Abstract

The book of Judges often preserves more historically grounded accounts of early Israelite identity formation than the conquest narratives of Joshua, yet it also presents significant historiographic and archaeological challenges. One such challenge appears in the Gideon cycle (Judg 6:25–32), where Gideon—also known as Jerubbaal—is introduced as the son of Joash, who maintains an altar to Baal and a sacred pole. This raises two central questions: Why does Joash possess these cultic objects, and why is Gideon renamed in relation to Baal rather than YHWH? This article examines the redactional and tradition-historical development of this pericope and proposes two complementary interpretations: (1) that Jerubbaal was the original figure, later distinguished from Gideon through Deuteronomistic redaction, and (2) that the narrative reflects a transitional phase in which Canaanite religious practices were challenged and gradually integrated into Yahwism. Together, these perspectives suggest that Gideon/Jerubbaal may have originally been a Canaanite figure whose memory was reinterpreted to reflect emerging Yahwistic ideals. The passage thus preserves a trace of indigenous Canaanite religious transformation within Israelite tradition. This reading contributes to broader theories of Israel’s origins, supporting the view that Israel emerged from within Canaanite society through internal social and religious reconfiguration rather than external conquest.