Topical Encyclopedia
Introduction:Jerubbaal, also known as Gideon, is a significant figure in the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. His account is primarily found in Judges chapters 6 through 8. Jerubbaal is a name given to Gideon, meaning "Let Baal contend against him," reflecting his role in challenging the worship of Baal among the Israelites.
Background and Calling:Jerubbaal was the son of Joash, from the tribe of Manasseh. He lived in Ophrah, a town in the region of the Abiezrites. During his time, the Israelites were oppressed by the Midianites due to their disobedience to God. The Midianites, along with the Amalekites and other eastern peoples, would invade Israel, destroying crops and livestock, leaving the Israelites impoverished and in fear.
In response to the Israelites' cries for help, God chose Gideon to deliver them. The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon while he was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The angel addressed him as a "mighty warrior" and assured him of God's presence, saying, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior" (
Judges 6:12). Despite his initial hesitance and feelings of inadequacy, Gideon was reassured by God through signs, including the famous fleece test (
Judges 6:36-40).
Destruction of the Altar of Baal:One of Gideon's first acts of obedience was to destroy his father's altar to Baal and the Asherah pole beside it. God instructed him to build an altar to the LORD in its place and offer a bull as a burnt offering using the wood of the Asherah pole. Gideon carried out this task at night, fearing his family and the townspeople. When the people discovered the altar's destruction, they demanded Gideon's death. However, Joash, Gideon's father, defended him, saying, "If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar" (
Judges 6:31). This incident earned Gideon the name Jerubbaal.
Victory over the Midianites:Gideon's most notable achievement was his victory over the Midianites. God instructed him to reduce his army from 32,000 men to just 300, ensuring that the victory would be attributed to divine intervention rather than human strength. The chosen men were those who lapped water with their hands to their mouths, a test that demonstrated their alertness and readiness.
Armed with trumpets, empty jars, and torches, Gideon's 300 men surrounded the Midianite camp. At Gideon's signal, they blew their trumpets, broke the jars, and shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" (
Judges 7:20). The Midianites were thrown into confusion, turning on each other, and ultimately fled. This miraculous victory led to 40 years of peace in Israel.
Legacy and Later Life:After the victory, the Israelites asked Gideon to rule over them, but he refused, saying, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD will rule over you" (
Judges 8:23). Despite this, Gideon made an ephod from the gold collected from the spoils of war, which later became a snare to him and his family, as the Israelites began to worship it.
Gideon had many wives and seventy sons, including Abimelech, who later caused strife by killing his brothers and declaring himself king. Gideon's death marked the beginning of a period of decline, as the Israelites once again turned to idolatry.
Significance:Jerubbaal's account is a testament to God's power and faithfulness. Despite his initial doubts and weaknesses, Gideon was used by God to deliver Israel from oppression. His life serves as a reminder of the importance of faith, obedience, and reliance on God rather than human strength.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary
Jerubbaalhe that defends Baal, let Baal defend his cause
ATS Bible Dictionary
JerubbaalLet Baal plead, Jud 6:31,32. SeeGIDEON.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Contender with Baal; or, let Baal plead, a surname of Gideon; a name given to him because he destroyed the altar of Baal (
Judges 6:32;
7:1;
8:29;
1 Samuel 12:11).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
JERUBBAALjer-u-ba'-al, je-rub'-a-al (yerubba`al, "let Baal contend"): The name given to Gideon by his father, Joash, and the people in recognition of his destruction of the altar of Baal at Ophrah (Judges 6:32). For this name the form "Jerubbesheth" (2 Samuel 1:21) was substituted after the analogy of "Ishbosheth" and "Mephibosheth," in which bosheth, the Hebrew word for "shame," displaced the word ba`al, no doubt because the name resembled one given in honor of Baal.
SeeGIDEON.
Strong's Hebrew
3378. Yerubbaal -- "let Baal contend," a name of Gideon... Yerubbaal. 3379 . "let Baal contend," a name of Gideon. Transliteration: Yerubbaal
Phonetic Spelling: (yer-oob-bah'-al) Short Definition:
Jerubbaal.
...Jerubbaal.
...Library
The Crowning of Abimelech
... STORIES III THE CROWNING OF ABIMELECH. AndJerubbaal the son of Joash went
and dwelt in his own house. And Gideon had threescore...
'Fit, Though Few'
... 'ThenJerubbaal, who... So he first earns his new name ofJerubbaal ('Let Baal plead'),
and is known as Baal's antagonist, before he blows the trumpet of revolt....
Fragment xviii. And this was not Without Meaning; but that by...
... And when he did not choose to partake with them in their idol-worship, they threw
the blame upon him: for "Jerubbaal" signifies the judgment-seat of Baal....
A Rich Man who was a Thief
... city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who
struck down Abimelech the son ofJerubbaal? Did not a woman...
Christ is Himself Present in Baptism, So that we Need not Consider...
... [2859] When Scripture testifies that at the prayer ofJerubbaal, fire came down
from heaven, [2860] and again, when Elijah prayed, fire was sent forth and...
On Fortitude. ...
... peace. Our fathers, however, as Joshua, the son of Nun,Jerubbaal, Samson,
and David, gained great glory also in war. 176. Fortitude...
The Choice of Gideon was a Figure of Our Lord's Incarnation, The
... 1. WhenJerubbaal, as we read, was beating out wheat [783] under an oak, he received
a message from God in order that he might bring the people of God from the...
The King after Man's Heart
... And the Lord sentJerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered
you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.12....
The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan"The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction
against the Hebrews"The judges, Ehud, Deborah,Jerubbaal or Gideon...
The Israelites
...Jerubbaal, the conqueror of the Midianites, established his power among the mixed
Hebrew and Canaanite inhabitants of Ophrah and Shechem, and his son Abimelech...
Thesaurus
Jerubbaal (15 Occurrences)... 11). Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
JERUBBAAL. jer
... Baal. See GIDEON.
Multi-Version Concordance
Jerubbaal (15 Occurrences). Judges
...Jerub-baal (8 Occurrences)
Jerub-baal.Jerubbaal, Jerub-baal. Jerubba'al . Multi-Version Concordance
Jerub-baal (8 Occurrences). Judges 6:32 Therefore on that...
Jerub-baal's (3 Occurrences)
... Judges 9:2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem: Which is better
for you, that all the sons ofJerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons...
Jerubbesheth (1 Occurrence)
... JERUBBESHETH. jer-ub-be'-sheth, je-rub'-e-sheth (yerubbesheth, seeJERUBBAAL, for
meaning): It is found once (2 Samuel 11:21) forJERUBBAAL.... SeeJERUBBAAL....
Jotham (26 Occurrences)
... JOTHAM. jo'-tham (yotham, "Yahweh is perfect"; Ioatham): (1) The youngest son of
Gideon-Jerubbaal, the sole survivor of the massacre of his seventy brothers by...
Youngest (26 Occurrences)
... Judges 9:5 He went to his father's house at Ophrah, and killed his brothers the
sons ofJerubbaal, being seventy persons, on one stone: but Jotham the youngest...
Uprightly (32 Occurrences)
... Judges 9:16 Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye have
made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well withJerubbaal and his house...
Townsmen (18 Occurrences)
... Judges 9:2 Say now in the ears of all the townsmen of Shechem, Is it better for
you to be ruled by all the seventy sons ofJerubbaal or by one man only?...
Righteously (22 Occurrences)
... Judges 9:16 "Now therefore, if you have dealt truly and righteously, in that you
have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well withJerubbaal and his...
Murdered (25 Occurrences)
... Judges 9:5 He went to his father's house at Ophrah, and killed his brothers the
sons ofJerubbaal, being seventy persons, on one stone: but Jotham the youngest...
Resources
Why is Gideon referred to as Jerubbaal? | GotQuestions.orgQuestions about Judges | GotQuestions.orgWho was Gideon in the Bible? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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