The Meaning of Judges 6:25 Explained

Judges 6:25

KJV: And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:

YLT: And it cometh to pass, on that night, that Jehovah saith to him, 'Take the young ox which is to thy father, and the second bullock of seven years, and thou hast thrown down the altar of Baal which is to thy father, and the shrine which is by it thou dost cut down,

Darby: That night the LORD said to him, "Take your father's bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Ba'al which your father has, and cut down the Ashe'rah that is beside it;

ASV: And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said unto him, Take thy father's bullock, even the second bullock seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the Asherah that is by it;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it came to pass the same night,  that the LORD  said  unto him, Take  thy father's  young  bullock,  even the second  bullock  of seven  years old,  and throw down  the altar  of Baal  that thy father  hath, and cut down  the grove  that [is] by it: 

What does Judges 6:25 Mean?

Study Notes

grove
See, Deuteronomy 16:21 .
Groves
Groves, like high places, have been associated with idolatrous worship from time immemorial. The Heb. asherah, trans. grove means also the idol enshrined there. Deuteronomy 16:21 . This idol seems often to have been a sacred tree, the figure of which is constantly found on Assyrian monuments. In apostate Israel, however, such groves were associated with every form of idolatry, e.g. 2 Kings 17:16 ; 2 Kings 17:17 .
(See Scofield " 1 Kings 3:2 ") and Ashtaroth See Scofield " Judges 2:13 ".

Context Summary

Judges 6:19-27 - Face To Face With The Angel Of Jehovah
Gideon realized the momentous character of that interview. He only wanted to be sure that it was no dream or fancy, and so hence the proposal of the flesh and broth. As the fire started forth at the Angel's touch, he knew that the veil of the unseen world had been rent to send him direction and help. At first he was startled, and then the peace of God fell upon his soul. He heard the Voice that uttered a similar benediction in Daniel 10:19 and John 20:26. The peace of God henceforth kept His heart and mind.
On Gideon's side, God required an act of immediate obedience: the destruction-though they stood on his father's property-of the hideous emblems of cruel and unclean rites and the substitution of an altar to the Lord. Ten of his household servants, beneath the spell of his personality, aided him in this heroic deed, which exposed him to disownment by his family and the forfeiture of his life by the townsfolk. God demands that we should love Him best, Luke 14:26-27; Luke 14:33. But when our heart is perfect toward Him, He shows Himself strong in our behalf, 2 Chronicles 16:9. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 6

1  The Israelites for their sin are oppressed by Midian
8  A prophet rebukes them
11  An angel sends Gideon for their deliverance
17  Gideon's present is consumed with fire
24  Gideon destroys Baal's altar; offers a sacrifice upon the altar Jehovah-shalom
28  Joash defends his son, and calls him Jerubbaal
33  Gideon's army
36  Gideon's signs

What do the individual words in Judges 6:25 mean?

And it came to pass night that said to him Yahweh take - - young bull that of your father and bull of the second seven years old and tear down the altar of Baal your father has and the wooden image that [is] beside it cut down
וַיְהִי֮ בַּלַּ֣יְלָה הַהוּא֒ וַיֹּ֧אמֶר ל֣וֹ יְהוָ֗ה קַ֤ח אֶת־ פַּר־ הַשּׁוֹר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְאָבִ֔יךָ וּפַ֥ר הַשֵּׁנִ֖י שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֑ים וְהָרַסְתָּ֗ מִזְבַּ֤ח הַבַּ֙עַל֙ לְאָבִ֔יךָ וְאֶת־ הָאֲשֵׁרָ֥ה אֲשֶׁר־ עָלָ֖יו תִּכְרֹֽת

וַיְהִי֮  And  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בַּלַּ֣יְלָה  night 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
הַהוּא֒  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ל֣וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
יְהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
קַ֤ח  take 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
פַּר־  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פַּר  
Sense: .
הַשּׁוֹר֙  young  bull 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֹׁור  
Sense: ox, bull, a head of cattle.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לְאָבִ֔יךָ  of  your  father 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וּפַ֥ר  and  bull 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פַּר  
Sense: .
הַשֵּׁנִ֖י  of  the  second 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: שֵׁנִי  
Sense: second.
שֶׁ֣בַע  seven 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: שֶׁבַע  
Sense: seven (cardinal number).
שָׁנִ֑ים  years  old 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
וְהָרַסְתָּ֗  and  tear  down 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: הָרַס  
Sense: to tear down, break down, overthrow, beat down, break, break through, destroy, pluck down, pull down, throw down, ruined, destroyer, utterly.
מִזְבַּ֤ח  the  altar 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
הַבַּ֙עַל֙  of  Baal 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּעַל  
Sense: supreme male divinity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites.
לְאָבִ֔יךָ  your  father  has 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
הָאֲשֵׁרָ֥ה  the  wooden  image 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲשֵׁרָה  
Sense: a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images.
אֲשֶׁר־  that  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עָלָ֖יו  beside  it 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
תִּכְרֹֽת  cut  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: כָּרַת  
Sense: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.