Bible lesson
Chapter 48: Gideon
Study notes, questions and the Bible passages that Kingdoms of Scripture Chapter 48 covers, as the game’s chapter map shows them. Read the passages first in the Kingdoms of Scripture Bible, the text the game quotes: the game’s choices, maps and staging are reconstructions, not scripture. This page is not a church lesson and adds no doctrine.
Study notes
Yahweh sends Gideon to save Israel from Midian, then narrows Gideon’s army to three hundred men by how they drink at the water. When the three hundred blow their horns around the enemy camp, the whole camp flees, and later Gideon refuses to rule over Israel.
From Judges 6:12–16 (KoS), Judges 7:4–7 (KoS), Judges 7:21–22 (KoS), Judges 8:22–23 (KoS).
These notes and questions are original study helps written for this site, not scripture. The verses shown with each question are quoted from the Kingdoms of Scripture Bible.
- Chapter
- 48
- Title
- Gideon
- Bible passages
- Judges 6:1–8:35
- Read in the Kingdoms of Scripture Bible
- The chapter opens with
The messenger of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, Yahweh is with you, warrior of worth. Gideon said to him, Please, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, then why has all this found us? And where are all his wonders that our fathers recounted to us, saying, Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt? But now Yahweh has abandoned us and given us into the palm of Midian. Yahweh turned to him and said, Go in this strength of yours, and save Israel from the palm of Midian. Have I not sent you? He said to him, Please, my lord, with what shall I save Israel? Look, my thousand is the poor one in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house. Yahweh said to him, Because I will be with you, and you shall strike Midian as one man.
Note · Translation Adoni here is “my lord,” addressed to the messenger. It is not the divine name.
Note · Translation Alpi is “my thousand,” his clan counted as a thousand.
Notice and discuss
Read each passage, then think about the question on your own or talk it over with others. No answers are collected.
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When the people of the town demand that Gideon die, how does his father Joash answer, and what name is Gideon given?
The men of the city got up early in the morning, and look, the altar of the Baal was torn down, the Asherah that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull had been offered up on the altar that had been built. They said, each man to his neighbor, Who did this thing? They searched and asked, and they said, Gideon son of Joash did this thing. The men of the city said to Joash, Bring your son out, and let him die, for he tore down the altar of the Baal, and because he cut down the Asherah that was beside it. Joash said to all who stood against him, Will you contend for the Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone tore down his altar. He called him Jerubbaal on that day, saying, Let the Baal contend against him, because he tore down his altar.
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What does the man in the camp dream about, and how does his fellow explain the dream?
Gideon came, and look, a man was telling a dream to his fellow. He said, Look, I dreamed a dream, and look, a loaf of barley bread was tumbling through the camp of Midian. It came to the tent, struck it, and it fell. It turned it upside down, and the tent fell. His fellow answered and said, This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has given Midian and the whole camp into his hand.
Note · Text The written consonants are tsalul. The Masoretic reading is tsalil. Both stand in the line as the barley loaf. The written spelling is printed. The object is not changed.
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What do the men of Israel ask Gideon to do, and what reason does he give for saying no?
The men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us, you, and your son, and your son’s son, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian. Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you. Yahweh will rule over you.
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Kingdoms of Scripture Bible (KoS). CC BY 4.0. Source: bible.kingdomsofscripture.com. Quotations are whole published verses, matched to the game’s chapter references.