References (8)
These are the sons of Gilead:
Ijezer, the family of the Ijezerites,
of Chelek, the family of the Chelekiites,
And the lot of the rest of the sons of Manasseh according to their families was for the sons of Abiezer, and for the sons of Helek, and for the sons of Asriel, and for the sons of Shechem, and for the sons of Shefer, and for the sons of Shemida; these were the sons of Manasseh, the son of Joseph, according to their families.
[The theme of fear/dread permeates the entire story of Gideon. The fear reflected in this story is a normal human fear that can arise in the face of the unknown or when faced with a challenge. But it must be overcome.]
The angel of the Lord came to Ophrah [on the plain of Jezreel] and sat under the terebinth tree belonging to Joash of the Abiezrites. Gideon, his son, was threshing wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites (so that they would not see or get to it).
[A generally accepted view is that the angel of the Lord is Jesus pre-incarnate, i.e., Jesus appearing as a messenger of the Lord before taking human form. The city of Ophrah is mentioned in connection with the Jezreel Valley and Mount Tabor. It seems to have been exposed to attack in the middle of the plain and is often identified with today's Afula. Gideon means "one who cuts down," which is an appropriate name considering his first mission to tear down the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole, see .]
And Gideon built an altar there to the Lord (Yahweh) and named it Yahweh-Shalom (the Lord is peace, health, prosperity, and all good things). To this day it still stands in Ophrah, the land of the Ezri.
But the Spirit of the Lord (Yahweh) clothed Gideon, and he blew a shofar, and the Aviezers gathered after (behind) him.
And he said to them, "What have I done compared to you? Is not the gathering of Ephraim [the gleaning of grapes] better than the vintage of Abiezer?
And Gideon, the son of Joash, died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash, his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
His sister was Hammoleket. She bore Ish-Hod, Abieser, and Mahla.
