Judges 6:30

Jdg 6:30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that [was] by it.

Ver. 30. Bring out thy son, that he may die.] Idolatry is bloody, as the experience of all ages testifieth. How Nebuchadnezzar dealt by those who would not worship his golden gods, and how the king of Persia handled Abdas, the bishop who had overturned his idol temple, A.D. 413, I need not relate. The memorable story of William Gardiner, an English martyr in Portugal, who had both his hands cut off, and was afterwards burnt to ashes, for overturning the chalice at Mass, and treading under foot the breaden god, may be read in Mr Foxe’s "Martyrology," fol. 1242; and so may the story of William Flower, who, for like cause here in England, had first his hand held up against the stake where he was burned, and stricken off. {a} John Clark, of Melda, for testifying against the Pope’s pardons, and calling him Antichrist, was whipped and branded with a hot iron. But the next year, A.D. 1524, for breaking down the images without the town, which the superstitious Papists were the next day to have worshipped, he had first his right hand chopped off, and after that his nose pulled off with pinchers, and then his two arms and his two breasts torn from his body with the same instrument. Amidst his greatest torments he cried out, "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands." When they had tired themselves torturing of him, they burnt his body with fire. {b}

{a} Act. and Mon., 1427.

{b} Scultet., Annal.

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.

Verse 30. The men of the city said] They all felt an interest in the continuance of rites in which they had often many sensual gratifications. Baal and Ashtaroth would have more worshippers than the true God, because their rites were more adapted to the fallen nature of man.

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

(30) The men of the city said unto Joash.—It is difficult to conceive that these could have been Israelites (see on Jdg_6:27).

Bring out thy son, that he may die.—For the phrase, see Gen_38:24; 1Ki_21:10; Luk_19:27.

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

30. Bring out thy son] If the father gave up his son there would be no blood-feud.

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 Joash said unto all that stood against him,.... Against his son; that were his accusers and adversaries, and required him to be given up to them, that they might put him to death:

will ye plead for Baal? what, Israelites, and plead for Baal! or what need is there for this, cannot he plead for himself?

will ye save him? what, take upon you to save your god! cannot he save himself? he ought to save both himself and you, if he is a god, and not you save him:

he that will plead for him, let him be put to death, while it is yet morning; immediately, before noon, for it was now morning when they came to him; this he said to terrify them, and to express the hatred he now had of idolatry, and the just sense of its being punishable with death by the law of God. This he may be supposed to say, to save his son from their present wrath and fury, hoping by that time to find out some ways and means for his safety:

if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar; if he is a god, he knows who has done it, and is able to avenge himself on him, and put him to death himself that has done it, and therefore leave it with him to plead his own cause, and avenge his own injuries; this he said, deriding the deity; for though Joash had been a worshipper of Baal, yet he might be now convinced by his son of the sinfulness of it, and of the necessity of a reformation, in order to a deliverance from the Midianites, for which he had a commission, and had perhaps informed his father of it; or however he was not so attached to Baal, but that he preferred the life of his son to the worship of him.

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

Bring. Parents took cognizance of the evil actions done in their family. The citizens require Joas to punish his son, or to deliver him up to them. On the same principle, the Israelites insisted that the tribes of Benjamin should not neglect to punish the citizens of Gabaa; and the Philistines demand Samson, chap. xv. 12., and xx. 13. Cato advised that Cæsar should be given up to the Germans, whom he had unjustly invaded; and the Gauls would not be satisfied, unless the Fabii should be abandoned unto them. (Grotius, Jur. ii. 21, 4.[24?]) (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).

30. That he may die — Such sacrilege, in their judgment, deserved immediate death.

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

They said - Probably some of the persons employed in it.

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

he may be put to death

This can be stated in active form. AT: "we may kill him as punishment" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

Joash

son

die

altar

Baal

Asherah

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