And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

JUDGES 6:11KJV
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Judges 6:11 (KJV)

What does Judges 6:11 mean?

Judges 6:11 describes how an angel sent by God appears and sits under an oak tree in Ophrah, a place belonging to Joash the Abiezrite, while Joash’s son Gideon is secretly threshing wheat by a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The verse sets the scene for God’s intervention in a time when Israel is oppressed and fearful.

The verse introduces Gideon, showing him working in an unusual way—threshing wheat in a winepress instead of an open area—because he is trying to keep the food safe from the Midianites, who were raiding Israel. The mention of the angel (a messenger from God) and the specific location underlines that something significant is about to happen in Gideon’s ordinary, fearful circumstances.

The Hebrew behind Judges 6:11

  • The word for "angel" is מַלְאָךְ (mal’akh), meaning "messenger." In this context, it points to a divine messenger, not just a human one, signaling that God is about to act directly in Israel’s situation.
  • "Threshing" uses the word חָבַט (ḥavat), which means to beat out grain. Normally, threshing was done in open spaces, but Gideon is doing it by the "winepress" (גַּת, gat), a hidden, sunken place, showing his fear and the difficult conditions under Midianite oppression.
  • The word for "hide" is נָס (nas), which means to flee or conceal. Gideon’s actions are driven by the need to keep the wheat from being stolen, highlighting the constant threat from the Midianites.

Why Judges 6:11 matters

  • The verse shows the depth of Israel’s hardship under Midianite rule, as even basic tasks like threshing wheat must be done in secret.
  • By introducing Gideon in a moment of fear and caution, the verse sets up his unlikely role as a deliverer, emphasizing that God often chooses ordinary people in humble circumstances.
  • The specific mention of the angel’s arrival signals a turning point in the story, marking the beginning of God’s rescue plan for Israel through Gideon.

Where else these words appear

“Abiezrite” Hebrew H33 · used in 3 verses

  • Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
  • Judges 8:32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

“threshed” Hebrew H2251 · used in 5 verses

  • Deuteronomy 24:20 When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
  • Ruth 2:17 So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley.
  • Isaiah 27:12 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel.

“winepress” Hebrew H1660 · used in 5 verses

  • Nehemiah 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
  • Isaiah 63:2 Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
  • Lamentations 1:15 The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty men in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, as in a winepress.

“Ophrah” Hebrew H6084 · used in 8 verses

  • Joshua 18:23 And Avim, and Parah, and Ophrah,
  • Judges 8:27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.
  • Judges 9:5 And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.