Man living before Israel's Monarchy
Joash, the father of Gideon, supported his son's actions in tearing down the altar of Baal.
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Joash, an Abiezrite from the tribe of Manasseh, was the father of Gideon, one of the judges of Israel. He first appears in Jdg.6.11, where the Angel of the Lord visits Gideon while he is threshing wheat in Joash's winepress to hide from the Midianites.
When Gideon tears down the altar of Baal and the Asherah pole beside it, the men of the city demand that Joash surrender his son to be put to death (Jdg.6.29-30). However, Joash defends Gideon, saying that if Baal is truly a god, he can defend himself (Jdg.6.31). This event earns Gideon the name Jerubbaal, meaning "Let Baal contend against him."
Joash is mentioned again in Jdg.7.14, where the Midianites interpret a dream as a sign that God has given them into the hand of Gideon, the son of Joash. After Gideon's victory over the Midianites, he returns to his father's house in Ophrah (Jdg.8.13,29). Joash dies at a good old age and is buried in the tomb of his father in Ophrah (Jdg.8.32).
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8 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H3101
Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
“Who did this?” they said to one another. And after they had investigated thoroughly, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has torn down Baalʼs altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has torn down his altar.”
His friend replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hand.”
After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres.
and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down.
Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.