Judges 6:3 (KJV)

Passage

And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

Nearby Context

Judges 6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

Judges 6:2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

Judges 6:3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

Judges 6:4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

Judges 6:5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "israel", "sown", "midianites", "came", "amalekites", "children", "east", and "even". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "israel" and "sown", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And the hand of Midian prevailed against..." into verse 4's "And they encamped against them and destroyed...", so "israel" and "sown" 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 "israel" and "sown" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.