Judges 6:27

Jdg 6:27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and [so] it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do [it] by day, that he did [it] by night.

Ver. 27. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants.] Who were religious as himself in those corrupt times, and yielded to run the same hazard with him. So that devout centurion had a "devout soldier waiting upon him." {Act 10:7} He "feared God with all his house." {Act 10:2}

That he did it by night.] In executing God’s commands that cannot be done without danger, it is not unlawful to go the wisest way to work, and to proceed in a prudential manner; yea, it is Et licitum et laude dignum, both lawful and commendable.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jdg 6:27. Then Gideon took ten men — Whom doubtless he had acquainted with his design, and the assurance of success in it, whereby they were easily induced to assist him. He feared — Not so much lest he should suffer for it, as lest he should be prevented from doing it.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 27. He feared his father's household] So it appears that his father was an idolater: but as Gideon had ten men of his own servants whom he could trust in this matter, it is probable that he had preserved the true faith, and had not bowed his knee to the image of Baal.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(27) Ten men of his servants.—This shows Gideon’s independent position, and also that he had tried to keep his own household free from the guilt of idolatry amid the all but universal defection.

His father’s household.—The Abi-ezrites.

The men of the city.—Of whom many may have been of Canaanite race.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

27. ten men of his servants] Clearly Gideon and his family held a position of consequence in the village.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when the men of the city arose early in the morning,.... And came to the place where the altar of Baal, his grove and image, were, to pay their morning devotions to him: behold:

the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built; upon the new altar that Gideon built, and which very probably was burning when they came: and it is very likely that the place, where the altar of Baal had stood, was not far from the rock where this new altar was erected.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The mention of the “men of the city” by the side of Gideon’s “father’s household” suggests the probability of their being a remnant of the Canaanite population, and the special patrons of Baal-worship.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

House, his relations and fellow-citizens, (Calmet) who were addicted to idolatry. Prudence dictated that he should do this privately, lest he might be prevented by them. They would soon perceive the weakness of their idols. Yet some of the servants, or others who had been on the watch, disclosed to the idolaters that Gedeon had done the daring deed, unless perhaps they accused him on suspicion, as his enmity to that worship could not be concealed. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Doubtless he had acquainted the ten men with his design, and the assurance of success in it, whereby they were easily induced to assist him, if not sincerely, yet for the expectation of advantage to themselves by it.

Because he feared; not so much lest he should suffer for it, for he knew very well the doing it by night with so many hands could not hinder the discovery, and consequently the punishment of it; but lest he should be prevented from doing it.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

27. He feared his father’s household — He knew their devotion to the Baal worship, and that they would regard the overthrow of Baal’s altar as most impious sacrilege.

He could not do it by day — He had reason to expect that he would be hindered from doing it if he attempted it by daylight. The angel did not command him to do it that same night; but, for the reason here given, he himself decided to set about it at once.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then, i.e. the next night. He would have done it the next day; but even his father"s household, as well as the men of Ophrah generally, were so infected with the idolatry of the times, that he was afraid of being interrupted by violence.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ten men - Whom doubtless he had acquainted with his design, and the assurance of success in it, whereby they were easily induced to assist him. He feared - Not so much, lest he should suffer for it, as lest he should be prevented from doing it.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

did as Yahweh had told him

This refers to Yahweh's command in Judges 6:25-26.

translationWords

Gideon

servant

Yahweh

fear

ancestor

household

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.