6:19 Gideon went and prepared a young goat, 6 along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food 7 to him under the oak tree and presented it to him. 6:20 God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, 8 and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed. 9 6:21 The Lord’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. 10 Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The Lord’s messenger then disappeared. 11
6:22 When Gideon realized 12 that it was the Lord’s messenger, he 13 said, “Oh no! 14 Master, Lord! 15 I have seen the Lord’s messenger face to face!”
1 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gideon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Heb “If I have found favor in your eyes.”
3 tn Heb “perform for me.”
4 tn The Hebrew text adds “to you,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
5 tn Heb “and I will bring out my gift.” The precise nuance of the Hebrew word מִנְחָה (minkhah, “gift”) is uncertain in this context. It may refer to a gift offered as a sign of goodwill or submission. In some cases it is used of a gift offered to appease someone whom the offerer has offended. The word can also carry a sacrificial connotation.
6 tn Heb “a kid from among the goats.”
7 tn The words “the food” are not in the Hebrew text (an implied direct object). They are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
8 tn Heb “Take the meat…and put [it] on this rock.”
9 tn Heb “and he did so.”
10 tn Heb “extended the tip of the staff which was in his hand and touched the meat and unleavened bread.”
11 tn Heb “went from his eyes.”
12 tn Heb “saw.”
13 tn Heb “Gideon.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
14 tn Or “Ah!”
15 tn The Hebrew text reads אֲדֹנַי יְהוִה (’adonay yÿhvih, “Lord [the same title used in v. 15],