Judges 6:4 (LSB)

Passage

So they would camp against them and ruin the produce of the earth as far as Gaza and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey.

Nearby Context

Judges 6:2 And the power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.

Judges 6:3 And it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would go up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go up against them.

Judges 6:4 So they would camp against them and ruin the produce of the earth as far as Gaza and leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey.

Judges 6:5 For they would go up with their livestock and their tents; they would come in like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to make it a ruin.

Judges 6:6 So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "camp", "against", "ruin", "produce", "earth", "gaza", and "leave". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "camp", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And it was when Israel had sown..." into verse 5's "For they would go up with their...", so "sheep" and "camp" 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 "sheep" and "camp" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.