He answered, and said: I beseech thee, my lord wherewith shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the meanest in Manasses, and I am the least in my father's house.
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָיו֙ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנָ֔י בַּמָּ֥ה אוֹשִׁ֖יעַ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הִנֵּ֤ה אַלְפִּי֙ הַדַּ֣ל בִּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה וְאָנֹכִ֥י הַצָּעִ֖יר בְּבֵ֥ית אָבִֽי׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Let no one cast blame upon Gideon for his subsequent remarks. He spoke not out of disbelief in God, but rather with a lowly view of himself, when he declared, “My thousand are less esteemed in Manasseh, and I am a discerning individual in my father’s household.”
As Gideon absorbed the message from the angel of the Lord, he recognized that it was not the typical manner of mere mortals, nor even prophets, to proclaim such words. He began to suspect that he was in the presence of a divine, celestial being, akin to when the Lord manifested to Abraham as a traveler. Consequently, Gideon addressed this being as Lord, acknowledging His elevated status, a shift from his earlier greeting of merely my Lord, which conveyed a sense of earthly authority. However, realizing the divine nature of his dialogue partner, Gideon struggled to accept the command given to him. The directive and the accompanying promise shocked him so profoundly that he doubted the words he heard.
"O Lord, how can I possibly save Israel?" he questioned, revealing the inner turmoil within him—his disbelief that divine intervention could actually be afforded to him, considering his utter lack of resources. He continued, saying, “My family is among the least in Manasseh, and I am insignificant in my father’s household." The Israelites, during Moses’ leadership, were organized within their tribes into groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, all answering to their respective leaders (Ex. 18:15, Num. 1:6). Gideon lamented that the thousand assigned to him and his family was the least esteemed within Manasseh, lacking in strong and capable individuals, and their numbers barely qualified them as a ‘thousand.’ "How could anyone," Gideon questioned, "especially me, lead such a feeble segment of the tribe against the Midianites, who are as vast as swarms of locusts?" He deemed it inconceivable to hope for support from other, more robust factions of Manasseh or to gather help from other tribes when there is strife among them. On a personal note, Gideon continued, he felt utterly powerless to contribute to the greater cause since he held no significant standing in his tribe and was of little importance within his own family, being the youngest and lacking the authority to instruct elders, who would not heed him.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS