And Joash said to all that stood near him, Will *ye* contend for Baal? or will *ye* save him? he that contends for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning. If he be a god, let him plead for himself, because they have broken down his altar.
Judges 6:29 And they said one to another, Who has done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.
Judges 6:30 And the men of the city said to Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.
Judges 6:31 And Joash said to all that stood near him, Will *ye* contend for Baal? or will *ye* save him? he that contends for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning. If he be a god, let him plead for himself, because they have broken down his altar.
Judges 6:32 And on that day they called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead with him, because he has broken down his altar.
Judges 6:33 And all Midian and Amalek and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel.
The verse centers on "joash", "said", "stood", "near", "contend", "baal", "save", and "contends". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "joash" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 30's "And the men of the city said..." into verse 32's "And on that day they called him...", so "joash" 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 "joash" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.