Judges 6:2 (YLT)

Passage

and the hand of Midian is strong against Israel, from the presence of Midian have the sons of Israel made for themselves the flowings which <FI>are<Fi> in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.

Nearby Context

Judges 6:1 And the sons of Israel do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth them into the hand of Midian seven years,

Judges 6:2 and the hand of Midian is strong against Israel, from the presence of Midian have the sons of Israel made for themselves the flowings which <FI>are<Fi> in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.

Judges 6:3 And it hath been, if Israel hath sowed, that Midian hath come up, and Amalek, and the sons of the east, yea, they have come up against him,

Judges 6:4 and encamp against them, and destroy the increase of the land till thine entering Gaza; and they leave no sustenance in Israel, either sheep, or ox, or ass;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hand", "midian", "strong", "against", "israel", "presence", and "sons". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hand" and "midian", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "And the sons of Israel do the..." into verse 3's "And it hath been if Israel hath...", so "hand" and "midian" 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 "hand" and "midian" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.