16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
16 The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive."
16 And the Lord said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man."
16 God said to him, "I'll be with you. Believe me, you'll defeat Midian as one man."
16 And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man."
16 The Lord said to him, "I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judges 6:16
Commentary on Judges 6:11-24
(Read Judges 6:11-24)
Gideon was a man of a brave, active spirit, yet in obscurity through the times: he is here stirred up to undertake something great. It was very sure that the Lord was with him, when his Angel was with him. Gideon was weak in faith, which made it hard to reconcile the assurances of the presence of God with the distress to which Israel was brought. The Angel answered his objections. He told him to appear and act as Israel's deliverer, there needed no more. Bishop Hall says, While God calls Gideon valiant, he makes him so. God delights to advance the humble. Gideon desires to have his faith confirmed. Now, under the influences of the Spirit, we are not to expect signs before our eyes such as Gideon here desired, but must earnestly pray to God, that if we have found grace in his sight, he would show us a sign in our heart, by the powerful working of his Spirit there, The Angel turned the meat into an offering made by fire; showing that he was not a man who needed meat, but the Son of God, who was to be served and honoured by sacrifice, and who in the fulness of time was to make himself a sacrifice. Hereby a sign was given to Gideon, that he had found grace in God's sight. Ever since man has by sin exposed himself to God's wrath and curse, a message from heaven has been a terror to him, as he scarcely dares to expect good tidings thence. In this world, it is very awful to have any converse with that world of spirits to which we are so much strangers. Gideon's courage failed him. But God spoke peace to him.