SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:15
Entonces le respondió: Ahora pues, Señor mío, ¿con qué tengo de salvar a Israel? He aquí que mi familia es pobre en Manasés, y yo el menor en la casa de mi padre.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Judges 6:15
Verse 15. Wherewith shall I save Israel?] I have neither men nor money. Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh] ldh ypla hnh , Behold, my thousand is impoverished. Tribes were anciently divided into tens, and fifties, and hundreds, and thousands; the thousands therefore marked grand divisions, and consequently numerous families; Gideon here intimates that the families of which he made a part were very much diminished. But if we take ypla alpey for the contracted form of the plural, which is frequently in Hebrew nouns joined with a verb in the singular, then the translation will be, "The thousands in Manasseh are thinned;" i.e., this tribe is greatly reduced, and can do little against their enemies.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 15. And he said unto him, oh my Lord , etc.] Whether he had yet suspected who he was, or took him still for some eminent person, is not certain; it is very probable he began to think he was some extraordinary person sent of God, and speaking in his name, and therefore expostulates with him about the work he put him upon: wherewith shall I save Israel ? in what way is it possible for me to do it, who had neither men nor money sufficient for such an undertaking? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh ; of which tribe he was, and the “thousand” in it, as the word here used signifies, was the meanest of all the thousands in that tribe; some render it, “my father” f132 : and I am the least in my father’s house ; perhaps the youngest son; though some take him, and others his father, to be the Chiliarch, or head of the thousand; but by these words of his it does not seem as if either was true; not but that he was of some wealth and substance, power and authority, by having such a number of servants as to take “ten” of them with him, ( Judges 6:27) however, this he says in great humility and modesty, having no high thoughts of himself and family, nor any dependence on his own strength, and on an arm of flesh.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 11-24 - Gideon was a man of a brave, active spirit, yet in obscurity throug the times: he is here stirred up to undertake something great. It wa very sure that the Lord was with him, when his Angel was with him Gideon was weak in faith, which made it hard to reconcile the assurances of the presence of God with the distress to which Israel wa brought. The Angel answered his objections. He told him to appear an act as Israel's deliverer, there needed no more. Bishop Hall says While God calls Gideon valiant, he makes him so. God delights to advance the humble. Gideon desires to have his faith confirmed. Now under the influences of the Spirit, we are not to expect signs befor our eyes such as Gideon here desired, but must earnestly pray to God that if we have found grace in his sight, he would show us a sign in our heart, by the powerful working of his Spirit there, The Ange turned the meat into an offering made by fire; showing that he was no a man who needed meat, but the Son of God, who was to be served an honoured by sacrifice, and who in the fulness of time was to make himself a sacrifice. Hereby a sign was given to Gideon, that he ha found grace in God's sight. Ever since man has by sin exposed himsel to God's wrath and curse, a message from heaven has been a terror to him, as he scarcely dares to expect good tidings thence. In this world it is very awful to have any converse with that world of spirits to which we are so much strangers. Gideon's courage failed him. But God spoke peace to him.
Original Hebrew
ויאמר 559 אליו 413 בי 994 אדני 136 במה 4100 אושׁיע 3467 את 853 ישׂראל 3478 הנה 2009 אלפי 504 הדל 1800 במנשׁה 4519 ואנכי 595 הצעיר 6810 בבית 1004 אבי׃ 1
