גִּדְעוֹן (gid.on)
gid.on
Gideon
N:N-M-PQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 37 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- N:N-M-P
Word Overview
The name Gideon, derived from the Hebrew root meaning "hewer" or "cutter down," identifies the fifth judge of Israel who led his people against Midianite oppression. This etymology suggests a warrior’s strength, yet the biblical narrative presents a man who initially hides in a winepress to thresh wheat, revealing a character marked by fear and hesitation rather than innate bravado.
Scripture records him as the youngest son of Joash from the clan of Abiezrite. He is also known by the alias Jerubbaal, given after he tore down his father’s altar to Baal, effectively declaring that the Lord would answer him with a sword. The name appears frequently in Judges chapters six through eight, detailing his military strategy and subsequent leadership.
While celebrated for his faith and victory, Gideon’s story also highlights human frailty. He asks for signs to confirm God’s will and later creates an ephod that becomes a snare to himself and his family. His life illustrates how divine deliverance works through imperfect vessels, leaving a legacy that includes both profound faith and significant personal failure.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The name Gideon means "hewer" or "cutter down," yet his story begins not with a battlefield roar but with quiet fear. He hides in a winepress to thresh wheat, terrified of the enemy around him. This honest portrayal reminds us that God does not wait for us to be fearless before He calls us. Instead, He meets us in our hesitation and uses our available resources, however small they seem.
Throughout his journey, Gideon seeks confirmation through signs, from the fleece to the reduction of his army. His life shows that faith is often a process of learning to trust God’s character rather than relying on our own strength or numbers. The victory at Midian was not achieved by military might but by divine intervention, highlighting that deliverance comes from the Lord alone.
While Gideon’s later mistakes are recorded without shame, his legacy remains one of profound reliance on God. His story invites us to bring our doubts and fears into the light, knowing that a faithful God can use imperfect people to accomplish His purposes. We are encouraged to seek His peace, even when circumstances seem overwhelming.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 37 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Gideon32×
- and/ for/ Gideon2×
- and/ Gideon2×
- for/ Gideon1×
- and/ to/ Gideon1×
- [is] Gideon1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- גִּדְע֗וֹן7×
- גִּדְע֔וֹן7×
- גִּדְעוֹן֙3×
- גִּדְע֥וֹן3×
- וְ/גִדְע֣וֹן2×
- גִּדְע֜וֹן2×
- גִּדְע֑וֹן2×
- לְ/גִדְע֥וֹן1×
- וּ/לְ/גִדְעֽוֹן\׃\ \פ1×
- וּ/לְ/גִדְעֽוֹן\׃1×
- וּ/לְ/גִדְע֗וֹן1×
- גִּדְעוֹן֩1×
Key Verses
-
Judges 6:11
Yahweh’s angel came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites.
This verse establishes Gideon’s initial state of fear and concealment, showing that God initiates contact with someone who feels powerless rather than a confident warrior.
-
Judges 7:2
Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel brag against me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
Here God deliberately reduces Gideon’s army to prevent Israel from claiming credit for the victory, emphasizing that divine deliverance relies on God’s power alone.
-
Judges 6:39
Gideon said to God, “Don’t let your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Please let me make a trial just this once with the fleece. Let it now be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
Gideon’s request regarding the fleece reveals a human desire for tangible assurance, illustrating how God patiently guides those who are still learning to trust Him.
-
Judges 7:15
It was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. Then he returned into the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for Yahweh has delivered the army of Midian into your hand!”
After hearing the enemy’s dream interpreted as Gideon’s victory, he worships immediately, marking a shift from doubt to confident faith in God’s promise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the name Gideon mean?
Why did Gideon ask for signs with the fleece?
How does Gideon's story relate to modern faith?
Every Occurrence (37 verses across 1 books)
Judges 37 verses
Yahweh’s angel came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was…
Judges 6:13Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his…
Judges 6:19Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal. He put the meat in a basket and he…
Judges 6:22Gideon saw that he was Yahweh’s angel; and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! Because I have seen Yahweh’s angel face to…
Judges 6:24Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it “Yahweh is Peace.” To this day it is still in Ophrah of the…
Judges 6:27Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Yahweh had spoken to him. Because he feared his father’s household…
Judges 6:29They said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” When they inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash…
Judges 6:34But Yahweh’s Spirit came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together to follow him.
Judges 6:36Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken,
Judges 6:39Gideon said to God, “Don’t let your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Please let me make a…
Judges 7:1Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose up early and encamped beside the spring of…
Judges 7:2Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest…
Judges 7:4Yahweh said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you…
Judges 7:5So he brought down the people to the water; and Yahweh said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue,…
Judges 7:7Yahweh said to Gideon, “I will save you by the three hundred men who lapped, and deliver the Midianites into your hand.…
Judges 7:13When Gideon had come, behold, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow. He said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream; and…
Judges 7:14His fellow answered, “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has…
Judges 7:15It was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. Then he returned into…
Judges 7:18When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and…
Judges 7:19So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle…
Judges 7:20The three companies blew the trumpets, broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in…
Judges 7:24Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against Midian and take the…
Judges 7:25They took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at Oreb’s rock, and Zeeb they killed at Zeeb’s…
Judges 8:4Gideon came to the Jordan and passed over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, faint, yet pursuing.
Judges 8:7Gideon said, “Therefore when Yahweh has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the…
Judges 8:11Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and struck the army; for the…
Judges 8:13Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle from the ascent of Heres.
Judges 8:21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “You rise and fall on us; for as the man is, so is his strength.” Gideon arose, and…
Judges 8:22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you, your son, and your son’s son also; for you have saved…
Judges 8:23Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you. Yahweh shall rule over you.”
Judges 8:24Gideon said to them, “I do have a request: that you would each give me the earrings of his plunder.” (For they had…
Judges 8:27Gideon made an ephod out of it, and put it in Ophrah, his city. Then all Israel played the prostitute with it there;…
Judges 8:28So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. The land had rest forty…
Judges 8:30Gideon had seventy sons conceived from his body, for he had many wives.
Judges 8:32Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the…
Judges 8:33As soon as Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned again and played the prostitute following the Baals, and made…
Judges 8:35neither did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had…