that you are My servants.
c) “And I delivered you”—you should have known that you still need Me,
d) “And I will drive them out from before you.” If so, you should not have acted like them, since it was for this reason that they were driven out from before you; yet, despite all this, “you did not listen to My voice.”
and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land.
verse value 3811
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "from·hand·of" (מִיַּ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·who·oppressed·you" (כׇּל־לֹחֲצֵיכֶ֑ם, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·I·delivered" (וָאַצִּ֤ל), "and·from·hand·of" (וּמִיַּ֖ד), "all·who·oppressed·you" (כׇּל־לֹחֲצֵיכֶ֑ם). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·hand·of" (root יד, 75x in Judges); "and·I·gave" (root נתן, 69x in Judges); "land" (root ארץ, 56x in Judges). First appearance of the root נצל ("and·I·delivered") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·who·oppressed·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וָאַצִּ֤ל [and·I·delivered] (127) + אֶתְכֶם֙ [you] (461) + מִיַּ֣ד [from·hand·of] (54) + מִצְרַ֔יִם [Egypt] (380) + וּמִיַּ֖ד [and·from·hand·of] (60) + כׇּל־לֹחֲצֵיכֶ֑ם [all·who·oppressed·you] (248) + וָאֲגָרֵ֤שׁ [and·I·drove·out] (510) + אוֹתָם֙ [them] (447) + מִפְּנֵיכֶ֔ם [from·your·face] (240) + וָאֶתְּנָ֥ה [and·I·gave] (462) + לָכֶ֖ם [to·you] (90) + אֶת־אַרְצָֽם [land] (732) = 3811.
Radak
"And I will drive them out." The sense of this phrase is connected to the word "your oppressors," not to the word "Egypt." And the oppressors are Sihon and Og, who did not allow them to pass, and they went out to meet them in battle. Likewise, the Canaanite, king of Arad, and likewise the kings of Canaan, thought to oppress them.
Metzudat David
"All your oppressors." They are the kings of Canaan, who oppressed you by waging war against you.
And I said to you: I am Hashem your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but you have not hearkened to My voice.’
verse value 4564
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·God" (אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֔ם, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·I·said" (וָאֹמְרָ֣ה), "your·God" (אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֔ם), "you·will·fear" (תִֽירְאוּ֙). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·their·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Metzudat David
"And you did not heed My voice." This is to say, for this reason has the evil come upon you:
And the angel of Hashem came, and sat under the terebinth which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite; and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
verse value 4441
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "under" (תַּ֤חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Gideon" (וְגִדְע֣וֹן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·Joash" (לְיוֹאָ֖שׁ), "beating" (חֹבֵ֤ט), "wheat" (חִטִּים֙). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "his·son" (root בן, 116x in Judges). First appearance of the root עפרה ("in·Ophrah") in Judges. First appearance of the root יואש ("to·Joash") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Abiezrite', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 8 words.
Rashi
Avi HaEzri. From the sons of Aviezer, son of Gilead, son of Manasseh:
And Gideon his son. His father was a thresher, and he was a winnower. He said to him: “Father, you are old, and if the Midianites come, you will not be able to flee. You go, and I will thresh.”
"In the winepress." In the beams of the oil press.
Radak
"And he sat under the terebinth." This does not mean that he was actually sitting, for angels are not seen in a sitting posture but only in a standing one, as it is written, "And the angel of the Lord was standing," and "And behold, a man was standing before him." Rather, it means that he remained there under the terebinth until Gideon would turn to him. And when Gideon did not turn to him, he appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you." Similarly, the phrase "I will sit until you return" uses the language of remaining or lingering. Likewise, "Happy are those who dwell in Your house," and similar verses. This angel, who remained there and did not appear to him at the beginning of his arrival, is a parable that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is found by Israel at all times if they turn to Him and call upon Him in truth. And in the Midrash: he remained there until he found merit for him, and only afterward did he appear to him. They said: his father Joash was threshing wheat. Gideon said to him, "My father, you are old; go into the house, and I will do the threshing, so that if the Midianites come, you will not have the strength to flee." The angel said, "You have fulfilled the commandment of honor, and you are worthy that My children be redeemed through your hand." Immediately, "The angel of the Lord appeared to him," etc. Gideon said to him, "If the Lord is with us, etc." [meaning:] Yesterday we recited the Hallel, and my father was reading to me [the portion] "When Israel went out of Egypt." If our fathers were righteous, act for us on account of their merit; and if they were wicked, just as You performed a miracle for them, so perform a miracle for us. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said, "As you live, thus you have taught a defense for My children. You are worthy that I speak with you." Immediately, "The Lord turned to him" and said, "Go, in this strength of yours"—this means in the strength of the merit you taught in pleading a defense for My children. And this Midrash is correct, for it gives a reason for the angel's delay and for what is said, "He turned to him."
“Which is in Ephrah, which belongs to Joash.” Likewise, “which is in Ephrah of Abiezer,” because there is another city named Ephrah in the territory of Benjamin, as it is written in the Book of Joshua: “And the Avvim, and Parah, and Ephrah.”
"Beating wheat." This is like "threshing," except that threshing is done with animals, whereas beating is done with a stick. Similarly, "when you beat out your olives" (Deuteronomy 24:20) indicates beating the olive tree with a stick to cause the olives to fall.
“Gath.” Gath was the name of a place where they trod out grapes; in that very gath he threshed the wheat. And so did Jonathan render it: “In the winepress.”
Ralbag
And the angel of the Lord came. It is the prophet who was mentioned, for the prophet is called the angel of the Lord, as it says, 'and Haggai came, the angel of the Lord.' And therefore he appeared to Gideon while awake, using his senses in their custom. And indeed the prophet remained there until he appeared to Gideon, and said to him that the Lord commanded him. And indeed he called him a mighty warrior, for so he was, as Zevach and Tzalmunna said to him, 'arise, you, and strike us, for as a man is his strength.' And Gideon distanced himself from the Lord being with him, to see the lowliness of Israel and that the Lord had abandoned them into the hand of Midian.
Metzudat David
"Which belonged to Joash." The terebinth belonged to Joash, who was among the sons of Abiezer, from the tribe of Manasseh.
"To rescue it." This means: to smuggle it away and to hide it.
Metzudat Zion
The terebinth. The name of a certain tree:
Threshed. The sense of threshing with a stick, as in (Isaiah 28:27) 'with a staff, black cumin is threshed':
A winepress. The place where grapes are trodden is called a winepress:
To hide [it]. To smuggle [it] away:
Malbim
"And the angel of the Lord came." After the prophet had reproved them, the angel of the Lord came to save them, as it is stated: "In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His countenance saved them."
“Which belonged to Joash.” This means to say, the terebinth that belonged to Joash. And one could say, “Ophrah which belonged to Joash,” because there was another Ophrah in the territory of Benjamin (Joshua 18:23). And Gideon, his son, [received] the abundant divine blessing, which does not fall except upon those prepared for it, and upon one who is partially prepared for it, the blessing of God falls to a great extent. Now, here he needed: a) a certain merit, by means of which they would assist him to attain great merit, like the matter of one who comes to purify; b) strength, in a manner that the spirit of God, power and might for war, would fall upon him. And Gideon had the merit of his father’s honor, concerning which it is said, “And Gideon, the son of Joash, threshed”; also strength, in that he was preparing himself to hide the wheat from the Midianites, and therefore he perceived in himself strength for war.
And the angel of Hashem appeared to him, and said to him: ‘Hashem is with you, you mighty man of valour.’
verse value 1105
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 1105 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "with" (עִמְּךָ֖, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמֶר, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 47: to·him, to·him. The root אל appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּרָ֥א [and·appeared] (217) + אֵלָ֖יו [to·him] (47) + מַלְאַ֣ךְ [messenger] (91) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלָ֔יו [to·him] (47) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + עִמְּךָ֖ [with] (130) + גִּבּ֥וֹר [a·mighty·man] (211) + הֶחָֽיִל [strength] (53) = 1105.
Rashi
"The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor." He has granted you such strength.
Radak
“Mighty warrior.” He called him by this name to give him good tidings and to strengthen him, so that he would prevail and defeat Midian; and so it says to him, “Go in this strength of yours” (Judges 6:14).
Metzudat Zion
The strength. The sense of might:
Malbim
"And He appeared to him." With this power did the angel appear to him and inform him that God is with him, and that he is a mighty warrior, for He will bestow upon him merit and holiness, as well as might, in great abundance.
And Gideon said to him: ‘Oh, my lord, if Hashem be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all His wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying: Did not Hashem bring us up from Egypt? but now Hashem has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.’
verse value 6769
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 124 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "if it please" (בִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·His·wonders" (כׇֽל־נִפְלְאֹתָ֡יו, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem, Hashem. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·there·is" (וְיֵ֤שׁ), "found·us" (מְצָאַ֖תְנוּ), "all·this" (כׇּל־זֹ֑את). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). First appearance of the root בי ("if it please") in Judges. First appearance of the root עתה ("now") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·this', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 15 words.
Rashi
"And the Lord is with us." And if the Lord is with us, why has all this befallen us, etc.?
"Which our fathers related to us." It was Passover. He said to him: "Last night my father recited the Hallel, and I heard him saying (Psalms 114:1): 'When Israel went out of Egypt.' And now He has abandoned us. If our fathers were righteous, let Him do for us on their merit. And if they were wicked, just as He performed His wonders for them without cause, so too should He do for us. Where, then, are all His wonders?"
Metzudat David
"Please, my lord." He asked Him to respond to his words, and he said to Him, "And if it is true that the Lord is with us, why then has evil found us? 'And where are all His wonders?'" As if they had all ceased.
And now He has forsaken us. And how, then, can you say that the Lord is with me?
Metzudat Zion
Bi. The sense of a request:
It found us. It found us:
He forsook us. He abandoned us:
Malbim
“And the Lord is with us.” Gideon reasoned that the cause of the evil that had befallen them was the concealment of the Divine Countenance, that He had abandoned them to chance, as it is stated, “And he will say on that day, ‘Is it not because my God is not in my midst that these evils have found me?’” And this is what he meant when he said, “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?”—for this implies that everything occurs by chance.
“And where are all His wonders?” Were they not performed above the course of nature at the time He watched over us?
Which our fathers related to us. For now we have not seen our signs, and where are these wonders? This indicates that He has abandoned us. And if you were to say that this is due to the wickedness of our deeds, did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? At that time, too, we were sunk in the impurity of Egypt. And if He brought us up then, even though we were not yet His, how is it that now, since He has already chosen us as a people, the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian? And this indicates that He does not watch over us.
And Hashem turned towards him, and said: ‘Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian; have not I sent you?’
verse value 3365
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֚ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: go, in·your·strength. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "in·your·strength" (בְּכֹחֲךָ֣), "and·save" (וְהוֹשַׁעְתָּ֥), "from·ladle·of" (מִכַּ֣ף). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "go" (root הלך, 109x in Judges). First appearance of the root פנה ("and·turned") in Judges. First appearance of the root כח ("in·your·strength") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Midian', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיִּ֤פֶן [and·turned] (146) + אֵלָיו֙ [to·him] (47) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לֵ֚ךְ [go] (50) + בְּכֹחֲךָ֣ [in·your·strength] (50) + זֶ֔ה [this] (12) + וְהוֹשַׁעְתָּ֥ [and·save] (787) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (942) + מִכַּ֣ף [from·ladle·of] (140) + מִדְיָ֑ן [Midian] (104) + הֲלֹ֖א [not] (36) + שְׁלַחְתִּֽיךָ [I·sent·you] (768) = 3365.
Rashi
"And He turned toward him." The Holy One, blessed be He, Himself.
"In this strength of yours." Through the power of this merit, that you learned to plead the defense of My children. Thus Rabbi Tanḥuma expounded (Midrash Tanḥuma, Shoftim 4).
Radak
“And the Lord turned to him.” The explanation is that He turned to him, clothed him with strength, and said to him, “Go in your might.” This is the meaning of “in your might,” namely, the strength that He added to him, in the manner of “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah,” whose Targumic translation is “a spirit of strength from before the Lord,” and “And the hand of the Lord was with Elijah,” [meaning] a spirit of strength from before the Lord.
"Have I not sent you?" This word comes to strengthen the commandment. Similarly: "Have you not heard, my daughter?" and "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous."
Ralbag
And the Lord turned to him. It is the angel of the Lord who was mentioned, and it is like 'and the Lord said to her,' of which our Masters said that this was already through Shem. And indeed he spoke his words as if the Lord were speaking, for the prophet speaks in the name of his sender. And it is possible to say that this matter was in a prophetic vision, but we did not agree to interpret this by way of prophecy in this manner, for the beginning of the narrative indicates that this narrative was while awake. And it does not appear to us that we should place Gideon's degree in prophecy in this manner, meaning that prophecy came to him while awake. And furthermore, it is not the way of a prophet to whom prophecy came many times that he should ask a sign from the Lord to establish for him his promise, as we find Gideon after this saying, 'If You will deliver Israel by my hand,' etc. And this is very clear to one who knows the matter of prophecy. And indeed the prophet said to him, 'go in your strength.' This seems that a new strength was renewed for Gideon from then, added to the strength that he had before this, similar to what was said to Sha'ul, that a different heart would be renewed for him, and in a manner similar to this it is mentioned concerning David after his anointing as king through Shmuel. And it seems that his father was the commander of the thousand, from what Gideon said, 'behold, my clan is the weakest in Menashe.' And for this reason Joash had the power to contend for him, 'he who contends for him will be put to death by morning.'
Metzudat David
"The Lord." He means to say: the angel of the Lord.
"With this strength of yours." He means to say: by means of this merit, namely, the advocacy you argued on behalf of Israel, you will be able to save them.
"Have I not sent you?" – so carry out the mission.
Metzudat Zion
Did not. The particle used to indicate urgency:
Malbim
Questions (14): Why did it say, "And the Lord turned unto him," and not say that the angel who had spoken with him until now turned unto him?
"And the LORD turned to him." Until now, the angel had spoken with him, but now the Lord turned to him with prophetic speech (for the angel is a medium to Him, and he comes first to appear before the word of the Lord is revealed, as was the case when Joshua was at Jericho). And He said, "Go in this strength of yours" — he meant: whether this refers to the strength found in him for might, as he said concerning what was said [6:11] about hiding from Midian, that He poured forth abundant flow upon this power until it sufficed to save Israel; or whether it refers to the power of argument, for after seeing that he was arguing for the withdrawal of providence from Israel, this is a sign that this matter agitates his heart, and he is prepared for their salvation.
And he said to him: ‘Oh, my lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’
verse value 3263
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "my·father" (אָבִֽי) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 3263 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "if it please" (בִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 47: to·him, what. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "low" (הַדַּ֣ל), "in·Manasseh" (בִּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה), "little" (הַצָּעִ֖יר). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges); "in·the·house·of" (root בית, 88x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Behold, my thousand." The thousand in which I am counted, to be under the captain of the thousand, is the poorest of all the thousands of Manasseh.
Radak
“Please, my lord, how shall I deliver [Israel]?” This is an ordinary [non-sacred] term, for Gideon still did not know that it was the angel of the Lord. And so he said to him at first, “bi adoni,” with a hirik under the nun, and here it is vocalized with a kamats because of the zakef. And he addressed him in the plural, for such is the custom with this word, like “your lord” (adonecha) and “his lord” (adonav), except when speaking of oneself, so that it not be confused with the honored Name; but this word alone comes in the plural for a singular referent when speaking of oneself. And Jonathan rendered it [with] the sacred Name, saying to Him, “bevau Hashem” [I beseech You, O Lord]. And according to his view, Gideon said this in reference to the Holy One, blessed be He, and not in reference to the angel, for he still did not know that he was an angel.
“My clans (alfi).” The clan [eleph] to which my father’s house belongs is the humblest among the clans of Manasseh. And Jonathan translated it: “my clan is the least in the tribe of Manasseh.” And some explain “alfi” as similar to “avi” [my father], like the word “alluph,” whose meaning is chief and lord.
Metzudat David
"My thousand." The thousand into which my father's house is counted is the worst of them all, and I am the youngest in my father's house; who will listen to me to follow after me?
Malbim
"In what way shall I save Israel?" He first reasoned that the salvation would come through natural means, since the command had been given through an angel, which indicates a war waged by natural means, as it is stated, "Behold, I am sending an angel before you" (Exodus 23:20), and as stated there. And he said: what would be the means for this? If through a multitude of people — behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh. And if that Israel would listen to my voice — I am the youngest in my father's house!
And Hashem said to him: ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man.’
verse value 1801
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "Midian" (אֶת־מִדְיָ֖ן, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·you·shall·strike" (וְהִכִּיתָ֥). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "as·man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלָיו֙ [to·him] (47) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + אֶהְיֶ֖ה [I·will·be] (21) + עִמָּ֑ךְ [with] (130) + וְהִכִּיתָ֥ [and·you·shall·strike] (441) + אֶת־מִדְיָ֖ן [Midian] (505) + כְּאִ֥ישׁ [as·man] (331) + אֶחָֽד [one] (13) = 1801.
Radak
“‘For I will be with you.’ He said to him, ‘In the name of the Lord, I will be with you.’ Therefore, Gideon said to him, ‘If so, that you are a prophet of God and you come in His commission, perform for me a sign that you speak with me in the name of the Lord.’ And the sign that He performed for him was the fire that went up from the rock. And what is meant by ‘And the Lord said to him’—the angel called in the name of the Lord, as it is written regarding the angel who appeared to Joshua: ‘And the Lord said to Joshua.’”
Metzudat David
"For I will be with you. And all will listen to you:"
"Like a single man." This means: swiftly and with ease.
Malbim
And He said to him, "I will be with you." And the salvation would be miraculous, not through the multitude of might, but you shall strike Midian as if it were a single man.
And he said to him: ‘If now I have found favour in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you that talk with me.
verse value 3462
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "favour" (חֵ֖ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·your·eyes" (בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "if·please" (אִם־נָ֛א), "I·have·found" (מָצָ֥אתִי), "favour" (חֵ֖ן). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges); "and·you·shall·make" (root עשה, 87x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלָ֔יו [to·him] (47) + אִם־נָ֛א [if·please] (92) + מָצָ֥אתִי [I·have·found] (541) + חֵ֖ן [favour] (58) + בְּעֵינֶ֑יךָ [in·your·eyes] (162) + וְעָשִׂ֤יתָ [and·you·shall·make] (786) + לִּי֙ [to·me] (40) + א֔וֹת [sign] (407) + שָׁאַתָּ֖ה [that·you] (706) + מְדַבֵּ֥ר [speaking] (246) + עִמִּֽי [with·me] (120) = 3462.
Rashi
"You who are." Just as it says, "You who are":
Radak
“that You speak with me.” Just as the shin in “that You” is with a segol, similar to “until I arose, Deborah,” where the shin is with a patach in place of the segol, and the shin in “that You” is given a kamats to lengthen over the aleph, and its interpretation is: “that You speak with me in the Name of the Lord.”
Metzudat David
"A sign." What sign and wonder, to know that you are an angel of the Lord speaking with me, for he was not accustomed to prophecy and thought perhaps this was not prophecy.
Malbim
The Questions (17): The sign was required to demonstrate that He would fulfill His promise to save them, not to prove that He was speaking with him, for which no sign was needed. And how could a sign be provided through the bringing of an offering?
And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in Your eyes, do for me a sign that You are speaking with me.” There are two matters to be said regarding this: 1) After he was in doubt whether the speech was from God Himself directly, without an intermediary—which indicates a miraculous salvation that does not require a large army or military might, for there is no restraint upon God to save through many or through few—or whether the matter was through the agency of an angel, in which case the salvation would also be through his agency, indicating salvation through natural means, through a large populace and warfare. This is what he meant by “If now I have found favor in Your eyes,” for the fact that God Himself will go in their midst without an intermediary indicates the presence of favor, as it is stated, “If I have found favor in Your eyes, let God go in our midst.” And how, then, will he know that he has found favor in Your eyes? Only by Your going with us. Therefore, I request a sign regarding this, so that I may know that You are speaking with me directly, without an intermediary (for there is an angel who is merely an intermediary, a messenger from God, and there is one in whom the upper manifestation itself is clothed). And this sign will be through the offering: if he is merely a messenger performing God’s tasks and his Master is not with him, he will not accept a burnt offering and a meal offering, for “He who sacrifices to gods other than the Lord alone shall be utterly destroyed.” As it was said by the angel of the Lord to Manoah, “If you make a burnt offering to the Lord, offer it.” In that case, he would either refuse to accept it, or he would eat it, as the angels of Abraham did, but he would not allow them to sacrifice an offering to him. But if he accepts this offering from his hand, that is the sign and wonder that God dwells within him. 2) The second matter is that even though Gideon knew that God Himself was speaking with him, he requested a sign from another perspective. For there is a difference between speech that comes from God to the prophet in the manner of a commission, and speech that comes from God to individuals. The promises that came through a prophet for good, God will not revoke in any way, even if the condition of the people changes and their deeds worsen, as the prophet said, “If the prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, and the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is a thing which the Lord has not spoken.” However, good promises that came to individuals not in the manner of a commission may be imagined to change for the worse if the recipient of the good worsens his deeds.
And just as the Rambam stated, even regarding God’s speech to individuals, if that speech is accompanied by any sign or miracle, it shall not be altered in any way. This was the matter of the sign that came in the Covenant Between the Parts, and similar instances, whereby the matter shall not be changed again.
And as the Ramban stated in several places: This is what is meant by "And you shall make for Me a sign that You speak with me." He intends to say: After You speak with me alone, and I am not an envoy to the people, it might be imagined that the matter could change due to the evil deeds [of the people], as it is said regarding Jacob's fear that sin might cause [the promise to be revoked] (Berakhot 4a). Therefore, I request a sign through which the matter will be compelled to come about in any case. And the sign was that He accepted the offering from him in a miraculous manner, through fire. This is what is meant by "Please do not withdraw from this," etc.
Depart not hence, I pray you, until I come to you, and bring forth my present, and lay it before you.’ And he said: ‘I will tarry until you come back.’
verse value 4155
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֥ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "gift" (אֶת־מִנְחָתִ֔י, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "please·not" (אַל־נָ֨א), "let·you·feel" (תָמֻ֤שׁ), "from·here" (מִזֶּה֙). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "please·not" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "before·I·came" (root בוא, 93x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·your·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: אַל־נָ֨א [please·not] (82) + תָמֻ֤שׁ [let·you·feel] (740) + מִזֶּה֙ [from·here] (52) + עַד־בֹּאִ֣י [before·I·came] (87) + אֵלֶ֔יךָ [to·you] (61) + וְהֹֽצֵאתִי֙ [and·I·will·bring·out] (512) + אֶת־מִנְחָתִ֔י [gift] (909) + וְהִנַּחְתִּ֖י [and·I·will·lay] (479) + לְפָנֶ֑יךָ [to·your·face] (190) + וַיֹּאמַ֕ר [and·he·said] (257) + אָנֹכִ֥י [I] (81) + אֵשֵׁ֖ב [I·will·sit] (303) + עַ֥ד [until] (74) + שׁוּבֶֽךָ [your·return] (328) = 4155.
Ralbag
Please do not depart from here until I come to you. This too is proof that this matter was while awake, like the matter that appeared to Manoach and his wife, as we are destined to clarify there, God willing. And indeed Gideon asked a sign, that he would recognize from it that he came in the mission of the Lord, so that he could rely on his words.
Metzudat David
“And I will place before you.” And make for Me a sign in it.
Metzudat Zion
Depart. The sense of removal, as in (Joshua 1:8) 'the book of the Torah shall not depart':
And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal; the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the terebinth, and presented it.
verse value 5330
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. Verse gematria: 5330 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֗א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·ephah·of·flour" (וְאֵיפַת־קֶ֣מַח, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: thered, thered. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "a·kid·of·goats" (גְּדִֽי־עִזִּים֙), "and·ephah·of·flour" (וְאֵיפַת־קֶ֣מַח), "unleavened·bread" (מַצּ֔וֹת). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the under part" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "went·in" (root בוא, 93x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges). First appearance of the root גדי ("a·kid·of·goats") in Judges. First appearance of the root בשר ("flesh") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·a·pot', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Rashi
"Flour of unleavened bread." We learned that it was Passover, the day of the waving of the Omer; therefore it states below (7:13): "And behold, a cake of barley bread was tumbling," etc.
And the broth. And the sauce:
Radak
And the broth. The water in which the meat is cooked is called “broth” because through it the meat is rinsed clean, along with what comes out of it. And it turns out that [among instances of] the word “broth,” half have a qamats and half have a patach in some precise manuscripts, and this is not according to the rule for nouns of this pattern. And I saw in the Machberet of Ben Asher that he lists it among the words vocalized with qamats.
In the word *perur*. It is well known that a copper pot is used for cooking meat.
“Unto under the terebinth.” Jonathan rendered it: “unto under the tree.”
Metzudat David
He entered the house:
And he made. This means: he prepared and cooked.
"And he brought [it] near." He brought near to Him this offering:
Metzudat Zion
And an ephah. A measure of three se'ah:
In a basket. The name of a certain vessel:
And the broth. The liquid, as in (Isaiah 65:4) 'and the broth of abominable things':
In a pot. It is a copper pot, similar to a kettle, and so too (Numbers 11:8) 'and they cooked it in the pot':
Malbim
And Gideon came and prepared a kid of the goats, etc. After we explained, according to the first interpretation, that Gideon was in doubt whether he should accept it as a burnt-offering to God, or eat it as Abraham's angels did, he therefore prepared a kid of the goats, which was fit both for offering up and for eating; and likewise he prepared broth in a pot and meat in a basket, which was fit both for offering up and for eating. And he brought it out to him, under the terebinth, to see what he would do with it.
And the angel of God said to him: ‘Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And he did so.
verse value 4371
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "take" (קַ֣ח, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·unleavened" (וְאֶת־הַמַּצּוֹת֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: messenger, God. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·lay" (וְהַנַּח֙), "to·the·rock" (אֶל־הַסֶּ֣לַע), "this" (הַלָּ֔ז). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "to·the·rock" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "to·him" (root אל, 89x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'pour', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלָ֜יו [to·him] (47) + מַלְאַ֣ךְ [messenger] (91) + הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים [God] (91) + קַ֣ח [take] (108) + אֶת־הַבָּשָׂ֤ר [the·flesh] (908) + וְאֶת־הַמַּצּוֹת֙ [and·unleavened] (948) + וְהַנַּח֙ [and·lay] (69) + אֶל־הַסֶּ֣לַע [to·the·rock] (196) + הַלָּ֔ז [this] (42) + וְאֶת־הַמָּרַ֖ק [and·the·broth] (752) + שְׁפ֑וֹךְ [pour] (406) + וַיַּ֖עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + כֵּֽן [so] (70) = 4371.
Metzudat David
"That." [Which] was before them:
"Pour out." Upon the rock:
Metzudat Zion
This. This one, as in (Genesis 24:65) 'who is that man?':
Malbim
Questions (20–21): Why does he initially call him by the name "Angel of God" and subsequently by the name "Angel of the Lord"?
And the angel of God said to him, etc., and 'the angel of the LORD put forth the tip of the staff.' We have already explained that it was impossible for the angel to accept a sacrifice, for 'whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord alone shall be utterly destroyed.' Only if the Lord Himself dwells within him, and the sacrifice is to the Lord alone, [is it acceptable]. Therefore, the speech and the command were given through an intermediary angel; but when he put forth the tip of the staff to receive the sacrifice, it was necessarily the Lord Himself who dwelt within him and accepted the sacrifice. Hence, in this instance, he is not called "the angel of God" — for "whoever sacrifices to any god [other than the Lord] shall be utterly destroyed" — but rather "the angel of the LORD."
Then the angel of Hashem put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of Hashem departed out of his sight.
verse value 7472
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 95 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·unleavened" (וְאֶת־הַמַּצּ֔וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "end" (אֶת־קְצֵ֤ה), "support" (הַמִּשְׁעֶ֙נֶת֙), "and·touched" (וַיִּגַּ֥ע). The root מלאך appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "went" (root הלך, 109x in Judges). First appearance of the root קצה ("end") in Judges. First appearance of the root נגע ("and·touched") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unleavened·bread', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 10 words.
Ralbag
And indeed this sign was that when the angel of the Lord sent forth the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread, fire went up from the rock. And this is similar to the miracle that Eliyahu gave on Mount Carmel. And the actions of this prophet are similar in some respect to the actions of Eliyahu, and this is from what strengthens the saying of one who says Pinchas is Eliyahu. And when Gideon saw that it was the angel of the Lord, he feared for his life, thinking that he had already seen with his eyes the spiritual existence. And it was already well known that when this occurs, death follows after it. And this appears from the saying of Gideon and the saying of Manoach and the saying of Yaakov, 'I have seen God face to face, and my life was delivered,' indicating that this matter is wondrous, that the soul of the one who sees the spiritual existence is delivered. And it says in the Torah, 'and upon the princes of the sons of Israel He did not lay His hand, and they saw God,' indicating that they were worthy that He should lay His hand upon them because of their seeing God.
Metzudat David
"He went out of his sight." This means that he no longer saw him.
Metzudat Zion
The support. The staff upon which one leans:
The rock. The crag:
And consumed. And burned:
And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Hashem; and Gideon said: ‘Alas, O Lord Hashem! forasmuch as I have seen the angel of Hashem face to face.’
verse value 2330
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "he" (ה֑וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·messenger" (כִּֽי־מַלְאַ֥ךְ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 133: Gideon, Gideon. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "inasmuch·as" (כִּֽי־עַל־כֵּ֤ן), "face" (פָּנִ֖ים), "to·face" (אֶל־פָּנִֽים). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "he" (root הוא, 71x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Rashi
Ahah. A term denoting anxiety, meaning: "What will befall me?"
"for therefore I have seen." For because I have seen the angel of the Lord, therefore I am troubled and cry out, "Ah!"
Metzudat David
"For [it was] an angel of the LORD." For until now he had been in doubt about the matter, and therefore he asked for a sign:
"Ah, O Lord!" This means: O You, Lord, I cry out, for my heart is afraid because of what I saw: an angel, his face opposite my face.
Metzudat Zion
Ah [a cry]. The sense of a cry of wailing:
Therefore. Because:
Malbim
And Gideon saw that it was the angel of the Lord. Then he knew that it was not an "angel of God," for that term indicates a messenger angel in whom the Lord is not present, since the name "God" can also apply to the angel himself; rather, it was the "angel of the Lord," which indicates that the Lord dwells within him.
And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen,” etc. He meant to say that no man may see Me and live, for it is impossible for a person to attain to seeing the Lord while still confined within his body, except at the time of his death.
And just as it is stated (in Sifra, Vayikra, chapter 2): "In their lifetime they do not see [the Divine Presence], but in their death they behold the Shekhinah," as it is said, "For to Me every knee shall bow" (Isaiah 45:23), and on this basis he thought that he would die. And also according to the interpretation of the commentators that he was in doubt whether it was a prophet or an angel, it occurred to him that it is impossible for a human being to see an angel, whose essence is spiritual and separate from matter, and how could a human being, embodied in matter, see him? Only before his death, when he then has a resemblance to the angel, for then the spiritual soul is prepared to be released from the body, just as the angel who appears in bodily form is prepared to shed it immediately, and then like sees like.
This is what he said, "Ah! For therefore I have seen," meaning that on account of this equality between me and the angel, now that my soul is also prepared to depart from the prison of the body, therefore I have seen God face to face. For the faces are similar in their circumstances from this aspect, and therefore he thought that he was destined to die.
(And in particular, one should say that Gideon, and similarly Manoah, were afraid because they saw him at the moment he disappeared from their sight: at that very instant when he sheds his corporeal form, it is impossible for the living to see him. Regarding this, Elijah said, "If you see me being taken from you..." [2 Kings 2:10]. And this is what is meant by "And Gideon saw that it was the angel of the LORD," namely, that he saw him in his essence, as he truly is an angel; for until then, he had appeared to him in the form of a man.) And therefore he was afraid.
And Hashem said to him: ‘Peace be to you; fear not; you shall not die.’
verse value 2264
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֧וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֧וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·fear" (אַל־תִּירָ֑א, 6 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "not·fear" (root איל, 114x in Judges). First appearance of the root לך ("to·you") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·fear', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + ל֧וֹ [to·him] (36) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + שָׁל֥וֹם [belonging·to] (376) + לְךָ֖ [to·you] (50) + אַל־תִּירָ֑א [not·fear] (642) + לֹ֖א [not] (31) + תָּמֽוּת [you·shall·die] (846) = 2264.
Radak
Peace to you. The angel, after he had ascended, made this voice heard, for he saw that Gideon was afraid at heart, because he [now] realized it had been an angel.
Ralbag
And the angel of the Lord answered him after this had risen so much, that Gideon could not see Him: 'Peace be to you, do not fear, you shall not die.' And it seems that the angel returned to him when he said this saying, and he too said to him at night to take the bull of his father. And it is possible to say that this speech that was at night was a degree of some of the degrees of prophecy. And the previous explanation is more apparent to us.
Malbim
And GOD said to him, "Peace to you." Peace is the opposite of death, whose cause is the separation and conflict of the elements. When there is peace in the foundations of the body and between the body and the soul, there is no calamity, as it is said, "Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace." This peace was also the cause of his seeing the angel, for the matter did not obstruct the soul from attaining [divine perception]. Therefore, "Do not fear," for you will not die, neither the death of the body nor the death of the soul, because your sins have been forgiven, as it is said, "Peace, peace, to the far and to the near, says the Lord, and I will heal him."
Then Gideon built an altar there to Hashem, and called it a‘Adonai-shalom’; to this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
verse value 2754
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2754 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֨ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "called·it" (וַיִּקְרָא־ל֥וֹ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "in·Ophrah" (בְּעׇפְרָ֖ת). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "day" (root יום, 76x in Judges); "father of an individual" (root אב, 44x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'belonging·to', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
"And he called it." Gideon [named] the altar [thus].
The Lord is peace. The Lord is our peace:
Metzudat David
"To it." [Namely,] to the altar:
"The Lord is peace." This implies: "Here the Lord said to me: Peace."
"Still there." He is still standing in Ophrah, which is the inheritance of the sons of Abiezer.
Metzudat Zion
Still. From the word for 'yet':
Malbim
"And he built there an altar." After he saw that a miracle had been performed in this place. "And he called it YHWH-Shalom." According to the simple meaning, this is explained as that YHWH called it Shalom (and so is the opinion of the Master of the Accents in the name of the Tif'ah on the Name), and he wished to say that after the inhabitants of his city were idolaters, and he was afraid that they would interfere with his actions, just as they destroyed the second altar that was built subsequently upon this altar, as stated later, this altar YHWH called Shalom, meaning that the inhabitants of the city did not destroy it, and it remains to this day in Ophrah, standing as a memorial to the miracle.
And the commentator explained that when Gideon called the altar "The Lord is Peace," he meant to say, "May the Lord grant us peace." He intended to convey that Gideon recognized that the Lord is the peace of all the worlds, the thread that strings together all parts of existence, joining them and sustaining them. This is as stated in the commentary on Isaiah (45:7) in the chapter beginning "He who makes peace," and for this reason He is called King, whose is the peace.
And our Sages of blessed memory said regarding this (Shabbat 12): "Here, the Name itself is called Shalom." And there is, in my view, an intelligible matter in this, which I have elucidated elsewhere.
And it came to pass the same night, that Hashem said to him: ‘Take your father’s bullock, and the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it;
verse value 8086
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 98 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֣וֹ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 8086 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֣וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "young·bull·of·the·ox" (אֶת־פַּר־הַשּׁוֹר֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, that. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "young·bull·of·the·ox" (אֶת־פַּר־הַשּׁוֹר֙), "and·bull·of" (וּפַ֥ר), "and·you·will·tear·down" (וְהָרַסְתָּ֗). The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). First appearance of the root ליל ("in·the·night") in Judges. First appearance of the root שני ("second") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'years', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Par ha-shor" – the young bull; for a bull that is one day old is called a "shor."
And the second bull. (Targum:) And the second bull:
"Seven years." (The Targum:) That it had been fattened seven years for idol worship. Eight matters were permitted that night: muktzeh, an asherah, [offering by] night, and a bamah [private altar], etc., as it is stated in tractate Temurah (28b):
Radak
"Par ha-shor" – "Par" is like "ben baqar" (a young bull), and so Jonathan [the Aramaic translator] rendered it: "tor bar torin" (an ox, the son of oxen — i.e. a young bull). And there is an interpretation that "par" is not a construct state (smikhut), and "ha-shor" serves as an adjective describing it, as if it said: "par ha-gadol" (the great bull) that resembled an ox.
"And the second bull." Some say [that 'the second' refers to] the second-born [from the womb], but the correct view is that it means second to the first bull mentioned [i.e., referring back to the young bull just named]. As for the meaning of "seven years" — Jonathan rendered it, "that had been fattened seven years," and it is possible that it was seven years old. And regarding the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, that it had been set aside for idol worship for seven years — for they said: Reish Lakish said, an animal is not deemed set-aside [muktzeh] for idol worship unless it has been set aside for seven years, as it is stated, "and the second bull, seven years old." And from this they also said that it had been worshipped. And they said that eight things were permitted on that night: [performing the offering] outside [the Temple], [by] a non-priest, at night, [using] vessels of [Temple] service, and vessels of the Asherah, wood of the Asherah, a set-aside animal, and a worshipped animal.
Ralbag
It seems that the meaning of his saying 'the young bull of your father' is that his father had a great ox, and they strove to designate the young bull that the ox would beget first, from birth and from the womb and from pregnancy, so that it should be beautiful and great like the ox that begot it, and it should be sanctified to idols from the day of its being. And so they designated also this second young bull that the ox begot. And indeed they were designated for seven years. And this indicates that this error was from the beginning of the servitude, for seven years they were under the hand of Midian when this happened. And his father had an altar to Baal, and the Asherah was with him. And the Lord blessed be He commanded through the prophet or the angel that he should tear down the altar of Baal which was his father's, and cut down the Asherah that was with him.
Metzudat David
“Which [belonged] to your father.” That is, it belongs to your father.
"And the second bull." Also take the second bull that was fattened for idolatry these seven years:
Metzudat Zion
The bull, the ox. The doubling for added clarification, as in (Leviticus 16:3) 'a bull of the herd':
Malbim
Questions (25–26): He did not clarify what one should do with the first bull, since he was only commanded to offer the second bull. And what is meant by "and you shall build upon the head of the stronghold, on the level ground" has no explanation at all. Does one build upon the level ground? Rather, one sets the level ground upon the already-built altar, not the reverse.
"And it came to pass on that night." Behold, during the day he built the altar, and it is not mentioned that he offered a sacrifice upon it, for he was afraid to offer during the day because of the men of the city. And at night he desired to offer, as it is stated (verse 27): "And it came to pass, when he feared... etc.," [meaning] he did it at night. And when he turned his mind to consider what he should offer—a ram, or a lamb, or a kid—the Lord said to him, "Take the bull that is your father's." This means that you shall offer that one. Therefore, He did not explicitly state to him that he should offer it, for this was an answer to his uncertainty regarding what he should offer: "You shall offer the bull of your father." Furthermore, He added and commanded him a new matter: that he should take the second bull, the seven-year-old one. The second bull belonged to the men of the city, not to his father, and it had been fattened for seven years. When Midian began to rule over Israel, they vowed to offer this bull to an idol when they would be saved from Midian. And they fattened it for the duration of Midian's rule, which was seven years. And He explained to him what he should do with the second bull: He commanded him that after he would offer the first bull on the altar, he should demolish the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah that was upon it.
and build an altar to Hashem your God upon the top of this stronghold, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.’
verse value 6161
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 78 letters. The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·row" (בַּמַּעֲרָכָ֑ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: head, that. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·you·shall·build" (וּבָנִ֨יתָ), "the·stronghold" (הַמָּע֛וֹז), "in·the·row" (בַּמַּעֲרָכָ֑ה). The root עלה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "upon" (root על, 87x in Judges). First appearance of the root עץ ("in·trees·of") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·row', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
Head of the stronghold. Head of the rock:
Radak
"This refuge." It is the rock upon which he offered the flesh and the unleavened bread.
"Bema'arakhah." As the Targum renders it, "besidra" [in a row/order], and its meaning is: in the level place at the top of the stronghold, where he could arrange the stones of the altar there.
Ralbag
“Upon the head of this stronghold.” It is the rock upon which he placed the flesh and the matzot.
“Bama'arakhah” – this means in a place arranged for the purpose, where an altar could be built, and He commanded him to offer there that bull to God and to bring it up as a burnt offering on the wood of the Asherah. All of this was a temporary ruling, as our Sages of blessed memory stated, for this was done by a non-priest, outside, at night, and using the wood of the Asherah. And thus he turned what was set aside for idolatry into an offering to the Lord, for he saw that by acting in opposition to the belief in which he was raised, the salvation and success would be granted to him in a manner opposite to what the idolaters expected. And the intention was to strengthen Gideon's faith in the Lord.
Metzudat David
"This fortress." It is the Rock mentioned above (verse 20):
“in a straight line.” This means in a level place, where you can arrange the stones of the altar.
The second bull. And regarding the bull that belonged to his father, He commanded that it be taken so that they would not offer it to idolatry. Yet it was not mentioned what was done with it. Or perhaps this is the bull that belonged to his father, as it is written above:
“On the trees of the Asherah.” To set fire to them.
Metzudat Zion
The stronghold. From the word for strength, and it is the rock:
In array. From the word for arrangement and order:
Malbim
"And you shall build an altar." From the stones of the altar of Baal that was destroyed, an altar to the Lord shall be built. On the top of this stronghold, on the level ground, he commanded him to build the second altar upon the first altar that he had built on the rock, in such a manner that an altar would be built atop an altar. And regarding this it says, "on the top of the stronghold," meaning that the first altar was strong and firm to build upon it, and that the second altar would be on the level ground, where he offered the first bull. And "take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering on the wood of the Asherah," in such a manner that the stones of the altar of idolatry would be for the Lord, and the wood of the Asherah would be for firewood, and the bull for a burnt offering. This was to teach that the Lord is the One who will redeem them from Midian, and also that he would risk his life to sanctify the Divine Name, and to demonstrate that there is no reality in idolatry.
And our Sages of blessed memory said: Seven things were permitted on that night.
Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Hashem had spoken to him; and it came to pass, because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, so that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
verse value 6572
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 91 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "had·spoken" (דִּבֶּ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·men·of" (וְאֶת־אַנְשֵׁ֥י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 521: as, as. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "from·his·servants" (מֵעֲבָדָ֔יו), "the·house·of" (אֶת־בֵּ֨ית), "and·men·of" (וְאֶת־אַנְשֵׁ֥י). The root עשה appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "as" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 11 words.
Ralbag
And since Gideon could not do this matter alone, he called ten men of his servants to help him with this, although this was for the honor of the Lord, and it was proper that it be in public, according to what was possible for him. And the small number by which this is completed is ten. And had it not been for his fear of his father's house and of the men of the city, who would prevent him from doing this, he would have done this by day, to add to this its publication.
Malbim
"And Gideon took ten men." For he needed to offer the first bull, and afterward to build the altar upon the level ground; and if he had done it alone, it would have taken until daybreak. Therefore, he took men to assist him. And the verse explains that he was afraid to do it during the day.
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.
verse value 5273
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "was·pulled·down" (נֻתַּץ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·rose·early" (וַיַּשְׁכִּ֜ימוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 285: the·city, the·young·bull. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·the·Asherah" (וְהָאֲשֵׁרָ֥ה), "was·cut" (כֹּרָ֑תָה), "the·young·bull" (הַפָּ֣ר). The root מזבח appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "that·was·upon·him" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "was·inserted" (root עלה, 78x in Judges). First appearance of the root שכם ("and·they·rose·early") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'was·cut', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Radak
"And the second bull." We did not find that he did anything with the first bull. If so, why did He command him to take it? He said: In order to deprive them of it, so that they would not offer it to idolatry.
Metzudat David
The one that is built: that which is built anew.
Metzudat Zion
Tore down. Broken and smashed:
Malbim
"And behold, it was torn down." There is a difference between demolition and tearing down: one who demolishes dismantles the structure, whereas one who tears down shatters every stone into fragments. In truth, only the demolition occurred, as it is stated, "And you shall demolish the altar of Baal," for he took the stones whole and built them for the Lord. However, those who did not know that he had built an altar from these stones assumed that he had torn it down and shattered it.
"And the bull was brought up." The word "et" (את) is like "im" (עם), meaning that the Asherah was brought up together with the bull upon the built altar. (And undoubtedly the men of the city destroyed the built altar, but they could not destroy the lower altar, and therefore they called it "Ma'oz" [stronghold]. And it was by the providence of the Lord that He called it "Shalom," as stated above.)
And they said one to another: ‘Who has done this thing?’ And when they inquired and asked, they said: ‘Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.’
verse value 3857
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·said" (וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 375: did, did. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·they·resorted·to" (וַֽיִּדְרְשׁוּ֙), "and·they·sought" (וַיְבַקְשׁ֔וּ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "to·shouting" (root איל, 114x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Ralbag
And indeed when the men of the city rose early in the morning, they saw that Baal was torn down, and the Asherah that was upon it was cut down. And they recognized that the second young bull was burned on the built altar, for perhaps some of its limbs remained that were not burned, as if you would say that its horns remained, and there was in them a sign by which they recognized that this was the young bull. Or they judged this from estimation when they did not find the second young bull. And they recognized that on the altar which he built he offered an offering. And they inquired and found that Gideon did this. And the evil of their disposition reached such a degree that they thought to kill him for this, were it not for what his father Joash said to them, who was their master.
Metzudat David
"And they said: 'Gideon...'" [I.e.,] it does not specify who the speakers were.
Then the men of the city said to Joash: ‘Bring out your son, that he may die; because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.’
verse value 5207
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. Notable word values: "and·for" (וְכִ֥י) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·was·upon·him" (אֲשֶׁר־עָלָֽיו, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "to·Joash" (אֶל־יוֹאָ֔שׁ), "son" (אֶת־בִּנְךָ֖), "cut" (כָרַ֖ת). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "man" (root איש, 190x in Judges); "that·was·upon·him" (root אשר, 178x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·let·him·die', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
"And he shall die." This means: we will put him to death.
And Joash said to all that stood against him: ‘Will you contend for Baal? or will you save him? he that will contend for him, shall be put to death before morning; if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one has broken down his altar.’
verse value 7391
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (ל֛וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "for·him" (ל֛וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·stood" (אֲשֶׁר־עָמְד֨וּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 36: for·him, for·him. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "that·stood" (אֲשֶׁר־עָמְד֨וּ), "are·you" (הַאַתֶּ֣ם), "will·you·contend" (תְּרִיב֣וּן). The root ריב appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "that·stood" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "upon·him" (root על, 87x in Judges). First appearance of the root ריב ("will·you·contend") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'until·morning', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 7 words.
Rashi
"Are you going to contend for Baal?" On behalf of Baal:
"Save him" – take vengeance for him. And similarly (1 Samuel 25:32): "and my hand has saved me," [said] by David regarding Nabal.
"Which he shall plead for him." On his behalf:
"Until the morning." Until the morning they waited:
"If he is a god." He will contend for himself, his own cause and his own vengeance; and in order to put them off until Gideon could flee, he [Joash] said this.
Radak
"Are you the ones to contend for Baal?" [Meaning:] for the sake of Baal.
"Whoever contends for him." Whoever would contend for him [Baal] — [Baal] whose altar had been torn down — shall be put to death by morning. The meaning is: if he is a god, let him contend against the one who champions him, and put that person to death himself. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] rendered in the Targum: "Let Him take vengeance upon him, let him be slain," etc. The phrase "let Him take vengeance" is an expression of power. The Targum renders "elohim" here as "they do not know them" — meaning that they have no need of them.
Ralbag
'Will you contend for Baal?' Meaning, is it fitting that you contend on account of Baal? Behold, you are showing by this that you do not believe that he is a god, for they would not need to contend for him if he were a god. And since he was the head of this idolatry, as appears from what he said, 'the young bull of your father,' 'the altar of Baal of your father,' and he was with this their leader, he said that whoever will contend on account of Baal among them will be put to death by morning. Meaning, that they should not wait to kill him except until the light of morning. Meaning, because he indicates that he does not believe that Baal is a god. And he called his son Yerubaal for this cause, as if he is praying that Baal will contend with him. And indeed this narrative does not relate what happened to the young bull of his father which he commanded to take. And it seems that he killed it in a manner that they would not benefit from it, according to the law of the designated animal. And we do not need to explain this, for it is from the laws of the Torah. And he commanded to take it to save them from offering it to idols, as our Sages of blessed memory said.
Metzudat David
"Are you?" And will you contend on behalf of Baal? And will you save him? This is said in a tone of astonishment.
"Whoever." Whoever contends in his behalf shall be put to death by the morning; that is to say, before the second morning arrives.
"If it is a god." If there is divinity in it, let it contend its own case itself:
Malbim
Questions (31): What is the meaning of the repetition, "Will you contend [for Baal]?" and "Will you save him?" And how does it say, "whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning" — who would put him to death? Is not the whole people jealous with the jealousy of Baal and ready to contend on his behalf?
And Joash said. He said to them: Whichever way you look at it [the argument fails]: if you think that Baal has the power to avenge his honor, but merely does not wish to contend, then why should you contend for Baal, since he does not contend his own contention? And if you think that he wishes to contend but lacks the power, then why should you save him, since he has no salvation of his own? For then, behold, any man who contends for him will be put to death by morning.
Why did he wait all night and remain silent toward him? If he had power in his hand, it would have been fitting for him to kill Gideon until morning. And behold, Gideon is alive; behold, he has no power. And if you answer that he does not wish to contend, even this is a lie, for if he were a god, he would contend on his own behalf, because [Gideon] had demolished his altar. Surely he would have contended his own contention and would not have remained silent about this matter. Rather, he is not a god, he has no power, and there is no substance in him.
Therefore on that day he was called Jerubbaal, saying: ‘Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.’
verse value 2372
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "in·him" (בּוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "on·that·day" (בַיּוֹם־הַה֖וּא, 8 letters). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "on·that·day" (root יום, 76x in Judges); "for" (root כי, 70x in Judges). First appearance of the root ירבעל ("Jerubbaal") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָא־ל֥וֹ [called·it] (353) + בַיּוֹם־הַה֖וּא [on·that·day] (75) + יְרֻבַּ֣עַל [Jerubbaal] (312) + לֵאמֹ֑ר [saying] (271) + יָ֤רֶב [be or become great] (212) + בּוֹ֙ [in·him] (8) + הַבַּ֔עַל [Baal] (107) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + נָתַ֖ץ [pulled·down] (540) + אֶֽת־מִזְבְּחֽוֹ [sacrifice] (464) = 2372.
Rashi
"Yirav bo" [let him contend against him] – referring to Gideon. With the word ריב (contend), the preposition used is עם (with), את (against), or בו (against him), as in (Genesis 31:36): "vayarev be-Lavan" (and he contended against Laban). But 'לו' is not used with this expression; rather, every instance of 'לו' written here means 'for his sake.'
Metzudat David
"And he called him." Joash called Gideon his son:
Malbim
"And he called him." In order that they would know from this that Baal is worthless, he called him by this name, meaning [it can be said], "let Baal contend with him," for he denies him and serves the Lord. And through this was fulfilled the higher intention to distance them through this act from idolatry, and this was a preparation for the salvation which He had promised, for it is impossible that they be saved while they still believe in Baal.
Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
verse value 1747
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "together" (יַחְדָּ֑ו, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·all·Midian" (וְכׇל־מִדְיָ֧ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 212: and·the·children·of·the·east, in·valley·of. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·all·Midian" (וְכׇל־מִדְיָ֧ן), "Jezreel" (יִזְרְעֶֽאל). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·all·Midian" (root מדין, 32x in Judges); "and·they·passed·through" (root עבר, 26x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'together', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְכׇל־מִדְיָ֧ן [and·all·Midian] (160) + וַעֲמָלֵ֛ק [and·Amalek] (246) + וּבְנֵי־קֶ֖דֶם [and·the·children·of·the·east] (212) + נֶאֶסְפ֣וּ [were·gathered] (197) + יַחְדָּ֑ו [together] (28) + וַיַּעַבְר֥וּ [and·they·passed·through] (294) + וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ [and·they·encamped] (80) + בְּעֵ֥מֶק [in·valley·of] (212) + יִזְרְעֶֽאל [Jezreel] (318) = 1747.
Ralbag
And all Midian and Amalek and the sons of the East were assembled to destroy Israel, and they encamped in the valley of Yizre'el.
But the spirit of Hashem clothed Gideon; and he blew a horn; and Abiezer was gathered together after him.
verse value 2999
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "but·spirit·of" (וְר֣וּחַ, 4 letters) and the longest is "Gideon" (אֶת־גִּדְע֑וֹן, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "but·spirit·of" (וְר֣וּחַ), "she·clothed" (לָבְשָׁ֖ה), "Gideon" (אֶת־גִּדְע֑וֹן). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 171x in Judges); "after·him" (root אחר, 49x in Judges). First appearance of the root רוח ("but·spirit·of") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Gideon', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְר֣וּחַ [but·spirit·of] (220) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + לָבְשָׁ֖ה [she·clothed] (337) + אֶת־גִּדְע֑וֹן [Gideon] (534) + וַיִּתְקַע֙ [and·blew] (586) + בַּשּׁוֹפָ֔ר [in·the·horn] (588) + וַיִּזָּעֵ֥ק [and·was·cried] (193) + אֲבִיעֶ֖זֶר [Abiezer] (290) + אַחֲרָֽיו [after·him] (225) = 2999.
Rashi
The Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit of might:
"And Abiezer cried out." [This refers to] the entire family:
Radak
"And the Spirit of the Lord." As the Targum translates: "The Spirit of might from before the Lord."
Ralbag
And the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon. Meaning, a spirit of courage, as Targum Yonatan translated. And it is possible further that the Holy Spirit rested upon him. And he blew the trumpet, and all the family of Aviezer rallied after him, and they are the dwellers of Ofrah, for he was of the family and was their master. And therefore he did not need to send them messengers.
Metzudat David
"And the Spirit of the Lord": From the Lord came to Him a spirit of might and strength of heart.
And he blew. As a signal for the assembly:
"And he was summoned." The family of Abiezer gathered after him:
Metzudat Zion
And they cried out. The sense of a gathering, because it comes with the cry of the gatherer, so too (below 18:23) 'why do you cry out?':
Malbim
And the Spirit of the Lord: This is the Spirit of Might, as the Guide [of the Perplexed] stated, that the first level of prophecy is when the Divine Spirit comes upon one man to save an entire nation, and he blows the shofar as a signal to gather for war, and he summoned Abiezer — his family and his city.
And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together after him; and he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
verse value 3967
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "sent" (שָׁלַ֣ח, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·messengers" (וּמַלְאָכִים֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 338: sent, sent. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "in·all·Manasseh" (בְּכׇל־מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה), "and·in·Zebulun" (וּבִזְבֻלוּן֙), "and·to·Naphtali" (וּבְנַפְתָּלִ֔י). The root מלאך appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Asher" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "and·they·went·up" (root עלה, 78x in Judges); "after·him" (root אחר, 49x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'after·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וּמַלְאָכִים֙ [and·messengers] (147) + שָׁלַ֣ח [sent] (338) + בְּכׇל־מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה [in·all·Manasseh] (447) + וַיִּזָּעֵ֥ק [and·was·cried] (193) + גַּם־ה֖וּא [also·he] (55) + אַחֲרָ֑יו [after·him] (225) + וּמַלְאָכִ֣ים [and·messengers] (147) + שָׁלַ֗ח [sent] (338) + בְּאָשֵׁ֤ר [to·Asher] (503) + וּבִזְבֻלוּן֙ [and·in·Zebulun] (103) + וּבְנַפְתָּלִ֔י [and·to·Naphtali] (578) + וַֽיַּעֲל֖וּ [and·they·went·up] (122) + לִקְרָאתָֽם [to·meet·them] (771) = 3967.
Metzudat David
"Towards them." They came to Gideon and his men, opposite them.
And Gideon said to God: ‘If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken,
verse value 3404
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "in·my·hand" (בְּיָדִ֛י) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·my·hand" (בְּיָדִ֛י, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·God" (אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "if·You·are" (אִם־יֶשְׁךָ֞). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "as" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "to·God" (root איל, 114x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + גִּדְע֖וֹן [Gideon] (133) + אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים [to·God] (122) + אִם־יֶשְׁךָ֞ [if·You·are] (371) + מוֹשִׁ֧יעַ [savior] (426) + בְּיָדִ֛י [in·my·hand] (26) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [Israel] (942) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + דִּבַּֽרְתָּ [You·have·spoken] (606) = 3404.
Ralbag
And indeed Gideon was still half believing and half not believing, and he asked a sign from the Lord, if He would save by his hand as He spoke. And the first sign was not sufficient for him, for it is the way of wool to draw moisture. And therefore he asked a second sign, the opposite of the first, and it is that the wool alone should be dry and all the land should have dew. And the correct in my eyes is that to a prophet he asked these signs, and through the prophet the Lord performed them. And the Lord commanded him through his prophet, or informed him in a prophetic vision. And he sent home every man who was fearful and trembling, as this is rooted in the Torah. So that in this there is a second benefit: to teach Israel that not by their strength did they defeat their enemies in this war, but this was from the Lord, who fights for them.
Metzudat Zion
Indeed you. Indeed, you—meaning: is this the thing that you save, etc.:
Malbim
Questions (36–40): Why did he ask for a sign after He had already given him a sign by fire? And why did he ask now for two signs? And according to the natural order of language, it should have been said, "If upon all the land there shall be drought, and upon the fleece there shall be dew." And in the first instance it said, "And it was so."
And Gideon said. He did not seek the sign in order to know whether it is within God's power to save, for such a test is forbidden, as it indicates a lack of faith. And as our master Saadia Gaon stated, it was only because he saw that that generation was unworthy of salvation. Although the inhabitants of his city had abandoned Baal, the other tribes were still bowing down to him, just as they were when they knelt on their knees. From this perspective, he sought a sign to determine whether his small merit would suffice for this salvation. Now, he requested two signs, for the miracle would not be complete unless it was tested from two sides. Initially, he reasoned that the dew would remain more on the ground, for according to nature, its coolness would cause moisture to persist there for a longer time. Afterwards, he reasoned the opposite, that one should say that due to the fleece's looseness and absorbency, it would draw the dew to itself more, as stated by the author of the Akeidah [Akeidat Yitzchak]. Therefore, in the first miracle he said, "and he wrung the fleece," for the main miracle was that the dew remained on it afterwards, since the drawing of the dew at its beginning is according to the nature of the fleece. And in the second miracle he said, "and the fleece was dry," for the main miracle was that it was dry at its beginning and did not draw the dew to itself at all, despite its absorbency. And thus, these two miracles were necessary according to the allegory, for initially he doubted whether his small merit would suffice for Israel to be saved even though they were idolaters. Therefore, he said, "if You will save by my hand," meaning, through my merit, will You save Israel? Now, his merit began at the threshing floor, where the angel appeared to him.
behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken.’
verse value 6029
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "in·my·hand" (בְּיָדִ֛י) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "if" (אִ֡ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·all·the·ground" (וְעַל־כׇּל־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 41: if, alone. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "am·putting" (מַצִּ֛יג), "fleece" (אֶת־גִּזַּ֥ת), "wool" (הַצֶּ֖מֶר). The root גזה appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as" (root אשר, 178x in Judges); "it·will·be" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "in·my·hand" (root יד, 75x in Judges). First appearance of the root יצג ("am·putting") in Judges. First appearance of the root גזה ("fleece") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·threshing-floor', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 13 words.
Metzudat David
And I shall know. By means of this miracle:
Metzudat Zion
Set out. Place, as in (Exodus 10:24) 'your flocks and your cattle shall be left behind':
The shearing of the wool. The wool that is shorn and plucked:
Drought. Dryness:
Malbim
And He said: That he shall present the fleece of wool in the threshing floor, and test it with the dew, for "dew" is a metaphor for the divine abundance that descends from above (as it is said, "I will be like dew unto Israel," "for my head is filled with dew"). And if there shall be dew upon the fleece alone, even though the entire land shall be dry—meaning, even though all the land, which signifies all of Israel, is unworthy of the upper dew and there shall be drought there—nevertheless, I will draw down the dew on account of my merit. Then I shall know that You will save Israel through my hand and on account of my merit.
And it was so; for he rose up early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.
verse value 2446
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "dew" (טַל֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·was·so" (וַיְהִי־כֵ֕ן, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·was·so" (וַיְהִי־כֵ֕ן), "and·scattered" (וַיָּ֖זַר), "the·fleece" (אֶת־הַגִּזָּ֑ה). The root גזה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·was·so" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "and·rose·early" (root שכם, 31x in Judges). First appearance of the root מחרת ("from·next·day") in Judges. First appearance of the root מלא ("fullness·of") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·fleece', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִי־כֵ֕ן [and·was·so] (101) + וַיַּשְׁכֵּם֙ [and·rose·early] (376) + מִֽמׇּחֳרָ֔ת [from·next·day] (688) + וַיָּ֖זַר [and·scattered] (223) + אֶת־הַגִּזָּ֑ה [the·fleece] (421) + וַיִּ֤מֶץ [and·drained] (146) + טַל֙ [dew] (39) + מִן־הַגִּזָּ֔ה [from·the·fleece] (110) + מְל֥וֹא [fullness·of] (77) + הַסֵּ֖פֶל [bowl] (175) + מָֽיִם [water] (90) = 2446.
Rashi
"And it came to pass." This refers to the fact that there was dew on the fleece alone more than in the rest of the places, as He says (verse 37): "The bowl was full of water." However, "and all the ground was dry" was not fulfilled, for the covenant is established for dew that is not withheld (Taanit 3a).
"Vayyazar" – this is a term of pressing; similarly, it is written (Isaiah 1:6): "they were not pressed out, nor bound up," meaning they were not bandaged, so as to let out the moisture.
Radak
"And he wrung out the fleece." [This is] from the light conjugation (qal), on the pattern of "vayyitzar aleha" ["and he pressed/besieged it"]; or [it is] from the causative conjugation (hif'il), on the pattern of "and Noah removed the covering of the ark" (Genesis 8:13). And it is of the same sense as "bruises and fresh wounds have not been pressed out (zoru) nor bound up (chubashu)" (Isaiah 1:6), which refers to the sense of pressing and squeezing. And this matter [of the wringing] occurred in the waking state: God, blessed be He, showed him this sign to strengthen his heart. Or [it occurred] in a prophetic vision, for the event took place at night. And what is stated, "And he rose early the next day," [indicates that] thus he saw it all in a prophetic vision. And the first [opinion] is more likely.
Metzudat David
"And he wrung [it] out." He squeezed in order to extract what was absorbed, and a cup full of liquid was found to have been squeezed out.
Metzudat Zion
And he squeezed [it] out. The sense of bringing forth a swallowed thing, as in (Isaiah 59:5) 'and if crushed, a viper bursts forth':
And he squeezed out. The sense of squeezing, so too (Isaiah 16:4) 'there is no more squeezing':
The bowl. The name of a certain vessel:
Malbim
“And it was so, and he rose early...” upon the fleece. Our Sages of blessed memory explained that he did not mention that there was drought over the entire land, because there is an established covenant for the dew that it will not be withheld, and the miracle was only the abundance of dew on the fleece. And this miracle was close to nature, namely the abundance of dew and its increase. And behold, the Lord had assured him of two things: 1) that He would save the people through his hand; 2) that He would save them through his hand alone, without a large multitude, by means of a miracle. And regarding this particular aspect, he desired another, more wondrous miracle, so that he might be confident that his small merit would suffice for a miracle. Therefore he said: “Let me test yet once more.” For I have already explained elsewhere that there is a difference between a test and a trial, in that the definition of a test is when one wishes to know whether the one being tested can stand on a higher level than he currently is. And likewise, he wished to test whether he could ascend from the level close to nature to the level of a miracle, namely that there be drought upon the fleece alone, which is completely contrary to nature. And it is clear from the principles of language that the speaker always places first that which is the main point of the statement. According to this, he should have said the opposite: “If there be drought over the entire land and dew upon the fleece.” But according to what is written, both aspects were concerning the fleece, for even the first time he knew that it is impossible for the dew to be withheld; rather, he tested whether there would be so much dew in abundance upon the fleece that, according to its measure, there would be drought over the land. And regarding this he said.
And Gideon said to God: ‘Let not Your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once: let me make trial, I pray You, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.’
verse value 2886
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 89 letters. Verse gematria: 2886 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "against·me" (בִּ֔י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·all·the·ground" (וְעַל־כׇּל־הָאָ֖רֶץ, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "not·be·kindled" (אַל־יִ֤חַר), "your·anger" (אַפְּךָ֙), "and·I·will·speak" (וַאֲדַבְּרָ֖ה). The root איל appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 268x in Judges); "let·there·be·now" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "to·God" (root איל, 114x in Judges). First appearance of the root אף ("your·anger") in Judges. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'stroke', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Radak
"Let me test, please." Now, it is written, "You shall not test the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 6:16). And behold, God performed a sign with him, and he came to test Him whether He would perform for him this sign, which was greater than the first one. Rabbi Saadia Gaon, of blessed memory, wrote that testing the power of the Creator is forbidden, as it says, "And they tested God in their heart... and said, 'Can He even give bread?'" (Psalms 78:18, 20). But Gideon had no doubt regarding the power of the Creator; rather, he wished to test whether he was worthy of such a great miracle.
And God did so that night; for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
verse value 1480
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֛ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֖ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·all·the·ground" (וְעַל־כׇּל־הָאָ֖רֶץ, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Judges. Unique to this verse in Judges (hapax): "and·it·was·dry" (וַֽיְהִי־חֹ֤רֶב). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was·dry" (root היה, 120x in Judges); "to·the·fleece" (root איל, 114x in Judges); "and·did" (root עשה, 87x in Judges). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'that', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֧עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + אֱלֹהִ֛ים [God] (86) + כֵּ֖ן [so] (70) + בַּלַּ֣יְלָה [in·the·night] (77) + הַה֑וּא [that] (17) + וַֽיְהִי־חֹ֤רֶב [and·it·was·dry] (241) + אֶל־הַגִּזָּה֙ [to·the·fleece] (51) + לְבַדָּ֔הּ [alone] (41) + וְעַל־כׇּל־הָאָ֖רֶץ [and·upon·all·the·ground] (452) + הָ֥יָה [was] (20) + טָֽל [dew] (39) = 1480.
Malbim
"And God did so on that night." For in the second miracle, nature had no part at all, and it was solely the finger of God; yet two miracles were required even according to the allegory. First, he defeated only the camp of Midian, and this was the first allegory. Afterwards, "all the men of Israel cried out and pursued," and they ultimately achieved victory without him, as it is stated (Judges 8:2), "What can I do like you?" And this was indicated by the second allegory: although there was drought on the fleece, meaning that Gideon's strength was insufficient to complete the victory, there was dew on the ground.
Rashi
Malbim