Yahweh and His Angel in Dialogue

Judges 6 is confusing on purpose. The angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, then the narrator switches to saying the Lord said, then switches back, until you cannot tell which figure is speaking.
That is the point. The writer is putting both figures on par to blur the distinction. Gideon ends up saying he has seen the angel of Yahweh face to face - and reacting as a man who has seen God, because he has.
But the same chapter also keeps them separate, and the separation grows sharper after the meal Gideon prepares. Both things are true at once, and that tension is the theological payload, not a flaw in the storytelling.
Exodus 3 works the same way at the bush.
Scripture links:
- Judges 6:11-24 - the angel of the Lord and the Lord, spoken of interchangeably.
- Exodus 3:2-6 - the angel in the flame, and then God calling out of the bush.
The Old Testament is not careless with its pronouns. It is telling you something it does not yet have the vocabulary for.