Judges 6:31

And Ioash said vnto all that stood against him, Will ye pleade for Baal? will ye saue him? He that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilest it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himselfe, because one hath cast down his altar. Judges 6:31 (KJV)

The Book of Judges records a turbulent era in Israel’s history when the nation was repeatedly oppressed because of its recurring turn to idolatry. During this period God raised up judges to deliver His people from foreign powers. The passage in Judges 6 introduces Gideon, a young man from the tribe of Manasseh, whom God selected to rescue Israel from the Midianites.

Israel had fallen into the worship of Baal and other false gods, provoking the Midianite raids that devastated the land. In response to this spiritual decline, God called Gideon to lead a revolt. Gideon obeyed by destroying the altar of Baal and cutting down the Asherah pole, acts performed under divine instruction to demonstrate that Israel must abandon idolatry and return to the true God.

Joash is identified in Judges 6:11 as the father of Gideon. While the biblical narrative records Gideon’s destruction of the Baal altar (Judges 6:25‑31), it does not contain a recorded speech by Joash challenging the worshipers of Baal. The striking challenge quoted in the verse block—“Will ye plead for Baal? … let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning…”—is therefore not found elsewhere in Scripture, suggesting it may reflect a later tradition rather than a direct biblical quotation.

Gideon’s decisive actions embody a profound faith in God’s power. By tearing down the symbols of Baal, he declared that the false deity could not defend itself, and that only the living God could protect and save Israel. The destruction of the altar and the call to reject Baal serve as a powerful symbol urging the nation to turn away from powerless idols and to place their trust exclusively in the one true God who alone has the authority to defend His people.