士师记 6:31

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

約阿施對所有站著攻擊他的人說：“你們要為巴力辯護嗎？或是你們要救他呢？誰為他辯護，到早晨就必死亡。巴力若是神，有人拆毀了他的祭壇，就讓他為自己辯護吧。”

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
约 阿 施 回 答 站 着 攻 击 他 的 众 人 说 ： 你 们 是 为 巴 力 争 论 麽 ？ 你 们 要 救 他 麽 ？ 谁 为 他 争 论 ， 趁 早 将 谁 治 死 ！ 巴 力 若 果 是 　 神 ， 有 人 拆 毁 他 的 坛 ， 让 他 为 自 己 争 论 罢 ！

Contextual Overview

²⁵ That same night the Lord said to Gideon, "Take the bull that belongs to your father and a second bull seven years old. Pull down your father's altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah idol beside it. ²⁶ Then build an altar to the Lord your God with its stones in the right order on this high ground. Kill and burn a second bull on this altar, using the wood from the Asherah idol." ²⁷ So Gideon got ten of his servants and did what the Lord had told him to do. But Gideon was afraid that his family and the men of the city might see him, so he did it at night, not in the daytime. ²⁸ When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw that the altar for Baal had been destroyed and that the Asherah idol beside it had been cut down! They also saw the altar Gideon had built and the second bull that had been sacrificed on it. ²⁹ The men of the city asked each other, "Who did this?" After they asked many questions, someone told them, "Gideon son of Joash did this." ³⁰ So they said to Joash, "Bring your son out. He has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah idol beside it. He must die!" ³¹ But Joash said to the angry crowd around him, "Are you going to take Baal's side? Are you going to defend him? Anyone who takes Baal's side will be killed by morning! If Baal is a god, let him fight for himself. It's his altar that has been pulled down." ³² So on that day Gideon got the name Jerub-Baal, which means "let Baal fight against him," because Gideon pulled down Baal's altar.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Will ye plead: The words are very emphatic: "Will ye plead in earnest (tereevoon) for Baal? Will ye really save (tosheeoon) him? If he be God - Elohim, let him contend for himself, seeing his altar is thrown down." Exodus 23:2, Numbers 14:6, Ephesians 5:11

let him be: Deuteronomy 13:5-18, Deuteronomy 17:2-7, 1 Kings 18:40

if he be: 1 Kings 18:27, 1 Kings 18:29, Psalms 115:4-7, Isaiah 41:23, Isaiah 46:1, Isaiah 46:7, Jeremiah 10:5, Jeremiah 10:11, 1 Corinthians 8:4

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:30 - my gods Judges 18:17 - the graven

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Joash said unto all that stood against him,.... Against his son; that were his accusers and adversaries, and required him to be given up to them, that they might put him to death:

will ye plead for Baal? what, Israelites, and plead for Baal! or what need is there for this, cannot he plead for himself?

will ye save him? what, take upon you to save your god! cannot he save himself? he ought to save both himself and you, if he is a god, and not you save him:

he that will plead for him, let him be put to death, while it is yet morning; immediately, before noon, for it was now morning when they came to him; this he said to terrify them, and to express the hatred he now had of idolatry, and the just sense of its being punishable with death by the law of God. This he may be supposed to say, to save his son from their present wrath and fury, hoping by that time to find out some ways and means for his safety:

if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar; if he is a god, he knows who has done it, and is able to avenge himself on him, and put him to death himself that has done it, and therefore leave it with him to plead his own cause, and avenge his own injuries; this he said, deriding the deity; for though Joash had been a worshipper of Baal, yet he might be now convinced by his son of the sinfulness of it, and of the necessity of a reformation, in order to a deliverance from the Midianites, for which he had a commission, and had perhaps informed his father of it; or however he was not so attached to Baal, but that he preferred the life of his son to the worship of him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

From the boldness of Joash in defending his son, it is likely that the majority of the Abi-ezrites sided with him against “the men of the city,” and already felt drawn toward Gideon as their national and religious leader Judges 6:34. Joash appears as the chief magistrate of Ophrah.

Will ye plead ...? will ye save? - The emphasis is upon ye, as much as to say, What business is it of yours?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 6:31. Will ye plead for Baal? — The words are very emphatic "Will ye plead in earnest תריבן for Baal? Will ye תושיען really save him? If he be God, אלהים Elohim, let him contend for himself, seeing his altar is thrown down." The paragogic letters in the words plead and save greatly increase the sense. Joash could not slay his son; but he was satisfied he had insulted Baal: if Baal were the true God, he would avenge his own injured honour. This was a sentiment among the heathens. Thus Tacitus, lib. i., c. 73, A.U.C. 768, mentioning the letter of Tiberius to the consuls in behalf of Cassius and Rubrius, two Roman knights, one of whom was accused of having sold a statue of Augustus in the auction of his gardens; and the other, of having sworn falsely by the name of Augustus, who had been deified by the senate; among other things makes him say: Non ideo decretum patri suo coelum, ut in perniciem civium is honor verteretur. Nec contra religiones fieri quod effigies ejus, utalia nu minum simulachra, venditionibus hortorum et domuum accedant. Jusjurandum perinde aestimandum quam si Jovem fefellisset: deorum injuriae diis curae - "That Divine honours were not decreed to his father (Augustus) to lay snares for the citizens; and if his statue, in common with the images of the gods in general, was put up to sale with the houses and gardens, it could not be considered an injury to religion. That any false oath must be considered as an attempt to deceive Jupiter himself; but the gods themselves must take cognizance of the injuries done unto them." Livy has a similar sentiment, Hist. lib. x., c. 6, where, speaking of some attempts made to increase the number of the augurs out of the commons, with which the senators were displeased, he says: Simulabant ad deos id magis, quam ad se pertinere; ipsos visuros, ne sacra sua polluantur. - "They pretended that these things belonged more to the gods than themselves; and that they would take care that their sacred rites were not polluted."