8:23 I will not rule over you. Although Gideon appears to reject the Israelites’ invitation to rule over them and found a hereditary dynasty, by ancient Near Eastern standards all his actions hereafter are typical of kings: (1) he claims the lion’s share of the plunder from battle for himself (vv. 24 – 26); (2) he claims the purple garments of the Midianite kings (v. 26); (3) he establishes a national cult center complete with divine image (v. 27); (4) he is identified by patronymic (“Jerub-Baal son of Joash,” v. 29) and lives in his house; (5) he establishes a large harem and fathers 70 sons (vv. 30 – 31); (6) he names his son Abimelek, which means “my father is king” (v. 31).

Judges 6:36 – 40

Gideon’s Fleece: Testing the Deity

Gideon’s demands have much in common with divination. First, as in many extra-Biblical contexts, a military crisis precipitated the present ritual performances. Second, even more so than in the reading of omens, like the liver of a sheep (called “extispicy”), Gideon’s demand that Yahweh treat his fleece differently than the environment around it operated on simple binary principles — it could only yield a yes or no answer. Third, in keeping with a common purpose of Mesopotamian divination, Gideon’s aim was to reassure himself of divine support for the venture against the Midianites. Fourth, like many ancient diviners, Gideon apparently was not confident in the verdict of a single sign; he needed reinforcement through a second performance of the test. Indeed, the results of his first test could be explained as what would normally happen. Irregular events or observations were needed to gain omens. So, when soft and absorbent material is left overnight on the hard ground or the rocky surface of a threshing floor, in the morning it will feel wetter than the ground around it. This is normal. Gideon therefore demands reiteration through a reversal of the phenomena: wet fleece, dry ground, followed by dry fleece, wet ground. His request that Yahweh do something that would be regarded as abnormal is analogous to diviners seeking reinforcement through signs of a different genre and involving a different realm. Celestial omens would be sought out to try to confirm terrestrial omens or extispicy (examination of the entrails of sacrificed animals). It is likely that Gideon only requested the normal occurrence the first night to give Yahweh the benefit of the doubt. The angel had already told him that he would be the deliverer. Gideon is simply giving an opportunity to change the instructions.

Clay tablet representing sheep liver, used for divination.

© 2013 by Zondervan

As in the case of divination by extispicy following a prophetic or celestial omen, the form of divination here is provoked rather than passive divination. Whereas most forms of divination involve the observance of phenomena over which the observer has no control, Gideon prescribes for Yahweh both the method and the meaning of the results. In this respect, the present case differs significantly from the Urim and the Thummim, which were inaccessible to Gideon. In the Urim and Thummim, Yahweh both provided the instruments and prescribed the method whereby the high priest could establish Yahweh’s will in such contexts (see Nu 27:21; see also the article “Urim and Thummim”). Finally, unlike prevailing custom, according to which kings or generals would engage professional diviners to determine the will of the gods, Gideon takes matters into his own hands. The fact that Gideon, an ordinary citizen from a minor clan of Israel, even thinks about demanding signs suggests that common people may have had their own ad hoc divinatory practices by which they sought to determine the will of the gods in their own domestic affairs. However, since Yahweh is calling on him to deliver the nation from the Midianites, the stakes are much higher here. ◆

Gideon’s Battles

The story of Gideon begins with a graphic portrayal of one of the most striking facts of life in the Fertile Crescent: the periodic migration of nomadic peoples into the settled areas of Canaan. Each spring the tents of the Bedouin herdsmen appeared overnight almost as if by magic, scattered on the hills and fields of the farming districts. Conflict between these two ways of life (herdsmen and farmers) was inevitable.

1. In the Biblical period, the vast numbers and warlike practice of the herdsmen reduced the village people to near vassalage. God’s answer was twofold: (1) religious reform, starting with Gideon’s own family; and (2) military action, based on a coalition of northern Israelite tribes. The location of Gideon’s hometown, “Ophrah of the Abiezrites” (6:24), is not known with certainty, but it probably was ancient Aper (modern Afula) in the Valley of Jezreel.
2. The battle at the spring of Harod is justly celebrated for its strategic brilliance. Denied the use of the only local water source, the Midianites camped in the valley and fell victim to the small band of Israelites that attacked them from the heights of the hill of Moreh.
3. The main battle took place north of the hill near the village of En-dor at the foot of Mount Tabor. Fleeing by way of the Jordan valley, the Midianites were trapped when the Ephraimites seized the fords of the Jordan from below Beth Shan to Beth Barah near Adam.