Judges 6:28 (WEB)

Passage

When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built.

Nearby Context

Judges 6:26 Then build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold, in an orderly way, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.”

Judges 6:27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Yahweh had spoken to him. Because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, he could not do it by day, but he did it by night.

Judges 6:28 When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built.

Judges 6:29 They said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” When they inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”

Judges 6:30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your 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.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "city", "arose", "early", "morning", "behold", "altar", "baal", and "broken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "city" and "arose", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "Then Gideon took ten men of his..." into verse 29's "They said to one another Who has...", so "city" and "arose" 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 "city" and "arose" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.