What Does Judges 6:34 Mean in the King James?
But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abi-ezer was gathered after him.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
What the KJV calls the LORD’s Spirit coming upon Gideon, the Hebrew pictures as the LORD’s breath clothing him, and the trumpet makes that breath audible.
THE MEANING
The LORD’s breath clothes Gideon, and Gideon gives it a public voice through the trumpet. Abiezer gathers in response; what takes form through one person becomes a signal others can follow.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
This undoes the belief that the LORD’s breath stays private and inward; here it becomes audible and gathers a community.
THE ROOT
לָבְשָׁה
lāḇəšāh
GROWS FROM
ל־ב־שׁ
l-b-sh
To clothe, put on, or wear.
“came upon” in this verse is lāḇəšāh. The verb is a clothing image: רוּחַ (ruach, breath, wind, or spirit) clothes Gideon. The verse presents the LORD’s breath as taking visible form through him, in the trumpet call and in the people gathering.
ALSO GROWS
lavash: To put on; to wear.
לָבַשׁ
The verb in this form names the act of putting on clothing, the image the verse uses for what the LORD’s breath does to Gideon.
levush: Garment; clothing.
לְבוּשׁ
This noun makes the verse’s image concrete: Gideon is clothed by the LORD’s breath.
hilbish: To clothe someone; to dress.
הִלְבִּישׁ
This related form emphasizes clothing another, matching the verse’s picture of the LORD’s breath clothing Gideon.
THE PATTERN
The LORD’s breath takes public form through a person, becoming action, speech, or a call that others can answer.
And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.THE THREAD
And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.The same Hebrew verb, לָבְשָׁה (labeshah, clothed), joins God’s breath to a person in both verses. Here that clothing becomes a spoken message, opening Gideon’s trumpet call as another way the breath takes public form.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us