Judges 6:30 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Judges 6:31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye contend for Baal? Or will ye save him? he that will contend for him, let him be put to death whilst [it is yet] morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one hath broken down his altar.

Judges 6:32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal contend against him, because he hath broken down his altar.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "city", "said", "joash", "bring", "hath", "broken", "down", and "altar". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "city" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 29's "And they said one to another Who..." into verse 31's "And Joash said unto all that stood...", so "city" and "said" 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 "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.