What Does Judges 6:12 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." Judges 6:12, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”" Judges 6:12, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
Judges 6:10 And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
Judges 6:11 And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi–ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
Judges 6:12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
Judges 6:13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
Judges 6:14 And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
A conversation built on it
Gideon asked for a sign. Then another sign. Then another. And God didn't scold him for doubting. He answered every single fleece. If you need to ask again, ask. He'd rather have an honest doubter than a pretend believer.
Questions people ask
What does Judges 6:12 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: “And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”” The King James rendering most people know is: “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”
What is the context of Judges 6:12?
The verses immediately around it read: (Judges 6:10) And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice. (Judges 6:11) And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi–ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. (Judges 6:12) And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. (Judges 6:13) And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. (Judges 6:14) And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
How is Judges 6:12 used in a conversation about this?
Gideon asked for a sign. Then another sign. Then another. And God didn't scold him for doubting. He answered every single fleece. If you need to ask again, ask. He'd rather have an honest doubter than a pretend believer.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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