And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
JUDGES 6:28KJVWhat does Judges 6:28 mean?
Judges 6:28 describes how the people of the city woke up early and discovered that the altar dedicated to Baal had been torn down, the nearby sacred grove had been cut down, and a second bull had been offered on a newly built altar. This verse shows the aftermath of Gideon's secret actions during the night, which challenged the city's worship of Baal.
The verse is set in the time of the judges, when Israel often turned to worship other gods. Gideon, following God's command, had destroyed the altar to Baal and the "grove" (a wooden symbol or pole for the goddess Asherah) and replaced them with an altar to the God of Israel. The men of the city are not named here, but their shock sets up the conflict that follows in the story.
The Hebrew behind Judges 6:28
- "altar" (מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbeach): This word refers to a structure for sacrifices. The verse uses it twice—first for Baal's altar, then for the new altar built for the offering to God, highlighting the replacement of one form of worship with another.
- "grove" (אֲשֵׁרָה, asherah): This term often means a wooden pole or tree used in worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. Its removal signals a direct challenge to the local religious practices.
- "offered" (עָלָה, `alah): This verb means "to go up" or "to offer up" and is used for making sacrifices. The use here emphasizes that a sacrifice was made on the new altar, not just that the old one was destroyed.
Why Judges 6:28 matters
- This verse clarifies that Gideon's actions were not just private obedience but a public challenge to the city's dominant religion, setting up the tension for the next part of the story.
- The details about the "second bullock" and the new altar show that Gideon was careful to follow God's instructions exactly, not just destroy but also replace with proper worship.
- Understanding the meaning of "grove" as a symbol of Asherah helps modern readers see how deeply rooted these practices were, and why their removal was so significant to the people of the city.