It may sound reverent, but it is not actually so. In this last chapter of the Gideon narrative, he has done nothing that suggests he has any regard for what the Lord would want from him. Thus, his use of Lord
is a violation of the third commandment (Exodus 20:7). In addition, it appears to be a cheap way to make his personal vendetta sound pious.1 Gideon’s thirst for revenge, explosive enough to damage anyone who stands in his way, be they Israelite or otherwise, is inexcusable. And that is the dynamo that drives this entire pericope, taking the focus away from all national interests, and more importantly, Yahwistic concerns, relegating them all to the inconsequential.
2
19 And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.”