Now the [a]Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, and his son Gideon was beating wheat in the wine press [instead of the threshing floor] to [hide it and] save it from the Midianites.
Strongs # 1439 GIDEON
גִּדְעוֹן Gimmel Daleth Ayin Vav Nun
Gidon:
Original Word: גִּדְעוֹן Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine Transliteration: Gid`own Pronunciation: ghee-DOHN Phonetic Spelling: (ghid-ohn’) KJV: Gideon NASB: Gideon Word Origin: [from H1438 (גָּדַע – cut down)]
From gada’; feller (i.e. Warrior); Gidon, an Israelite — Gideon.
His name means warrior!
Judges 6:11-13
In verse 11 a messenger comes to Gideon, and He was Adonai’s messenger, the Angel of the Lord, and most commentators agree it was the pre-incarnate Messiah.
This messenger came and sat under the pistachio tree and appeared to Gideon.
Here we need to pause because the term “oak” here is sometimes translated as “terebinth,” It is clear that the translators are uncertain which translation is correct, and it would seem not improbable that then there was no clear distinction between oak and terebinth in the minds of the Old Testament. writers; yet the two are very different trees to any but the most superficial observation.
Strongs # 424
elah: Oak, Terebinth
Original Word: אִלָה Part of Speech: Noun Feminine Transliteration: elah Pronunciation: ay-LAW Phonetic Spelling: (ay-law’) KJV: elm, oak, teil-tree NASB: oak, Elah, terebinth Word Origin: [feminine of H352 (אַיִל – Ram)]
In ancient Near Eastern culture, terebinths were often associated with sacred sites and were considered places of worship, divine encounters and revelation. Their long lifespan and resilience made them symbols of endurance and stability. The terebinth’s deep roots and ability to thrive in arid conditions also made it a fitting metaphor for spiritual strength and perseverance.
It serves as a reminder for us of our Heavenly Father’s enduring promises and the strength He imparts to His people. The terebinth’s symbolism of resilience and steadfastness is a call for believers to remain rooted in faith, even amidst trials and challenges.
The terebinth-Pistacia terebinthus (Natural Order, Anacardiaceae), Arabic Butm-is a tree allied to the
P. vera,
which produces the pistachio nut,
and to the familiar “pepper tree” (Schinus molle) so extensively cultivated in modern Palestine. Like the latter, the terebinth has red berries, like small immature grapes. The leaves are pinnate, four to six pairs, and they change color and fall in autumn, leaving the trunk bare (compare Isaiah 1:30). This tree assumes noble proportions, especially in situations when, from its association with some sacred tomb, it is allowed to flourish undisturbed. When it can grow to as much as 40 ft. high and spreads its branches, with their thick, dark-green foliage, over a wide area (compare 2 Samuel 18:9, 14;) and small trees occur among the brushwood all over the land.
An example is in Genesis 12:6-7 : “Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’ So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”
The “great tree of Moreh” sometimes translated as oak, is often understood to be a terebinth, marking a significant location where the Lord Adonai made a covenant with Abram.
From this tree, a kind of turpentine/resin is obtained, hence, the alternative name “turpentine tree” (Ecclesiasticus 24:16 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) “terebinth”).
Though merely a tree, the אִלָה is mentioned through Scripture as
a reminder of covenant,
the seat of judgment,
and a signpost of redemption.
Its recurring presence testifies that our Heavenly Father who created the terebinth, also uses every aspect of creation to accomplish His saving purposes. In recent times scientists have extracted the resin of the pistachio tree and by using ancient methods they have recreated the Balm of Gilead. Jeremiah famously asked the question “Is there no balm in Gilead?” wondering rhetorically why the Jews did not seek atonement for their backsliding, Gilead is a territory located in what is now northwestern Jordan. The Hebrew word tsori, is rendered as “balm,” it is mentioned a few times in the Hebrew Bible, and appears to be a product especially associated with the Land of Israel/eretz yisrael.
Amplified Bible Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, and his son Gideon was beating wheat in the wine press [instead of the threshing floor] to [hide it and] save it from the Midianites.
King James Version And there came an angel of the Lord , and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
Threshed wheat by the winepress — This was a place of privacy; he could not make use of a threshing-floor in broad daylight as the usual custom was, and bring either the wheel over the grain, or tread it out with the feet of the oxen, for he was very much aware of the Midianites, who were accustomed to come and steal it as soon as threshed. He got a few sheaves from the field, and brought them home to have them privately threshed for the support of the family. This was a clever move on Gideons part as there was no vintage/wine, among the Israelites in their present circumstances, the winepress would never be suspected by the Midianites to be the place of threshing corn.
So when the Angel of the Lord first met Gideon, he was hidden from view in a winepress, threshing wheat – Judges 6:11.
We read the verses and don’t always see what they are saying. Many times we have heard a sermon giving a certain message or interpretation and don’t bother to either read it for ourselves or pause to check if it is the complete interpretation.
First, people don’t thresh wheat in a winepress. A threshing floor stood in the open, whereas the winepress was usually below ground or in a low area, offering a place of seclusion so as not to be seen, which Scripture says Gideon was actually doing.
The word in Hebrew is lehanis from the root word nos,
which means to flee or disappear.
By re-reading the scripture, it clearly says that Gideon was hiding the grain from the Midianites, so they would not steal it; not so much just hiding from them in fear, he had a specific purpose. The Midianites were known for stealing food instead of working hard and raising their own crops, this was part of the troubles they were experiencing…
There had been many years of peace and apart from the Midianites the people had not had to fight wars. Gideon was not ‘in fear’ as so many sermons tell us he was, surely he was being cautious and wise to use the winepress to thresh the corn.
Gideon did not seem surprised at the appearance of the angel and angelic messengers were not unknown in those days, he did not panic and so it would seem people were used to seeing angels and the scriptures indeed record many instances.
On hearing the angels greeting and statement concerning him, Gideon responds with a question and it wasn’t about what the angel called him because as we have seen that ‘warrior’ is what the name Gideon means; so in fact He called him by name.
What he did say was: Excuse me sir but if Adonai is with us then why has all this trouble found us and where are all the signs and wonders which our fathers recounted to us saying has not Adonai brought us up out of Egypt ( a type of the world). and now Adonai has left us and gives us into the hands of Midyan.
How many times have we asked the same questions?
If our Heavenly Father is with us then why has all this trouble found us?
It seems like He has abandoned us, He’s nowhere to be found. However this feeling is not the truth.
In Gideons case it was after 40 years of peace from any enemies and in that season the children of Israel had slowly fallen away, backslidden from the presence of the Lord. Everything was peaceful and they had come to think they didn’t need the Lord God. Gideon wasn’t thinking on God’s promises, so much so that even the appearance of Adonai Himself was not enough to cause a reaction. All he had were fading memories of what he had been told the Lord God had done so long ago and would do for Israel, His people. When He appeared sitting under the pistachio tree Gideon didn’t recognize Who it was because his personal experience with the Lord had deteriorated so much. So much that he was not able to recognize the Lord and he questions the visitor in an abrupt manner and He was not afraid.
Why?
Was it because he didn’t believe he was in the Lord Gods’ presence, was he simply ignorant, or was he being careful to make sure he wasn’t being deceived?
There are times we too ask the Lord ….’where are You’? And its certainly not because He has left us. We feel abandoned because we have moved away we have forgotten Him and what His presence feels like, and we are not sure where to find Him. We ask Him where are His signs, wonders and miracles? Not because we notice they are missing but because we are too blind to see He is working them all around us. Just because trouble has found us doesn’t mean He is gone. Messiah warned us that in this life we shall have tribulation, tests and trials.
Let’s not fall so far from His presence that we can’t hear His Voice or recognize He is there, and that His provision and promises never fail, but at the same time we are not taking Him for granted. We’ll know we are abandoned when we stop wondering where He is, and it’s never our Heavenly Father Who has moved away.
Will He ever appear to us sitting under a pistachio tree in order to get our attention? Hopefully not because unlike Gideon, we are never to let Him become a distant memory but we are to keep Him as a perpetual presence every day of our lives.
Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
