But the LORD said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
When Gideon, terrified by the divine encounter, expects death, the Lord immediately reassures him not just of safety, but of peace. This "peace" isn't merely the absence of conflict, but a profound well-being and divine favor, signifying that God harbors no ill will but rather a desire for Gideon's flourishing.
But the LORD said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Gideon has just seen a divine being, an angel of the Lord, and is terrified that this encounter means his imminent death. In response to Gideon's fear and questioning, the Lord directly reassures him, declaring peace and confirming that he will not die. This divine affirmation sets the stage for the Lord's subsequent commissioning of Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites.
Gideon had just seen an angel consume his offering with fire, a powerful display that likely terrified him. What did God say to cut through that fear?
When Gideon encountered the divine presence, his immediate reaction was terror. He expected death, a natural response when someone with an intimate connection to God appears in judgment or power. But the Lord's first words are profoundly personal and reassuring:
'Peace be to you'
This isn't just a casual 'hello.' In the Bible, 'peace' (shalom) often means far more than just the absence of conflict. It signifies wholeness, well-being, security, and divine favor. God is communicating that Gideon is not in trouble; instead, He offers him His complete blessing and presence.
'Do not fear; you shall not die'
God directly addresses Gideon's deepest anxiety. He removes the threat of immediate death, which Gideon likely feared after his encounter with the divine. This direct reassurance is key to Gideon's ability to then receive his calling.
Gideon was hiding, threshing wheat in secret. Why did God initiate contact, and what does Gideon's fear tell us about Israel's state?
This encounter isn't something Gideon sought out. He was in a place of hiding and fear, a direct result of the oppression by the Midianites. Israel was living in constant dread, hiding their crops and themselves.
God's Proactive Love
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Despite Israel's unfaithfulness that led to their hardship, God takes the initiative. He doesn't wait for Gideon to find Him; He comes to Gideon. This highlights God's persistent love and His plan to rescue His people even when they are deep in their struggles.
Fear as a Sign of the Times
Gideon's terror upon seeing the divine messenger reveals the pervasive atmosphere of fear and God's apparent distance from Israel. They felt abandoned and vulnerable. God's immediate reassurance – 'Peace be to you. Do not fear' – is essential because the very presence of God, usually a source of comfort, had become terrifying due to their circumstances and sin.
Understand the original words
shalom · Hebrew Noun
The state of wholeness, harmony, welfare, and prosperity granted by God. It refers to more than the absence of conflict; it is the presence of God's favor and relational rightness with Him.
The encounter happens during a period of intense national crisis and oppression, highlighting God's sovereign choice of a humble, fearful man to be a deliverer and His immediate reassurance of peace and safety.
c. 1100 BC
Israel oppressed by Midianites
After the death of Joshua, Israel falls into cycles of sin and oppression. For seven years, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern peoples raid Israel's land, destroying crops and livestock, leaving the Israelites destitute and hiding.
c. 1100 BC— this verse
Gideon called to deliver Israel
Gideon, a man of humble means, is threshing wheat in secret to hide it from the Midianites when the Angel of the Lord appears to him.
c. 1100 BC
Gideon's altar, Jehovah-shalom
After the Angel departs, Gideon builds an altar to the Lord in Ophrah and names it 'The Lord is Peace' (Jehovah-shalom), reflecting the reassurance he received.
c. 1100 BC
Gideon destroys Baal's altar
Following further confirmation, Gideon destroys his father's altar to Baal and erects an altar to the Lord, further solidifying his commitment.
Just as the angel of the Lord reassured Gideon with 'Peace be to you. Do not fear,' so too an angel told Zechariah 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard.'
Daniel 10:19This verse echoes the divine reassurance given to Gideon, as Daniel is told by a heavenly messenger, 'And he said, 'Peace be with you. Do not fear, you shall not die.''
John 20:21After Jesus' resurrection, he appears to his disciples and says, 'Peace be with you.' This mirrors the Lord's word to Gideon, extending peace and dispelling fear in a moment of profound revelation.
Isaiah 54:10The Lord's assurance of peace to Gideon is powerfully paralleled in Isaiah, where God declares, 'For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but my steadfast love shall not be removed from you.'
Genesis 43:23The phrase 'Peace be to you' carries the same comforting weight here as it did when Joseph's brothers first encountered him in Egypt, signifying restored favor and the absence of retribution.
gillJudges 6:23: "And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die."
And the Lord said unto him,.... Either by a secret impulse upon his spirit, or by a voice from heaven; and even, as Kimchi observes, the angel, after he ascended, might cause this voice to be heard, seeing him in great fear, because he knew he was an angel; and which is another proof of this angel being Jehovah himself, the eternal Word: peace be unto thee, fear not, thou shall not die; let not thy mind…
clarkeJudges 6:23: "And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die."
Fear not: thou shalt not die - Here the discovery is made by God himself: Gideon is not curiously prying into forbidden mysteries, therefore he shall not die.
When Gideon, terrified by the divine encounter, expects death, the Lord immediately reassures him not just of safety, but of peace. This "peace" isn't merely the absence of conflict, but a profound well-being and divine favor, signifying that God harbors no ill will but rather a desire for Gideon's flourishing.
Gideon has just seen a divine being, an angel of the Lord, and is terrified that this encounter means his imminent death. In response to Gideon's fear and questioning, the Lord directly reassures him, declaring peace and confirming that he will not die. This divine affirmation sets the stage for the Lord's subsequent commissioning of Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites.
Gideon has just seen a divine being, an angel of the Lord, and is terrified that this encounter means his imminent death. In response to Gideon's fear and questioning, the Lord directly reassures him, declaring peace and confirming that he will not die. This divine affirmation sets the stage for the Lord's subsequent commissioning of Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites.
"But the LORD said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”" — When Gideon, terrified by the divine encounter, expects death, the Lord immediately reassures him not just of safety, but of peace. This "peace" isn't merely the absence of conflict, but a profound w…
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Last reviewed October 2026