Judges 6:38 (DRB)

Passage

And it was so. And rising before day, wringing the fleece, he filled a vessel with the dew.

Nearby Context

Judges 6:36 And Gedeon said to God: If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said,

Judges 6:37 I will put this fleece of wool on the floor: if there be dew in the fleece only, and it be dry on all the ground beside, I shall know that by my hand, as thou hast said, thou wilt deliver Israel.

Judges 6:38 And it was so. And rising before day, wringing the fleece, he filled a vessel with the dew.

Judges 6:39 And he said again to God: Let not thy wrath be kindled against me, if I try once more, seeking a sign in the fleece. I pray that the fleece only may be dry, and all the ground wet with dew.

Judges 6:40 And God did that night as he had requested: and it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rising", "before", "wringing", "fleece", "filled", and "vessel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rising" and "before", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "I will put this fleece of wool..." into verse 39's "And he said again to God Let...", so "rising" and "before" 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 "rising" and "before" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.