Gideon (judge)

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The judges of Israel
Book of Judges

1. Book of Samuel

Gideon kills the Midianite kings Sebach and Salmunna, Codex Vatopedinus, 13th century.
"Gideon thanks God for the thawing miracle", painting by Maarten van Heemskerck ( Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg )

Gideon (nicknamed Jerubbaal ) is an Old Testament judge . It appears in the Book of Judges 6.11–8.35 EU .

etymology

The name Gideon ( Hebrew גִּדְעוֹן gid'ōn ) is derived from the Hebrew verb root גדע gd ' "to cut off (something)". The name means “the one who chops away”, in the broadest sense “hacker, lumberjack, destroyer”. In the Septuagint the name is rendered with γεδεων gedeōn .

In Ri 6,32  EU Gideon is given the surname Jerubbaal ( Hebrew יְרֻבַּעַל, in the Septuagint ιαρβααλ iarbaal ). This consists of the verb rbb "to be numerous" and the name of the deity Ba'al and means "Ba'al is great". In 2 Sam 11.21  EU , instead of the name Jerubbaal in the Hebrew Bible, the name Jerubbeschet ( Hebrew יְרֻבֶּשֶׁת). Beschet or Boschet "be embarrassed / ashamed" is derived from the verb בושׁ and means "shame". So the name can be translated as “Big is the shame”.

According to a theory by Abraham Geiger , names that could be associated with the alien deity Baal were subsequently changed. The same phenomenon can also be seen to a larger extent with the names Esch-Baal (changed to Isch-Boschet ) and Merib-Baal (changed to Mefiboschet).

Biblical narration

Calling and fighting against the Baal cult

Gideon, son of Joasch, was called by YHWH through an angel to deliver the Israelites from the yoke of the Midianites .

According to the biblical story , he asked God to confirm his commission with a sign and placed a fleece on the threshing floor that was supposed to be wet with the dew overnight . The next morning he actually found the fleece in the otherwise dry environment wetted by dew ( Ri 6,36-40  EU ). Bernhard von Clairvaux used this parable as an allegory for the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit in the symbolism of Mary .

On divine instruction, Gideon tore down the altar and the cult pillar of the Baal cult.

"That is why Gideon was called Jerubbaal from that day - that is, Baal may fight against him - because he has torn down his altar"

- Judges 6,32  EU

Battle against the Midianites

To prevent the Israelites from seeing the impending victory as their own achievement, God first commanded Gideon to send home anyone who was "afraid and despondent." Since the number of fighters was still too high after that, God commanded Gideon to lead the Israelites to the water and only take away those who drank by scooping with their hands instead of lying on the ground. So finally only remained three hundred men left ( Ri 7.2 to 7  EU ).

When Gideon and his men were near the Midianite camp, the LORD ordered him to go down to it to strengthen him for his task. He was allowed to take his servant Pura with him. There they heard a Midianite telling another about his dream, in which a loaf of barley bread rolled down to the Midianite camp, hit the tent and caused it to collapse. The other Midianite interprets this dream to mean that God has given the Midianites Gideon into the hands of (the barley bread symbolizes the Israelite farmers, while the tent stands for the nomadic Midianites; Judges 7: 9-14  EU ).

On his return to the Israelite camp he divided the three hundred men into three armies and gave each a trumpet (ram's horn, which emits a piercing sound) in one hand and a torch hidden in an empty clay jug in the other hand. At his signal, the Israelites broke their clay jars and blew the trumpets. As a result, panic broke out in the Midianite camp and the Midianites fled in a chaotic manner ( Judges 7.15–22  EU ).

After defeating the Midianites

After the victory over the Midianites, Gideon refused the royal dignity, but asked his people to give him part of the captured gold of the Midianites, from which he made an efod , apparently an idol , for it goes on to say: “And all Israel floated there with it Idolatry. That brought Gideon and his house down ”( Jud. 8.27  EU ).

Gideon died of old age in his hometown Ofra in Benjamin. After his death, the Baal cult comes back to life ( Judges 8,32–33  EU ). His son Abimelech finally seized the royal rule rejected by Gideon ( RiEU ).

Sons of Gideon

Gideon had 70 sons. Abimelech, the son of a concubine from Shechem ( Ri 8,30–31  EU ) is mentioned in particular . In Judges 9: 1-4  EU it is described how Abimelech went to Shechem to his mother's brothers and won them over to become the sole successor of Gideon. With the help of unscrupulous men, he killed his 70 brothers.

“Then he went into his father's house in Ofra and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on the same stone. Only Jotam , the youngest son of Jerubbaal, remained because he was in hiding. "

- ( judges 9,5  EU )

Then Abimelech is anointed king.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Gideon  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Stuttgart Explanatory Bible. 2nd Edition. German Bible Society , Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-438-01121-2 , p. 315f
predecessor Office successor
Debora and Barak Judge Abimelech