What Does Judges 6:16 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 Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man." Judges 6:16, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"“Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”" Judges 6:16, 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 6:14 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?
Judges 6:15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
Judges 6:16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
Judges 6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
Judges 6:18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
A conversation built on it
Gideon never stopped being the least in his family — he just stopped letting that be the whole story. What made the difference wasn't his confidence, it was Whose presence he was standing in.
Questions people ask
What does Judges 6:16 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: ““Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”” The King James rendering most people know is: “And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.”
What is the context of Judges 6:16?
The verses immediately around it read: (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? (Judges 6:15) And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. (Judges 6:16) And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. (Judges 6:17) And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. (Judges 6:18) Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
How is Judges 6:16 used in a conversation about this?
Gideon never stopped being the least in his family — he just stopped letting that be the whole story. What made the difference wasn't his confidence, it was Whose presence he was standing in.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
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