Judges 6:28 (ASV)

Passage

And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

Nearby Context

Judges 6:26 and build an altar unto Jehovah thy God upon the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which thou shalt cut down.

Judges 6:27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Jehovah had spoken unto him: and it came to pass, because he feared his father`s household and the men of the city, so that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

Judges 6:28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

Judges 6:29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

Judges 6:30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die, because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the Asherah that was by it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "city", "arose", "early", "morning", "behold", "altar", "baal", and "broken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "city" and "arose", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "Then Gideon took ten men of his..." into verse 29's "And they said one to another Who...", so "city" and "arose" belong inside that flow. In Judges context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "city" and "arose" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.