Bible Strands
Judges 6:32
So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he had torn down Baal’s altar.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative reports that on the day Gideon tore down Baal’s altar, the community renamed him Jerubbaal in direct response to his father Joash’s challenge to the idol. This renaming occurs immediately after the destruction and before the Midianite and Amalekite forces gather in the Valley of Jezreel.
The words — The name Jerubbaal incorporates יְרֻבַּ֣עַל (Yerubbaal) and the verb יָ֤רֶב (yarev), which literally means “let him conduct a case” or “contend.” This phrasing directly mirrors the challenge to Baal to defend his own altar.
The thread — The designation Jerubbaal reappears in 1 Samuel 12:11 as a judge sent by the LORD, and in Judges 7:1 where Gideon camps at the spring of Harod. It also surfaces in 2 Samuel 11:21 when a woman drops a millstone on Abimelech, son of Jerubbesheth.
Why it lands — The text records a factual renaming that places the burden of proof on a deity rather than a person. A reader must acknowledge that the narrative frames the community’s immediate response to idol destruction as a public challenge to the idol’s supposed power.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 12:11 So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt securely.
- Judges 7:1 Early in the morning Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the men with him camped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
- 2 Samuel 11:21 Who struck Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who dropped an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then you are to say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.’”
- Jeremiah 11:13 Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, O Judah; the altars of shame you have set up—the altars to burn incense to Baal—are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’
- Hosea 9:10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the firstfruits of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves to Shame; so they became as detestable as the thing they loved.