Which judge was described as the least in his tribe and from the least tribe of Israel?

• A. Deborah
• B. Gideon
• C. Ehud
• D. Othniel

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is recognizing how God often works through the least likely person. Gideon is described exactly in those terms: he says he is the least in his family and that his clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh. That phrasing shows a person from what would be considered an insignificant position—from the smallest clan within a lesser tribe of Israel. Yet God uses him to deliver Israel, highlighting that strength comes from God, not from status or power.

Deborah is a prominent judge and prophetess, but she isn’t described as the least in her tribe. Ehud and Othniel come from other tribes and aren’t described as the least in their families or tribes. So the match to “the least in his tribe and from the least tribe of Israel” fits Gideon, illustrating the Bible’s pattern of God choosing humble, unlikely people to accomplish great things.