Judges 6:22 (KJV)

Passage

And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O LORD God! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

Nearby Context

Judges 6:20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

Judges 6:21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.

Judges 6:22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O LORD God! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

Judges 6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gideon", "perceived", "angel", "lord", "said", and "alas". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gideon" and "perceived", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "Then the angel of the LORD put..." into verse 23's "And the LORD said unto him Peace...", so "gideon" and "perceived" 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 "gideon" and "perceived" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.