Gideon also named Jerubbaal and Jerubbesheth, was a military leader, judge and prophet whose calling and victory over the Midianites are recounted in Judges 6–8 of the Book of Judges in both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible.
Gideon from Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum
"Gideon thanks God for the Miracle of the Dew", painting by Maarten van Heemskerck (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Strasbourg)
Gideon's fleece, as symbol of Mary, in a "Hunt of the Unicorn Annunciation" (ca. 1500) from a Netherlandish book of hours. For the complicated iconography, see Hortus Conclusus.
The judges whose stories are recounted in the Hebrew Bible, primarily in the Book of Judges, were individuals who served as military leaders in Israel in times of crisis, in the period before the monarchy was established.
The judge Shamgar slaughters 600 men with an ox goad. From a medieval German manuscript.