Judges 6:40 kjv
And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Judges 6:40 nkjv
And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
Judges 6:40 niv
That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
Judges 6:40 esv
And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.
Judges 6:40 nlt
So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.
Judges 6 40 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 8:22 | "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat... shall not cease." | God's established order for natural phenomena. |
| Exod 8:10 | "Tomorrow... the frogs shall be removed from you..." | God answering a specific request/demonstrating control. |
| Num 17:8 | "...the staff of Aaron... had sprouted..." | Divine confirmation through a miraculous sign. |
| Deut 33:13 | "Blessed of the LORD be his land... with the choicest gifts of the dew..." | Dew as a symbol of divine blessing and provision. |
| Job 38:28 | "Does the rain have a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew?" | God's exclusive control over natural elements. |
| Psa 65:5 | "By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness..." | God's mighty acts in response to prayer. |
| Psa 133:3 | "...like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!" | Dew symbolizing refreshing and unity. |
| Psa 147:16 | "He gives snow like wool; He scatters frost like ashes." | God's sovereignty over weather and elements. |
| Isa 7:14 | "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign..." | God providing a sign to strengthen faith. |
| Isa 38:7-8 | "This is the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing he has spoken..." | A sign for confirmation of God's word. |
| Jer 14:22 | "Are there any among the idols of the nations who can bring rain?..." | Only God controls dew and rain; polemic against idols. |
| Hos 14:5 | "I will be like the dew to Israel..." | God as a source of revitalization and life. |
| Joel 2:23 | "...He sends down for you the autumn rain, the spring rain..." | God sending appropriate rain, sign of His faithfulness. |
| Zech 8:12 | "...for the seed will be prosperous, the vine will yield its fruit... and the heavens will give their dew." | Dew associated with prosperity and divine favor. |
| Matt 7:7-8 | "Ask, and it will be given to you..." | Encouragement to ask God in prayer. |
| Luke 11:9-10 | "And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you..." | Further emphasis on prayer and God's answers. |
| Heb 11:6 | "...whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." | God's reward for seeking Him, even imperfectly. |
| Jas 1:5 | "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all..." | God grants wisdom when asked, relevant for Gideon's fear. |
| 1 Cor 1:27 | "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise..." | God uses the weak (like Gideon) for His purposes. |
| Rom 2:4 | "...God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" | God's patience and kindness even with our weaknesses. |
| Judg 6:13 | "If the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?" | Gideon's initial doubts and questions. |
| Judg 6:36-39 | "Gideon said to God, 'If you will save Israel by my hand...'" | The narrative of the fleece tests leading to v.40. |
| Judg 7:9-11 | "The same night the LORD said to him... 'Go down against the camp... you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened...'" | God provides further assurance for Gideon before battle. |
Judges 6 verses
Judges 6 40 Meaning
Judges 6:40 records God's precise and immediate fulfillment of Gideon's second specific request for a miraculous sign. Following the previous night's test where only the fleece was wet with dew, Gideon asked for the reverse: for the fleece to be dry and all the surrounding ground to be wet. This verse signifies that God perfectly accommodated Gideon's hesitations and strengthened his faith, affirming His call and sovereign control over creation. It cemented the divine confirmation needed for Gideon to lead Israel against their oppressors.
Judges 6 40 Context
Judges 6:40 marks the climax of Gideon's unique, divinely permitted tests for confirmation. The surrounding chapter depicts Israel suffering under severe Midianite oppression due to their idolatry. God calls Gideon, an unlikely and initially timid individual, to deliver His people. Overwhelmed by the task and his own sense of inadequacy, Gideon repeatedly seeks explicit confirmation from God. Before this verse, Gideon had already experienced an angelic visitation and an altar consumed by fire, yet he remained hesitant. The two fleece tests, where he asks for specific and opposing miraculous signs involving dew on a wool fleece, are recorded immediately prior to this verse. God's exact fulfillment of these seemingly peculiar requests—especially the reversal in Judges 6:40—served not as a test of God by Gideon's defiance, but as God’s condescending patience to strengthen Gideon's wavering faith, ensuring he was fully convinced of God's power and presence before leading Israel into battle against the overwhelming Midianite forces. This historical period was characterized by cycles of disobedience, oppression, and God raising up judges to restore order and faith.
Judges 6 40 Word analysis
And God did so (וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים כֵּן – vayya‘as ’Elohim ken):
- vayya‘as: The verb "did" in the consecutive imperfect form highlights an immediate and decisive action. It signifies that God was the active agent in bringing about the miracle, not a natural phenomenon or coincidence.
- ’Elohim: This common Hebrew term for God, emphasizing His universal power as the Creator and Sovereign over all things, including the natural order. It underscodewd His complete authority to manipulate dew and dryness.
- ken: Meaning "so" or "thus," indicates the precise and meticulous fulfillment of Gideon's request, demonstrating God's attention to detail and faithfulness.
that night (בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא – ballayla hahu): This specific temporal phrase confirms the immediate execution of the second miraculous sign, happening the very next night after the first fleece test. It reinforces God's direct and timely response to Gideon's specific plea.
He made the fleece dry (וַיְהִי הַגִּזָּה יְבֵשָׁה – vayhi haggizza y’vesha):
- haggizza: Refers specifically to "the fleece," the woolen object Gideon used for the test. Its natural tendency is to absorb and retain moisture, making its complete dryness amidst wet ground an even more striking reversal.
- y’vesha: Means "dry," indicating the precise condition Gideon requested for the fleece.
and all the ground was covered with dew (וְעַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ טַל הָיָה – ve‘al kol ha’aretz tal haya):
- kol ha’aretz: Signifies "all the ground" or "all the surrounding area," implying a wide expanse. This demonstrates the localized miracle of the dry fleece amidst a generally dew-soaked landscape, removing any possibility of natural explanation for Gideon’s observations.
- tal haya: "Dew was." Dew in the Bible is often associated with divine blessing, freshness, and the Spirit. Here, its pervasive presence on the ground contrasted sharply with the dry fleece, affirming God's power over even the minutest natural occurrences.
Words-group Analysis:
- "And God did so that night": This phrase underlines God's unwavering faithfulness and patience in responding to a human being's repeated requests for confirmation, even when faith is hesitant. It portrays God as actively engaged in the specific details of His people's needs.
- "He made the fleece dry and all the ground was covered with dew": This complete reversal of the previous night's miracle serves as an irrefutable sign from God. The highly unnatural occurrence of a dry wool fleece on wet ground defied typical atmospheric conditions. This not only provided an unmistakable sign to Gideon but also implicitly challenged pagan beliefs in local deities, like Baal, who were thought to control weather and fertility. By precisely controlling dew, God demonstrates His exclusive, unchallenged supremacy over nature.
Judges 6 40 Bonus section
The method Gideon chose for his tests (the fleece) highlights God's willingness to engage with an individual's specific needs for reassurance, even using mundane objects. Wool is known for its absorbency, making the manipulation of moisture on it particularly noteworthy. This episode does not encourage believers to routinely "test God" but demonstrates God's unique accommodation for Gideon's acute lack of confidence, stemming from a challenging spiritual and national climate. The divine patience with Gideon contrasts sharply with the swift consequences of challenging God's authority in other biblical accounts, emphasizing that Gideon's requests came from a place of genuine, albeit wavering, desire to confirm God's will for a monumental mission. The ultimate purpose was to confirm His promise, not to entertain doubt.
Judges 6 40 Commentary
Judges 6:40 succinctly concludes Gideon's critical, doubt-ridden testing of God's resolve and power. In an astonishing display of condescending grace, God meticulously fulfills Gideon’s exact and reversed request for a sign involving the fleece. This second test, with the fleece uniquely dry amidst a dew-covered ground, amplified the miraculous nature of God’s intervention, as it contravened the natural properties of wool. It was not God pandering to an impudent challenge but patiently providing the irrefutable conviction needed to transform a timid individual into the courageous leader Israel desperately needed. The dual nature of the sign (first wet, then dry, opposite the ground) eliminated any claim of natural coincidence, thereby preparing Gideon for the immense task ahead, instilling trust where fear and skepticism had resided.