And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
- BSB “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”
- NKJV And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
- NASB Yet the Lord said to him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will defeat Midian as one man.”
- NLT The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God answers Gideon's objection with the promise of His presence, assuring him he will defeat Midian as easily as striking one man.
Overview
Yahweh meets Gideon's protest not by praising his strength but by pledging 'I will be with you.' Victory over the vast Midianite host is guaranteed by God's presence, making the enemy as conquerable as a single foe. This promise of presence is the same assurance Christ gives His disciples in their mission (Matthew 28:20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Josh 1:5There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
- Acts 11:21And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.
- Exod 3:12And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
- Mark 16:20And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
- Isa 41:10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
- Isa 41:14–16Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
- Matt 28:20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
- Judg 6:12And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.
How Judges 6:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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