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61-550: Gideon was the son of Joash , from the Abiezrite clan in the tribe of Manasseh and lived in Ephra (Ophrah) . As a leader of the Israelites , he won a decisive victory over a Midianite army despite a vast numerical disadvantage, leading a troop of 300 men. Archaeologists in southern Israel have found a 3,100-year-old fragment of a jug with five letters written in ink that appear to represent

122-425: A dynasty , but he refused, telling them that only God was their ruler. Gideon went on to make an ephod out of the gold won in battle. This action eventually caused the whole of Israel to turn away from God yet again and the ruin of Gideon and his family. Gideon had 70 sons from the many women he took as wives. He also had a Shechemite concubine who bore him a son whom he named Abimelech , which means "my father

183-517: A Midianite man tell a friend of a dream in which "a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian", causing their tent or camp to collapse. This was interpreted as meaning that God had given the Midianites over to Gideon. Gideon returned to the Israelite camp and gave each of his men a shofar and a clay jar with a torch hidden inside. Divided into three companies, Gideon and his 300 men marched on

244-561: A personal name, the proper name "Abdon" is used for a Levitical city mentioned in Joshua 21:30 and 1 Chronicles 6:59 . See Abijah See Abijah See Abiel Abiasaph (Hebrew אֲבִיאָסָף "my father has gathered") was a son of Korah of the Tribe of Levi according to Exodus 6:24 , born in Egypt. Ebiasaph is a spelling variation of Abiasaph. Abida , Abidah or Abeida (Hebrew אֲבִידָע),

305-416: A reward for the modesty of his father Gideon, who in a "tripartite" sentence refused the royal crown offered him by his people; see Jud. 8.23. Abimelech, in contrast to his father [Jud.8.27], was very greedy for riches, and his end therefore came speedily; Aggadat Bereshit 26, 54., see also ibid., 52-53 where Abimelech wickedness and greed was contrasted with the piety and liberality of his namesake Abimelech,

366-473: A rock, and then two signs involving a fleece , performed on consecutive nights and the exact opposite of each other. First Gideon woke up to his fleece covered in dew, but the surrounding ground dry; then the next morning, his fleece was dry but the surrounding ground covered in dew. On God's instruction, Gideon destroyed the town's altar to Baal and the symbol of the Goddess Asherah beside it, receiving

427-508: A sign from God before undertaking some action or carrying out some plan. Much like the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae , Gideon has become symbolic of military success of a small elite force against overwhelming numerical odds. The 12th-century Poem of Almería invokes "the strength of Samson and the sword of Gideon" in the context of the Reconquista of Almería led by Ponce Giraldo de Cabrera (1147). Benedikt Gletting (16th century) invokes

488-557: A son of Midian and descendant of Abraham and Keturah , appears twice in the Bible, in Genesis 25:4 and 1 Chronicles 1:33 . The sons of Abraham's concubines were sent away to the east with gifts from Abraham. The father of Hudino, the great-grandfather of Jethro . Abiel (Hebrew אֲבִיאֵל "my father is God") was the name of two individuals mentioned in the Bible: Abiezer or Abieezer

549-401: Is an advisor to Ahasuerus of Persia . According to one theory, the verse has suffered from scribal error, and as it originally stood Admatha was instead Hamdatha, not an adviser to Ahaseurus but the father of Haman . Adna (Hebrew עַדְנָא) is the name of two biblical characters. Barley bread Barley bread is a type of bread made from barley flour derived from the grain of

610-483: Is disgraceful and similar to a dog, while bowing down resembles idolatry. Those who were faithful were allowed to depart. According to The Legends of the Jews : "..In the high priest's breastplate, Joseph was represented among the twelve tribes by Ephraim alone, not by Manasseh, too. To wipe out this slight upon his own tribe, Gideon made an ephod bearing the name of Manasseh. He consecrated it to God, but after his death homage

671-507: Is king". There was peace in Israel for 40 years during the life of Gideon. As soon as Gideon died of old age, the Israelites again turned to worship the false god Baal Berith and ignored the family of Gideon ( Judges 8:33 ). Gideon was succeeded for a brief time as ruler of Shechem by his son Abimelech. According to Louis Ginzberg 's Midrash anthology The Legends of the Jews : "Elated by

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732-455: Is known, aside from some family connections. Here are the names which start with A-K; for L-Z see there . Abagtha (Hebrew אֲבַגְתָא) was a court official or eunuch of king Ahasuerus who was commanded along with 6 other officials to parade queen Vashti to go before the king. ( Esther 1:10 ) The name Abda (Hebrew עַבְדָּא) means servant, or perhaps is an abbreviated form of servant of YHWH . There are two people by this name in

793-584: Is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew as an ancestor of Jesus . But this Abihud is not listed in the Old Testament . Abijah (Hebrew אֲבִיָּה "my father is YHWH") is the name of five minor biblical individuals : This name (possibly) appeared on the Gezer Calendar, a Paleo-Hebrew inscription dating to the 9th or 10th Century BC, making it one of the earliest if not the earliest Yahwistic theophoric names outside

854-482: Is minor biblical character in the book of Samuel and one of King David 's wives. Abital gave birth to David's fifth son, Shephatiah , a minor biblical character. The name Abitub or Abitob (Hebrew אֲבִיטוּב) appears only once in the Hebrew Bible , in 1 Chronicles 8:11 , where it is used for a character said to be the son of Shaharaim, in a section on the descendants of Benjamin . Achbor (Hebrew עַכְבּוֹר)

915-643: Is often identified as the Achsah the daughter of Caleb in the time of Joshua . See Achsa Hebrew : עָדָה ‎ , Modern :   ʿAda , Tiberian :   ʿĀḏā ; adornment The Order of the Eastern Star considers Adah also to be the name of the daughter of Jephthah , although the Bible does not name her. Adaiah (Hebrew עֲדָיָה, /əˈdeɪjə/) was the name of 8 biblical individuals: Mentioned only in Esther 9:8 , Adalia (Hebrew אֲדַלְיָא)

976-736: Is the fifth of the Persian noble Haman 's ten sons. Adalia was slain along with his nine siblings in Susa . In various manuscripts of the Septuagint, his name is given as Barsa, Barel, or Barea. Adbeel (Hebrew אַדְבְּאֵל "disciplined by God") Nadbeel or Idiba'ilu , was the third son of Ishmael out of twelve. ( Genesis 25:13 ) The name Adbeel is associated with the personal name and northwest tribe in Arabia known as Idiba'ilu . (Kenneth A. Mathews, 2005, p. 361) Addar (Hebrew אַדָּר), according to

1037-501: Is the name of 2 biblical individuals. In the Books of Kings This may be the same Achbor who is mentioned as the father of Elnathan (Hebrew אֶלְנָתָן) in the Book of Jeremiah 26:20–23 , and who lived in the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah . Achsa or Achsah (Hebrew עַכְסָה), was the daughter of Caleb or Chelubai the son of Hezron of the Tribe of Judah . ( 1 Chronicles 2:49 ) Though she

1098-478: Is the name of three Biblical characters. The name means "My father is help". The characters are: Abihail (Hebrew אֲבִיחָ֑יִל, "my father is might") may refer to one of five different people mentioned in the Bible: Abihud (Hebrew אֲבִיהֽוּד, "my father is majesty") was a figure mentioned in 1 Chronicles 8:3 as the son of Bela the son of Benjamin . He is also called Ahihud. Another individual named Abihud

1159-738: The Armenian Apostolic Church on July 30, and in the Roman Martyrology on September 26. In the Protestant Reformation , the Gideon narrative was employed in polemics against the Catholic clergy. Hans von Rüte 's Gideon (1540) compares the removal of saints' relics from churches to Gideon's destruction of Baal's altar. Gideons International is an American organization dedicated to Christian evangelism, founded in 1899, dedicated to

1220-482: The Hebrew Bible , was the son of Bela the son of Benjamin the eponymous founder of the tribe of Benjamin . He is briefly mentioned in 1 Chronicles 8:3 . See Eder Adiel (Hebrew עֲדִיאֵל) may refer to 3 people: Adin (Hebrew עָדִין) was the head of a family who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel in Ezra 2:15 8:6 . However, according to Nehemiah 7:20 , his descendants were 655, that is, completely divergent from

1281-563: The Hebrew Bible . Where the Masoretic Text has Abda, the Septuagint , depending on the location and manuscript, has names such as Abao, Ephra, Edram, Ioreb, Obeb, and Abdias. Abdeel (Hebrew עַבְדְּאֵל "servant of God"; akin to Arabic عبد الله Abdullah ) is mentioned in Jeremiah 36:26 as the father of Shelemiah , one of three men who were commanded by King Jehoiakim to seize

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1342-577: The Midianites , Amalekites and other Bedouin peoples harried Israel for seven years. God chose Gideon, a young man from the tribe of Manasseh , to free the people of Israel and to condemn their idolatry . The Angel of the Lord , or "the Lord's angelic messenger" came "in the character ... of a traveller who sat down in the shade [of the terebinth tree] to enjoy a little refreshment and repose" and entered into conversation with Gideon. The narrative has echoes of

1403-714: The Muwatta Imam Malik (hadith 1700) it is narrated that Jesus the son of Mary used to say, "O Children of Israel! You must drink pure water and the green things of the land and barley bread. Beware of wheat bread, for you will not be grateful enough for it." Another narration from Sahih Bukhari (5413) gives a detailed comparison between sifted, fine flour and unsifted flour for making barley bread: I asked Sahl bin Sa`d, "Did Allah's Messenger ever eat white flour?" Sahl said, "Allah's Messenger never saw white flour since Allah sent him as an Apostle till He took him unto Him." I asked, "Did

1464-573: The Second Temple period . According to this approach, the D source or (D) material has an overwhelming presence in Judges 6–8. The earlier source material used is present. However, the message and theological view has the style of the Deuteronomistic school of Authors. The core (Jahwist) narrative consists of Gideon wishing to avenge the death of his brothers, gathering 300 men of his own clan and pursuing

1525-600: The barley plant. In the British Isles it is a bread which dates back to the Iron Age . Today, barley flour is commonly blended (in a smaller proportion) with wheat flour to make conventional breadmaking flour. A loaf of barley bread features in a dream mentioned in Judges 7:13 : a Midianite man dreamt that "a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and

1586-801: The "Sword of Gideon" in a call for a pious and confident defense of the Old Swiss Confederacy against the threat of the Franco-Ottoman alliance . The Gideon narrative was invoked by Covenanter commander Archibald Strachan prior to Battle of Carbisdale (1650). The Gideon Force was a small British-led special force in the East African Campaign during World War II. El Junquito raid code-named Operation Gideon in 2018 and Operation Gideon (2020) were dissident military operations in Venezuela . A five-letter inscription appearing to represent

1647-468: The Bible that are in use among Jews, Protestants, and Roman Catholics. There is also one additional appearance in 1 Esdras, considered canonical in Eastern Orthodox Churches . According to Cheyne and Black (1899), the two occurrences in the Books of Chronicles refer to a single individual, and the references in Ezra and 1 Esdras are to a second individual. Abdiel (Hebrew עַבְדִּיאֵל)

1708-471: The Bible. In Genesis 10:28 , Abimael (Hebrew אֲבִֽימָאֵ֖ל) is the ninth of the 13 sons of Joktan , a descendant of Shem . He is also mentioned in 1 Chronicles 1:22 . Abimael means "God is a father." Abinadab (Hebrew אֲבִינָדָב "my father apportions" or "the father [ i.e. god of the clan] is munificent") refers to four biblical characters. Where the Hebrew text reads Avinadav , Greek manuscripts of

1769-593: The King of Getar. The ingratitude of the Israelites who permitted Abimelech to murder the children of their benefactor Gideon was counted unto them as though they had forsaken God; ingratitude is as grave a sin as idolatry; Yelammedenu in Yalkut II, 64." In the early twentieth century, the text of Judges 6 – 8 was regarded by the "critical school" as a composite narrative, combining Jahwist , Elohist and Deuteronomic sources, with further interpolations and editorial comments of

1830-466: The Midianite chiefs Zebah and Zalmunna, slaying them and consecrating an idol ( ephod ) made from the spoils of war, which makes his city of Ophrah the seat of an oracle and giving Gideon himself the status of a rich chief with a large harem (Judges 8:4–10a, 11–21, 24–27a, 29–32). However, other scholars see the story as a single narrative, whose author made allusions to various Pentateuchal passages that he

1891-417: The Midianites camped near the "Hill of Moreh". God informed Gideon that the men he had gathered were too many: with so many men, the Israelites might claim the victory as their own, rather than crediting God. God first instructed Gideon to send home those men who were afraid. Gideon invited any man who wanted to leave, to do so; 22,000 men returned home and 10,000 remained. God then told Gideon that this number

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1952-463: The Septuagint read Am(e)inadab or Abin . but Brenton 's translation of the Septuagint reads "Abinadab". Abinoam (Hebrew אֲבִינֹעַם) was the father of Barak the partner of Deborah . He is mentioned in the following passages: Judges 4:6,12 and Judges 5:1,12 . Abiram (Hebrew אֲבִירָם) was the firstborn of Hiel the Beth-elite mentioned in 1 Kings 16:34 . Abishua (Hebrew אֲבִישׁוּעַ)

2013-503: The byname of Jerubbaal from his father: Therefore on that day he (Joash) called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar. Gideon then sent out messengers to gather men from the tribes of Asher , Zebulun , and Naphtali , as well as his own tribe of Manasseh, in order to meet an armed force of Midian and Amalek that had crossed the Jordan River . Gideon's force encamped at En Harod , while

2074-456: The deed himself. Gideon then killed Zebah and Zalmunna as justice for the death of his brothers ( Judges 8:19–21 ). The place where Gideon slew Oreb after the defeat of the Midianites was called the Rock of Oreb . It was probably the place now called Orbo, on the east of Jordan, near Bethshean . Zeeb was killed at "the wine press of Zeeb". The Israelites invited Gideon to become their king and to found

2135-572: The descendants in Ezra as 454. He is also found in Nehemiah 10:16 as one who signed Nehemiah's covenant. In 1 Chronicles 11:42 , Adina (Hebrew עֲדִינָא lit. Slender) is listed as one of the "mighty men" of David 's army. Adina was the son of a chief of the Reubenites named Shiza. Adino (Hebrew עֲדִינוֹ) was an Eznite and one of David 's mighty men. ( 2 Samuel 23:8 ) He is identified with Jashobeam and

2196-413: The distribution of free Bibles. The organization's logo represents a two-handled pitcher and torch, symbolizing the implements used by Gideon to scare the Midianite army. The Gideons International , an evangelical Christian organization known for distributing Bibles, takes its name from Gideon: "Gideon was a man who was willing to do exactly what God wanted him to do, regardless of his own judgment as to

2257-626: The edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Gideon is regarded as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic Church . He is also commemorated, together with the other righteous figures of the Old Testament, on the Sunday before Christmas (Fourth Sunday of Advent ). He is commemorated as one of the Saints of

2318-510: The enemy camp. He instructed them to blow the trumpet, give a battle cry and light torches, simulating an attack by a large force. As they did so, the Midianite army fled. Gideon sent messengers ahead into Israel calling for the Ephraimites to pursue the retreating Midianites and two of their leaders, Oreb and Zeeb . Gideon and the three hundred pursued Zebah and Zalmunna , the two Midianite kings. When he had asked for provisions in his pursuit,

2379-500: The first-born of the Egyptians, and Israel went forth from slavery with joyous hearts?" God appeared unto him, and said: "Thou who art courageous enough to champion Israel, thou art worthy that Israel should be saved for thy sake." To explain why the men who brought water to their mouths with their hands were not chosen to fight, while the 300 who lapped the water directly or bowed down were chosen, some writers explain that lapping directly

2440-443: The idols of Midian were mightier than God, and God chastised them by delivering them into the hands of the Midianites. They worshipped their own images reflected in the water, and they were stricken with dire poverty. They could not bring so much as a meal offering, the offering of the poor. On the eve of one Passover, Gideon uttered the complaint: "Where are all the wondrous works which God did for our fathers in this night, when he slew

2501-430: The meeting between Abraham and the visitors who came to him in the terebinths of Mamre and promised Abraham and Sarah , in their old age, that they would have a son ( Genesis 18:1–15 ). The angel greeted Gideon: "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!" Gideon requested proof of God's will by three miracles: firstly a sign from the angel, in which the angel appeared to Gideon and caused fire to shoot up out of

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2562-412: The men of Succoth and Peniel refused and taunted Gideon. After capturing the two kings, Gideon punished the men of Succoth, and pulled down the tower of Peniel killing all the men there. Gideon invited his eldest son, Jether , to slay Zebah and Zalmunna, but being still young at the time, he did not have the confidence to carry out his father's request, so Zebah and Zalmunna called on Gideon to perform

2623-489: The name Gideon, Biblical scholar Simon John DeVries (1975) suggests the etymology "driver". The "besheth" part of the name "Jerubbesheth" ( 2 Samuel 11:21 ) means "shame". This a pious editorialization of "Baal", as is also found in the names of Saul's son Ish-bosheth and grandson Mephibosheth . As is the pattern throughout the Book of Judges , the Israelites again turned away from Yahweh after 40 years of peace brought by Deborah 's victory over Canaan ; as punishment,

2684-582: The name Jerubbaal (another name used in the Hebrew Bible for Gideon) was discovered on a 3100-year old fragment of a jug in Israel. According to Smithsonian Magazine, "the artifact's age lines up with the time period depicted in the Book of Judges." Joash the Abiezrite This article contains persons named in the Bible , specifically in the Hebrew Bible , of minor notability, about whom little or nothing

2745-414: The name Jerubbaal, or Yeruba'al. The nineteenth-century Strong's Concordance derives the name "Jerubbaal" from "Baal will contend", in accordance with the folk etymology, given in Judges 6:32 . According to biblical scholar Lester Grabbe (2007), "[Judges] 6.32 gives a nonsensical etymology of his name; it means something like 'Let Baal be great. ' " Likewise, where Strong gave the meaning " hewer " to

2806-486: The name does not occur in other translations in the Bible . Ginsburg offers a corrected form taken substantially from the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles 11:11: "Jashobeam a son of a Hachmonite, chief of the captains; he lifted up his spear." This is plausible, and is very generally accepted, and eliminates the names Adino and Eznite, which do not occur elsewhere in the Bible. Some of the facts are against this. The Septuagint has

2867-402: The names Adino and Eznite. The Latin finds no proper names in the passage, but so translates the words as to presuppose the Hebrew text as we have it. It may be a case for suspended judgment. Adlai is in Hebrew עַדְלָי, meaning "refuge". In 1 Chronicles 27:29 , he is the father of Shaphat. He is mentioned only in this verse. Mentioned only in Esther 1:14 , Admatha (Hebrew אַדְמָ֣תָא)

2928-407: The other sons of his father. But God is just. As Abimelech murdered his brothers upon a stone, so Abimelech himself met his death through a millstone. It was proper, then, that Jotham, in his parable, should compare Abimelech to a thorn-bush, while he characterized his predecessors, Othniel, Deborah, and Gideon, as an olive-tree, or a fig-tree, or a vine. This Jotham, the youngest of the sons of Gideon,

2989-456: The plans or results. Humility, faith, and obedience were his great elements of character. This is the standard that The Gideons International is trying to establish in all its members, each man to be ready to do God's will at any time, at any place, and in any way that the Holy Spirit leads." The origin of the phrase "putting out a fleece" is a reference to the story of Gideon meaning to look for

3050-551: The prophet Jeremiah and his secretary Baruch . The Septuagint omits the phrase "and Shelemiah son of Abdeel", probably a scribal error due to homoioteleuton . The name Abdi (Hebrew עַבְדִּי) is probably an abbreviation of Obediah, meaning "servant of YHWH ", according to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia . Easton's Bible Encyclopedia , on the other hand, holds that it means "my servant". The name "Abdi" appears three times in forms of

3111-571: The religion of Yahweh in later centuries. In the New Testament , Gideon is mentioned in chapter 11 of the Epistle to the Hebrews as an example of a man of faith, one of several "heroes of faith" mentioned there: Time would fail me to tell of Gideon [and others] who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped

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3172-500: The religious context of connecting Yahweh with the shrine at Ophrah. G. A. Cooke , writing in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes the discontinuity between Ephraimite anger towards Gideon shown in Judges 8:1–3 and the proposition of kingship over [all] Israel, and therefore concludes that "these verses appear to come from a [secondary] source". According to Yairah Amit , Mark S. Smith , and Simon John De Vries ,

3233-494: The tent collapsed"; Israelite leader Gideon overheard an account of the dream and concluded that he was assured of victory over the Midianites. Loaves made of barley feature in the story of the feeding of the 5000 in John's Gospel in the New Testament ( John 6:9 ). It is mentioned in Islamic sources as a commoner's food in comparison with wheat bread, perceived as a luxury item. In

3294-414: The use of both names "Gideon" and "Jerubbaal" reflects two originally independent sets of stories combined by an editor who wishes them to be seen as referring to a single character. The name Jerubbaal given to Gideon is originally a theophoric name meaning "Baal strives", but it was later given the interpretation of "let Baal strive against him" in order to avoid conflict with the more rigorous development of

3355-401: The victory over Sisera, Israel sang a hymn of praise, the song of Deborah, and God, to reward them for their pious sentiments, pardoned the transgression of the people. But they soon slipped back into the old ways, and the old troubles harassed them. Their back-sliding was due to the witchcraft of a Midianite priest named Aud. He made the sun shine at midnight, and so convinced the Israelites that

3416-449: Was familiar with. The story also contains consistent thematic elements which suggest a unified composition. Emil G. Hirsch alleged a historical nucleus in the narrative, reflecting the struggle of the tribe of Manasseh with hostile Bedouins across the Jordan, along with "reminiscences of tribal jealousies on the part of Ephraim" in the early period of Hebrew settlement, later conflated with

3477-557: Was more than a teller of parables. He knew then that long afterward the Samaritans would claim sanctity for Mount Gerizim, on account of the blessing pronounced from it upon the tribe. For this reason he chose Gerizim from which to hurl his curse upon Shechem and it inhabitants.""Tan B 1 103. The parable of Jotham is said to refer to the prominent judges: Othniel [=Olive tree], Deborah [=fig tree], Gideon [=vine], and Elimelech [=bramble]. Tan. also states that Abimelech reigned for three years, as

3538-418: Was paid to it as an idol. In those days the Israelites were so addicted to the worship of Beelzebub that they constantly carried small images of this god with them in their pockets, and every now and then they were in the habit of bringing the image forth and kissing it fervently. Of such idolaters were the vain and light fellows who helped Abimelech, the son of Gideon by his concubine from Shechem, to assassinate

3599-411: Was still too many, and instructed Gideon to bring the men to the water to drink. God commanded Gideon to separate those who had bowed down on their knees to drink like dogs, and those who lapped the water from their hands. Only the 300 men who had lapped the water from their cupped hands were allowed to remain. During the night, God instructed Gideon to approach the Midianite camp. There, Gideon overheard

3660-424: Was the name of 2 minor biblical individuals found in the Hebrew Bible . According to the Hebrew Bible, Abishur or Abishur ben Shammai (Hebrew אֲבִישׁוּר) was the spouse of Abihail, and the father of Molin and Ahban. He was directly from the tribe of Judah as the son of Shammai the son of Onam the great-great-grandson of Judah. ( 1 Chronicles 2:28–29 ) In 2 Samuel 3:4 , Abital ( Hebrew : אֲבִיטַל ’Ăḇîṭāl )

3721-540: Was the son of Guni and the father of Ahi according to 1 Chronicles 5:15 . He came from the tribe of Gad ; A Gadite who lived in Gilead or in Bashan, and whose name was reckoned in genealogies of the time of Jotham , king of Judah , or of Jeroboam II king of Israel . Abdon (Hebrew עַבְדּוֹן from עָבַד "to serve") is the name of four biblical individuals. It is a diminutive form of the name Ebed. In addition to its use as

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