Judges 6:37

then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Gideon addresses God at the threshing floor to request a confirming sign. This follows his initial declaration in Judges 6:36 that he will know God is fulfilling the promise to save Israel through him.

The words — הִנֵּ֣ה (hi.Neh) means "behold" or "here," directing attention to the immediate physical setup. מַצִּ֛יג (ma.Tzig) translates as "[am] placing," describing the deliberate act of laying the wool fleece on the ground.

The thread — The dew imagery on the fleece connects to Hosea 14:5, where God promises to be like dew to Israel, and aligns with the mission to the lost sheep of Israel in Matthew 15:24 and Matthew 10:5.

Why it lands — The text records Gideon's demand for a visible demonstration before any theological inference about faith or divine accommodation. It requires the reader to accept that God's verbal promises are validated through tangible, context-specific signs.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

Cross-references

Hosea 14:5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.
Matthew 15:24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matthew 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
Psalms 72:6 May he be like rain that falls on freshly cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.
Deuteronomy 32:2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech settle like dew, like gentle rain on new grass, like showers on tender plants.
Psalms 147:19 He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and judgments to Israel.
Hosea 6:3 So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.