| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
Judges Chapter
Seven
Judges 7
Outlines
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JUDGES 7
In
this chapter we have an account of the army under Gideon gathered out of
several tribes, which from 32,000 were reduced to three hundred, and we are
told by what means this was done, Judges 7:1 and how
he was directed to go into the host of the Midianites, where he heard one of
them telling his dream to his fellow, which greatly encouraged him to believe
he should succeed, Judges 7:9 also we
are told the form and manner in which he disposed of his little army to attack
the Midianites, and the orders he gave them to observe, which had the desired
effect, and issued in the total rout of that large body of people, Judges 7:16 and
those that were not destroyed were pursued by persons gathered out of several
tribes, and the passages of Jordan were taken by the Ephraimites, so that those
that attempted their escape into their own country, there fell into their
hands, Judges 7:23.
Judges 7:1 Then
Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him
rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the
Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
YLT
1And Jerubbaal (he [is]
Gideon) riseth early, and all the people who [are] with him, and they encamp by
the well of Harod, and the camp of Midian hath been on the south of him, on the
height of Moreh, in the valley.
Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon,.... That being the name
his father had lately given him, Judges 6:32.
and all the people that were with him, rose up early; encouraged by
the signs and miracles wrought, by which he was assured of success; he was eager
to be about his work, and therefore rose early in the morning, and got his army
together, and marched to engage the enemy:
and pitched beside the well of Harod; which he
might choose for the refreshment of his army on occasion; or, however, so he
was directed in Providence here, where a trial was to be made of them by water:
this well, or fountain, seems to be the same with that in 1 Samuel 29:1 it
signifies fear and trembling, and might have its name either from the fear and
trembling of the 22,000 Israelites, whose hearts were dismayed at the
Midianites, and they were ordered to return home; or from the fear and
trembling of the Midianites, who were discomfited here; the former seems to be
the true reason, see Judges 7:3 so that
the Midianites were on the north side of them; which Gideon, no doubt, judged
to be an advantageous post to him:
by the hill of Moreh, in the valley; the valley of Jezreel,
one of the mountains of Gilboa, as is supposed; the Targum is,"by the hill
which looks to the plain;'from whence he could have a view of the Midianitish
army, and the disposition of it. Some think this hill had its name from the
Midianitish archers; but, according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, from there being
a watch here to direct the ways, or to give notice to the inhabitants of the
valley when an army came against them; though some take it to be a school of
some eminent teacher in those daysF26See Weemse's Christian
Synagogue, l. 1. c. 6. sect. 5. .
Judges 7:2 2 And the Lord said to
Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give
the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me,
saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
YLT
2And Jehovah saith unto
Gideon, `Too many [are] the people who [are] with thee for My giving Midian
into their hand, lest Israel beautify itself against Me, saying, My hand hath
given salvation to me;
And the Lord said unto Gideon, the people that are with thee are
too many,.... It appears, by what follows, that there were 32,000 of them,
which was but a small army to engage with one of 100,000 more than they; for
such was the army of the Midianites and their associates, see Judges 8:10 but the
people were too many, says the Lord:
for me to give the Midianites into their hands; who would be
apt to ascribe the victory to themselves, and not to the Lord; to their number,
strength, and valour, and not to the hand of the Lord:
lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, mine own hand
hath saved me; or glory over me, take the glory from me, and ascribe it to
themselves, boasting that by their power and prowess they had obtained the
victory.
Judges 7:3 3 Now therefore, proclaim in
the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let
him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the
people returned, and ten thousand remained.
YLT
3and now, call, I pray thee,
in the ears of the people, saying, Whoso [is] afraid and trembling, let him
turn back and go early from mount Gilead;' and there turn back of the people
twenty and two thousand, and ten thousand have been left.
Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people,.... Such a
proclamation as follows, was, according to the law of God, to be made when
Israel went out to battle against their enemies, Deuteronomy 20:8;
though it looks as if Gideon would not have made such proclamation, had he not
been directed to it by the Lord, his army being so small in comparison of the
enemy; and perhaps Gideon might understand that law to have respect only to war
made for the enlargement of their country, and not for defence against
invaders:
saying, whosoever is fearful and afraid; to, engage in
battle, because of the number of the enemy:
let him return, and depart early from Mount Gilead; where it
seems they now were, being the same with the hill of Moreh, or adjoining to it;
a mountain in the tribe of Manasseh, so called either from its likeness to
Mount Gilead on the other side Jordan; or rather in memory of Gilead, the son
of Machir, the son of Manasseh, from whence the half tribe sprung, which was on
this side, as well as that on the other; and perhaps this name might be given to
the mount, to show that they were of the same tribe, though separated by
Jordan: now the fearful and faint hearted had leave given them by this
proclamation to return home directly; and as both armies lay so near, and it
might reasonably be expected the battle would be the next day, they are
directed to get away in the morning, as early as they could, that they might
not be seen, and so be filled with shame themselves, and discourage others.
Though some think Mount Gilead, on the other side Jordan, is meant, from whence
it is supposed many came to Gideon, Judges 6:35 and now
are ordered to return back, as many as were fearful; and instead of
"from", they render the word "to", or "towards",
or "beyond" Gilead. Kimchi thinks the word we render "depart
early" has the signification of surrounding, a diadem being expressed by a
word from hence, which encompasses the head, Isaiah 28:5 and so
the sense is, that they were ordered to go round about Mount Gilead, and so
return home; but it rather may signify their hasty departure and speedy flight,
like that of a bird, Psalm 11:1 and
there returned of the people 22,000, and there remained 10,000; so that they
were in all 32,000: now though these of their own accord came and joined Gideon
with an intention and resolution to stand by him, and fight the enemy, yet when
they came and saw what a large host they had to engage with, and how small the
army was with Gideon, their hearts failed them, and they were glad to take the
advantage of the proclamation.
Judges 7:4 4 But the Lord said to
Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the
water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom
I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of
whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not
go.”
YLT
4And Jehovah saith unto
Gideon, `Yet [are] the people too many; bring them down unto the water, and I
refine it for thee there; and it hath been, he of whom I say unto thee, This
doth go with thee -- he doth go with thee; and any of whom I say unto thee,
This doth not go with thee -- he doth not go.'
And the Lord said to Gideon, the people are yet too many,.... Though
they were but just the number that Barak had with him, when he attacked
Sisera's army and got the victory, which yet was ascribed to God, whose hand
was manifestly seen in it; but as these might be supposed to be able men of
valour that remained, they were too many for God to have that glory he intended
to display in this victory:
bring them down unto the water; from the hill on which
they were, to a brook that ran at the bottom of it, perhaps a stream from the
fountain or well of Harod, Judges 7:1.
and I will try them for thee there, or "purge
them"F1אצרפנו "defaecabo",
Drusius; "eliquabo, seu purgabo", Piscator. , as silver is purged
from dross, so the word signifies, as Kimchi observes, the righteous from the
wicked, as he thinks; who, with others, suppose that by those who bowed on their
knees to drink, were such as had been used to bow the knee to Baal, and the
rest not, and so one were discerned from the other; but this trial was only for
the sake of Gideon, to direct him whom he should take with him, and whom not:
and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, this shall go with
thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, this
shall not go with thee, the same shall not go; by the different manner
of his men drinking at the water, later related, Gideon knew not who should go
with him, and who not, whether they that bowed down to drink, or only lapped
the water; this was determined by the mouth of the Lord, as follows but this
trial was only for the sake of Gideon, to direct him whom he should take with
him, and whom not:
and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, this shall go with
thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, this
shall not go with thee, the same shall not go; by the different manner
of his men drinking at the water, after related, Gideon knew not who should go
with him, and who not, whether they that bowed down to drink, or only lapped
the water; this was determined by the mouth of the Lord, as follows.
Judges 7:5 5 So he brought the people
down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone
who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by
himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.”
YLT
5And he bringeth down the
people unto the water, and Jehovah saith unto Gideon, `Every one who lappeth
with his tongue of the water as the dog lappeth -- thou dost set him apart;
also every one who boweth on his knees to drink.'
So he brought them down to the water,.... His whole
army of 10,000 men:
and the Lord said unto Gideon, everyone that lappeth of the water
with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shall thou set by himself; this has led
some, as particularly Grotius, to think of the Egyptian dogs; of whom Aelianus
relatesF2Var. Hist. l. 1. c. 4. , that they do not drink at once freely,
and to satiety, being afraid of the crocodiles in the river; but run about the
bank, and by stealth snatch a little here and a little there, and so satisfy
themselves: but the allusion here is to dogs in common, whose usual way it is
not to sup in, and drink a drought, but by putting out their tongues to lick
and lap water with them, as AristotleF3Hist. Animal. l. 8. c. 6.
says all creatures do that have teeth like saws; and the likeness between the
drinking of these men, to be observed lay not in anything else but in the
single action of lapping; for they first took the water in the hollow of their
hands, out of the stream, and then lapped it, as in Judges 7:6 whereas
a dog does not and cannot take water that way; and this lapping was standing
upright, whereas dogs in common, as Aelianus in the same place suggests, bow
themselves, and lap as much water as will satisfy their thirst; and by this
these men were distinguished from those that bowed on their knees to drink; for
had they not taken up water in their hands, they must have bowed down on their
knees to have lapped, as well as those did, to sup it, or take in a large
draught of it; now all those that thus lapped were to be set apart by
themselves; but whether they were to go with Gideon or not, as yet he knew not:
likewise everyone that boweth down on his knee to drink; were to be set by
themselves also, but which of those were to go with him is after related.
Judges 7:6 6 And the number of those
who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men;
but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.
YLT
6And the number of those
lapping with their hand unto their mouth is three hundred men, and all the rest
of the people have bowed down on their knees to drink water.
And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their
mouth,.... That is, that took up water in the hollow of their hands,
which they lifted up to their mouths, and so lapped it, as the Egyptians about
the Nile are saidF4Achilles Tatius, l. 4. to do, who drank not out
of pots and cups, but used their hands to drink with:
were three hundred men; only such a number out
of 10,000: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink
water; even 9,700; and it was the custom of some nations, as the Ichthyophagy,
or fish eaters, to cast themselves with their face to the ground, and drink
after the manner of oxenF5Strabo. Geograph. l. 16. p. 532. .
Judges 7:7 7 Then the Lord said to
Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the
Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his
place.”
YLT
7And Jehovah saith unto
Gideon, `By the three hundred men who are lapping I save you, and have given
Midian into thy hand, and all the people go, each to his place.'
And the Lord said unto Gideon, by the three hundred men that
lapped I will save and deliver the Midianites into thine hand,.... It is hard
to say what character this action of the three hundred is expressive of,
whether of weakness or of courage. Some think that those who drank upon their
knees were faint and weary, and men of intemperance, and indulged themselves,
and were unfit for war, while those that only lapped a little water to refresh
themselves appeared to be eager, and in haste and readiness to engage in it;
and so Ben Gersom takes those that bowed to be slothful persons, and those that
lapped courageous and mighty men, and so were ordered to be taken and go along
with Gideon; and this agrees with the method before taken, to dismiss the
fearful, and only take those that were men of courage; but JosephusF6Antiqu.
l. 5. c. 6. sect. 3. is of opinion that they that drank upon their knees were
the men of spirit and courage, and those that lapped, such who drank hastily,
with trembling, and through fear of the enemy, and these were ordered to go
with Gideon, and not the other: and indeed this most displays the glory of God
to save Israel, and deliver them from the Midianites by a handful of such poor
dispirited creatures. Though it seems that all the 10,000 men were men of
courage; and this method was taken not to distinguish those that were the most
courageous from those that were the least so, but only to reduce the number
that should be engaged in this battle; for it being the summer season, it may
reasonably be supposed that the greater part of the army was very thirsty, and
would kneel down to take a large draught of water, when those that were not so
thirsty would be the fewer number, and so taken:
and let all the other people go every man to his place; all the rest,
who bowed on their knees to drink, which were 9,700, these were ordered to
march homewards; though perhaps before they got home, hearing of the victory,
they returned and joined in the pursuit, Judges 7:23.
Judges 7:8 8 So the people took
provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest
of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now
the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
YLT
8And the people take the
provision in their hand, and their trumpets, and every man of Israel he hath
sent away, each to his tents; and on the three hundred men he hath kept hold,
and the camp of Midian hath been by him at the lower part of the valley.
So the people took victuals in their hands and their trumpets,.... That is,
the three hundred took victuals of those that departed, as much as was
necessary for them, and also their trumpets, being directed thereunto by
Gideon, no doubt; perhaps they took all the trumpets they had; however, as many
as would furnish every man with one. And from hence it appears, that these
three hundred that were ordered to stay and go with Gideon were unarmed men, at
least could carry no arms in their hands; for in one hand they carried their
victuals, and in the other hand their trumpets, so that the salvation wrought
by them would most clearly appear to be of the Lord:
and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent; not to his
tent in the army, but to his own house, in the tribe and city to which he
belonged: and retained these three hundred men; that had lapped water, to
engage with the Midianites and their associates:
and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley; in the valley
of Jezreel; for it seems as if Gideon, after he had brought down his men to the
water to be tried, went up to the hill again with his three hundred men only,
to wait the divine orders, when he should attack the army of Midian below him.
Judges 7:9 9 It happened on the same
night that the Lord
said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into
your hand.
YLT
9And it cometh to pass, on
that night, that Jehovah saith unto him, `Rise, go down into the camp, for I
have given it into thy hand;
And it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him,.... The night
after there had been so great a reduction of his army, from 32,000 to three
hundred:
arise, get thee down unto the host, for I have delivered it into
thine hands; that is, go down from the hill where he and his little army
were, to the valley of Jezreel, where lay the numerous host of Midian; assuring
him, that though the disproportion was so very great, the army of Midian should
be delivered into his hands; and it was enough that the Lord had said it, for
him to believe it; but in such circumstances that he was, it is no wonder that
he had his fears and misgivings of heart, wherefore it follows;
Judges 7:10 10 But if you are afraid to
go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant,
YLT
10and if thou art afraid to
go down -- go down, thou and Phurah thy young man, unto the camp,
But if thou fear to go down,.... With his little
army, to attack a numerous host in the night, then he is directed to take this
step first:
go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host; in a private
manner; perhaps this man was his aid-de-camp, or however a trusty servant in
whom he could confide, as well as valiant: more it was not proper to take in
such a secret expedition, and the fewer the better to trust, and less liable to
the observation of the enemy; and yet it was proper to have one with him, being
company and animating, and who would be a witness with him of what should be
heard; in like manner, and for like reasons, as Diomedes and Ulysses went into
the Trojan armyF25Homer. Iliad. 10. ver. 222, &c. .
Judges 7:11 11 and you shall hear what
they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the
camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men
who were in the camp.
YLT
11and thou hast heard what
they speak, and afterwards are thy hands strengthened, and thou hast gone down
against the camp.' And he goeth down, he and Phurah his young man, unto the
extremity of the fifties who [are] in the camp;
And thou shalt hear what they shall say,.... The
Midianites, or what shall be said by any of them; for though it was the night
season, and so not a time for much conversation, as it may be supposed to be
the dead of the night; yet something would be said and heard, which is a clear
proof of the prescience of God respecting future contingent events:
and afterwards shall thine hands be strengthened; and his heart
encouraged by what he should hear:
to go down into the camp; in an hostile manner,
with his three hundred men, after his return to them:
then went he down with Phurah his servant; first
privately, only they two, leaving his little army on the hill: and came
unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host; the
sentinels, who were without side the camp, and stood complete in armour to
guard it; and they came as near to them, in as still and private manner as they
could, without being discovered. The Septuagint version is,"to the
beginning of the fifty that were in the host;'and the Syriac and Arabic
versions,"to the captain of the fifty;'these might be a party of the outer
guards, consisting of fifty men, with one at the head of them, placed for the
safety of the army in the night season, and to give notice of any approach to
them, or attempt on them.
Judges 7:12 12 Now the Midianites and
Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as
locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the
seashore in multitude.
YLT
12and Midian and Amalek, and
all the sons of the east are lying in the valley, as the locust for multitude,
and of their camels there is no number, as sand which [is] on the sea-shore for
multitude.
And the Midianites and the Amalekites, and the children of the
east,.... The Arabians, who with the Amalekites joined the Midianites
in this expedition:
lay along in the valley in the valley of Jezreel,
in their tents, which overspread the valley, or at least great part of it:
like grasshoppers for multitude; or locusts, which
usually come in great numbers, and cover the air and the sun where they fly,
and the earth where they light, as they did the land of Egypt; this army
consisted at least of 135,000 men, as is clear from Judges 8:10.
and their camels were without number; as the sand is by the sea
side for multitude; an hyperbolical expression, setting forth the great number of
them which the countries of Midian and Arabia abounded with; and were very
proper to bring with them, to load and carry off the booty they came for, the
fruits of the earth; see Judges 6:4.
Judges 7:13 13 And when Gideon had come,
there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream:
To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian;
it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent
collapsed.”
YLT
13And Gideon cometh in, and
lo, a man is recounting to his companion a dream, and saith, `Lo, a dream I
have dreamed, and lo, a cake of barley-bread is turning itself over into the
camp of Midian, and it cometh in unto the tent, and smiteth it, and it falleth,
and turneth it upwards, and the tent hath fallen.'
And when Gideon was come,.... With his servant,
near and within hearing the talk and conversation of the outer guards or
sentinels: there was
a man that told a dream unto his fellow; his comrade
that stood next him, and was upon guard with him; perhaps it was a dream he had
dreamed the night before or this selfsame night, being just called up to take
his turn in the watch, and so it was fresh upon his mind:
and said, behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo; thus it was
as I am going to relate; twice he uses the word "behold", or
"lo", the dream having rely much struck and impressed his mind, and
was what he thought worthy of the attention of his comrade:
a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian: barley bread,
PlinyF26Nat. Hist. l. 18. c. 7. says, was the most ancient food; the
word for "cake"F1צלול
"umbra", vid. Gussetium, p. 715. "strepitus", Tigurine
version; so Kimchi & Ben Gersom; "subcineritius", V. L.
"tostus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. signifies a
"shadow", and may design the appearance of a barley loaf; or
something like one to him appeared in the dream: or a "noise"; the
noise of it rolling and tumbling, so that it seemed to the soldier that he
heard a noise, as well as saw something he took for a barley loaf. Jarchi
observes, that it signifies a cake baked upon coals, and it seemed to this man
as if it came smoking hot from the coals, tumbling down an hill, such an one
where Gideon and his army were and rolling into the host of Midian, which lay
in a valley:
and came unto a tent; or, "the tentF2האהל " the largest and most magnificent in the host;
and JosephusF3Antiqu. l. 5. c. 6. sect. 4. calls it expressly the
king's tent, and the Arabic version the tent of the generals:
and smote it that it fell; which might justly seem
strange, that a barley loaf should come with such a force against a tent,
perhaps the largest and strongest in the whole camp, which was fastened with
cords to stakes and nails driven into the ground, so as to cause it to fall:
yea, it is added:
and overturned it, that the tent lay along: turned it
topsy-turvy, or turned it "upwards"F4למעלה
"desuper", Pagninus, Montanus; "superne", Tigurine version.
, as the phrase in the Hebrew text is; it fell with the bottom upwards; it was
entirely demolished, that there was no raising and setting of it up again.
Judges 7:14 14 Then his companion
answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son
of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole
camp.”
YLT
14And his companion answereth
and saith, `This is nothing save the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of
Israel; God hath given into his hand Midian and all the camp.'
And his fellow answered and said,.... As the dream was no
doubt from God, so the interpretation of it was; it was he that put into the
mind of the soldier's comrade to whom he told it to interpret it as follows; or
otherwise in all likelihood he would never have thought of it:
this is nothing else save the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a
man of Israel; that is, this signifies nothing else, and a fit emblem it was of
him and his little army. A cake is but a small thing, and, let it come tumbling
as it will, can have no force or strength in it equal to overturn a tent; and a
cake of barley is mean and contemptible; and a cake baked under ashes, or on
coals, is what is soon and hastily done, and fitly represented the smallness
and weakness of Gideon's army, their meanness and contemptibleness; the
Israelites being, as JosephusF5Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 5. c. 6. sect.
4.) represents the soldier saying, the vilest of all the people of Asia; and
those that were with Gideon were suddenly and hastily got together, raw and
undisciplined, and very unfit to engage the veteran troops of the united forces
of Midian, Amalek, and Arabia. It appears from hence that Gideon's name was
well known in the camp of Midian, what was his descent, and his character as a
valiant man, which is meant by
a man of Israel; namely, a courageous mighty man, and the
very name of him might strike with terror:
for into his hands hath God delivered Midian and all his host; which the man
concluded from this dream, and the interpretation of it suggested to him from
God, and impressed upon his mind; which he speaks of with the greatest
assurance and confidence, which he was inspired to do, for the strengthening of
Gideon, and the encouragement of him to come down with his army, and fall on
the host of Midian.
Judges 7:15 15 And so it was, when Gideon
heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He
returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered
the camp of Midian into your hand.”
YLT
15And it cometh to pass, when
Gideon heareth the narration of the dream and its interpretation, that he
boweth himself, and turneth back unto the camp of Israel, and saith, `Rise ye,
for Jehovah hath given into your hand the camp of Midian.'
And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the
interpretation thereof,.... Or, "the breaking of it"F7שברו "fractionem ejus", Vatablus, Drusius;
"fracturam ejus", Piscator. ; the dream itself being like something
closed up and sealed, and the interpretation of it was like the breaking of a
seal, and discovering what is hid under it; or like a nut, the kernel of which
cannot be come at till the shell is broken:
that he worshipped; bowed his head with an awful reverence of
God and a sense of his divine Majesty, and worshipped him by sending an
ejaculatory prayer and praise to him; and so the Targum,"and he
praised'praised God for this gracious encouragement he had given, the assurance
of victory he now had; for he saw clearly the hand of God in all this, both in
causing one of the soldiers to dream as he did, and giving the other the
interpretation of it, and himself the hearing of both:
and returned into the host of Israel; such an one
as it was, consisting only of three hundred unarmed men: and said, arise; from
their sleep and beds, it being the night season; and from their tents, and
descend the hill with him:
for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian; he made now
no doubt of it, it was as sure to him as if it had been actually done; hence
Gideon is renowned for his faith, though he sometimes was not without his fits
of diffidence; see Hebrews 11:32.
Judges 7:16 16 Then he divided the three
hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s
hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.
YLT
16And he divideth the three
hundred men [into] three detachments, and putteth trumpets into the hand of all
of them, and empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
And he divided the three hundred men into three companies,.... One
hundred in a company, partly to make the better figure, a show of an army, with
a right and left wing, and partly that they might fall upon the camp of Midian
in different parts:
and he put a trumpet in every man's hand; they that
returned of the trumpeters having left their trumpets behind them, whereby there
was a sufficient number for three hundred men; and these were put into their
hands, that when they blew them together, the, noise would be very great; and
it would seem as if they were an exceeding great army, and so very much terrify
their enemies:
with empty pitchers, and lamps with the pitchers; the pitchers
were of earth, and so easily broken, and would make a great noise when clashed
against each other; and these were empty of water, or otherwise would not have
been fit to put lamps into, and the lamps put in them were not of oil; for
then, when the pitchers were broken, the oil would have run out; but were a
kind of torches, made of rosin, wax, pitch, and such like things; and these
were put into the pitcher, partly to preserve them from the wind, and chiefly
to conceal them from the enemy, till just they came upon them, and then held
them out; which in a dark night would make a terrible blaze, as before they
served to give them light down the hill into the camp.
Judges 7:17 17 And he said to them, “Look
at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall
do as I do:
YLT
17And he saith unto them,
`Look at me, and thus do; and lo, I am coming into the extremity of the camp --
and it hath been -- as I do so ye do;
And he said unto them, look on me, and do likewise,.... Observe
what I do, and do the same, in blowing a trumpet, breaking a pitcher, and
shouting with the words expressed by him:
and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp; where the
sentinels stood, and the watch was set:
it shall be, that as I do, so shall ye do; and not
before; a trumpet was not to be blown, nor a pitcher broken, nor a torch held
out, nor a word spoken, till just they came to the outside of the camp: and
then they were to observe the motions of Gideon, and do as he did.
Judges 7:18 18 When I blow the trumpet, I
and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side
of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of
Gideon!’”
YLT
18and I have blown with a
trumpet -- I and all who [are] with me, and ye have blown with trumpets, even
ye, round about all the camp, and have said, For Jehovah and for Gideon.'
When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me,.... He being
at the head of one of the three companies, Judges 7:19 perhaps
the middlemost, which might stand for the body of the army; and the other two
be one to the right and the other to the left of him, and so could more easily
discover his motions:
then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp; for it seems
they were so disposed as to be around the camp, which when the trumpets were
blown at once on every side, with such a blaze of light, and crashing of the
pitchers, must be very terrifying, as if there was no way for them to escape,
and especially when they should hear the following dreadful sounds:
and say, the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon; or "for
the Lord, and for Gideon"; and which may be supplied, either the light is
for the Lord, and for Gideon; or the victory is for the Lord, and for Gideon;
we supply it from Judges 7:20. The
name Jehovah, these Heathens had often heard, as the God of Israel, would now
be dreadful to them, and the name of Gideon also; whose name, as appears by the
interpretation of the dream, was terrible among them; for which reason Gideon
added it, and not out of arrogance and vanity; and puts it after the name of
the Lord, as being only an instrument the Lord thought fit to make use of,
otherwise all the glory belonged to him.
Judges 7:19 19 So Gideon and the hundred
men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning
of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the
trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.
YLT
19And Gideon cometh -- and
the hundred men who [are] with him -- into the extremity of the camp, [at] the
beginning of the middle watch (it hath only just confirmed the watchmen), and
they blow with trumpets -- dashing in pieces also the pitchers which [are] in
their hand;
So Gideon, and the one hundred men that were with him,.... Which was
one of the three companies his army was divided into, and which company he had
the command of particularly:
came unto the outside of the camp, in the beginning of the middle
watch; the second watch, for the night was divided into three watches;
for though in later times there were four watches, among the RomansF8Liv.
Hist. l. 36. c. 24. "Suidas in. voce" προφνλακη,
"et in voce" φνλακη
, and which the Jews received from them; hence in the New Testament we read of
the fourth watch; yet in earlier times, with the Jews and other eastern
nations, there were but three watches, as affirmed by Jarchi and Kimchi on the
place: and very wisely did Gideon fix on this watch for the time of his coming;
for had he come at the first watch, many as yet might not have been in bed, or
at least not fallen asleep; and had he come in the third watch, many might have
been awake out of their sleep, and others up; but he took this time, a little
after midnight, in the dead of the night, when the whole army was fast asleep:
and they had but newly set the watch; the first
watch were just gone off, and the second were placed in their room; but since
such an observation seems in a good measure unnecessary, for as Gideon came in
the beginning of the watch it must in course be newly set; rather the words may
be rendered, "in raising they raised up the watch"F9הקם הקימו את
השמרים "suscitando suscitaverunt custodes",
Pagninus, Montanus. ; that is, Gideon and his men did it by their approach; and
they might call to them on purpose to give the alarm to the army, who upon that
would at once hear the sound of the trumpets, and the clattering of the
pitchers, and see the torches burning, to their great surprise:
and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in
their hands; as soon as they came up to the watch and had raised them; this
did Gideon and his hundred men.
Judges 7:20 20 Then the three companies
blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left
hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The
sword of the Lord
and of Gideon!”
YLT
20and the three detachments
blow with trumpets, and break the pitchers, and keep hold with their left hand
on the lamps, and with their right hand on the trumpets to blow, and they cry,
`The sword of Jehovah and of Gideon.'
And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers,.... The other
two, observing what Gideon and his company did, followed their example, and at
the same time blew their trumpets, and broke their pitchers; for that there
were four companies, three besides Gideon's, as Kimchi and Ben Melech suggest,
there is no reason to believe:
and held the lamps in their left hands; which they
took out of the pitchers when they broke them, and holding them up in their
left hands, gave a great blaze of light, which must be very surprising to the
host of Midian, just awaked out of their sleep:
and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal; and which
they continued blowing, the sound of which must be very dreadful, since it
might be concluded, from such a number of trumpets, that there must be a vast
army:
and they cried, the sword of the Lord and of Gideon; signifying
that was drawn against the Midianites, and they must expect to be cut in pieces
by it, since the sword was Jehovah's, sent and commissioned by him, and was put
into the hand of Gideon as an instrument, with which execution would be done,
the Lord helping him. The Targum is,"the sword of the Lord, and victory by
the hand of Gideon'which victory was to be ascribed to the sword and power of
God. This was an emblem of the efficacy of the word of God, accompanied with
his power, to the destruction of the kingdom of Satan; the blowing of the
trumpets may denote the ministration of the Gospel, the great trumpet to be
blown by the apostles and ministers of the word; the holding forth the lamps
may signify the same, the light of the divine word in the ministers of it, and
the holding forth of it to others; and which is carried in earthen vessels,
frail mortal men; and done that the excellency of the power may appear to be of
God, and not of men; and the sword of the Lord is the word of God in the mouths
of ministers, accompanied by the power of God; for it can only be through God
that such weapons of warfare can become mighty to do the execution that is done
by them; see 2 Corinthians 4:7
blowing of trumpets, and then a cry or shout of the soldiers to terrify the
enemy, were used in later timesF11"At tuba terribilem
sonitum", &c. Virgil Aeneid. 9. .
Judges 7:21 21 And every man stood in his
place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled.
YLT
21And they stand each in his
place, round about the camp, and all the camp runneth, and they shout, and
flee;
And they stood every man in his place around the camp,.... To see
the salvation of God, and that it might most clearly appear to be his own
doing; and indeed, had they gone into it, they could have done nothing; they
had no weapons in their hands, a trumpet in one hand, and a lamp in the other;
though this their position served to increase the terror of the enemy, who
might suppose that they stood either to light and introduce a large army at the
back of them; or to light the forces already in the midst of them, while they
destroyed them; which latter seems rather to be the thing their imaginations
were possessed with, since they fell to slaying their fellows, supposing them
to be enemies, as in the following verse:
and all the host ran, and cried, and fled; or "were
broken"F12רוץ "confracta",
Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus. ; as some render the first word, their lines were
broken; they could not put themselves in rank and file, but were thrown into
the utmost confusion; and cried as being in the utmost danger of their lives,
and fled for their safety as fast, as they could; see Isaiah 27:13.
Judges 7:22 22 When the three hundred
blew the trumpets, the Lord
set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the
army fled to Beth Acacia,[a] toward
Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.
YLT
22and the three hundred blow
the trumpets, and Jehovah setteth the sword of each against his companion, even
through all the camp; and the camp fleeth unto Beth-Shittah, at Zererath, unto
the border of Abel-Meholah, by Tabbath.
And the three hundred men blew the trumpets,.... Kept
blowing them to continue and increase the terror of the enemy, and still held
the lamps in their hands, and stood as torch bearers to light the Midianites
and their associates to destroy one another, as follows:
and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow throughout
the host; and so slew one another; either suspecting treachery, as
Grotius, and so in revenge, wrath, and indignation, drew their swords on each
other; or through the terror and amazement they were in at the sounds they
heard, and the blazing torches dazzling their eyes, they knew not what they
did, or who they fell upon, taking their friends for foes, supposing the
Israelites were got into their camp; and the rather they might be led into this
mistake, since there were people of different languages among them, as JosephusF13Antiqu.
l. 5. c. 6. sect. 5. observes; but the thing was of God, it was he that took
away their reason and judgment from them, and infatuated them, and filled their
imaginations with such strange apprehensions of things; and threw into their
minds such terror and amazement, and directed them to point their swords at one
another:
and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath; that is,
which was left of it, which had not destroyed each other; the first of these
places should be read Bethhashittah; and perhaps had its name from the
"shittah" or "shittim" trees which might grow near it in
plenty, or the houses in it might be built of shittim wood; or it may be here
stood a temple formerly dedicated to some deity of this name, and near it a
grove of the above trees. Zererath, Kimchi observes, is written with two
"reshes", or R's, to distinguish it from another place called
Tzeredah; but where either of these places mentioned were cannot be
particularly said; though it is highly probable they were in the tribe of
Manasseh, and in the way to Jordan, whither in all probability the Midianites
would steer their course to escape to their own land:
and to the border of Abelmeholah unto Tabbath; the former of
these was the birth place of Elisha the prophet, 1 Kings 19:16 and
it appears very plainly that it was in the tribe of Manasseh, being mentioned
with other places in that tribe, 1 Kings 4:12.
JeromeF14De loc. Heb. fol. 88. M. under this word says, there was in
his time a village in Aulon, or the plain, ten miles from Scythopolis to the
south, which was called Bethahula; and the Targum is,"to the border of the
plain of Abelmeholah;'but of Tabbath we nowhere else read.
Judges 7:23 23 And the men of Israel
gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the
Midianites.
YLT
23And the men of Israel are
called from Naphtali, and from Asher, and from all Manasseh, and pursue after
Midian.
And the men of Israel gathered themselves together,.... Not out
of all the tribes, but out of those which lay nearest, and which are
particularly mentioned:
out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh: and these
seem to be the same persons out of those tribes who first joined Gideon, but
were separated from his army; both those that were fearful, and those that
bowed their knees to drink, and who perhaps had not gone far before they heard
of the defeat and flight of the Midianites; and therefore though they had not
courage to face the enemy, at least most of them, yet had spirit enough to
pursue a flying enemy; wherefore they returned, or however directed their
course the nearest way, where they supposed they fled:
and pursued after the Midianites; and those that were with
them.
Judges 7:24 24 Then Gideon sent messengers
throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the
Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and
the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the
watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.
YLT
24And messengers hath sent
Gideon into all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying, `Come down to meet Midian,
and capture before them the waters unto Beth-Barah, and the Jordan;' and every
man of Ephraim is called, and they capture the waters unto Beth-Barah, and the
Jordan,
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all Mount Ephraim,.... To raise
the inhabitants of it, who lay nearer Jordan, to which the Midianites would
make, in order to intercept them in their flight; or however get possession of
the fords of Jordan before them, and hinder their passage over it:
saying, come down against the Midianites; for though he
had routed them, and they were fled before him, yet he had not men enough with
him to destroy them; and besides, as they had their camels to ride on, and he
and his men only on foot, they could not come up with them:
and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan; namely, all
the fords and passages over Jordan, reaching from the lake of Gennesaret to
Bethbarah, the same with Bethabara, John 1:28 which was
a passage over Jordan; or these waters were, as Kimchi thinks, distinct from
those of Jordan; and were waters that lay in the way of the flight of the
Midianites, before they came to Bethbarah, their passage over Jordan; and
Jarchi thinks they were waters, which divided between Syria and the land of
Canaan, which is not likely; others think the waters are the same with Jordan,
and render the words, "take the waters" --even JordanF15"Nempe
Jordanis aquas", Junius & Tremellius; "nempe Jordanem",
Piscator. ; gain the passes over that before them, and so prevent their escape
to their own land:
then all the men of Ephraim; that is, great numbers
of them, whose hearts were inclined to, and whose situation lay best for this
service:
gathered themselves together; in a body, at some place
of rendezvous appointed:
and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan; took possession
of all the passes, and guarded them, as Gideon directed.
Judges 7:25 25 And they captured two
princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb,
and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought
the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
YLT
25and they capture two of the
heads of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb, and slay Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb
they have slain at the wine-vat of Zeeb, and they pursue unto Midian; and the
heads of Oreb and Zeeb they have brought in unto Gideon beyond the Jordan.
And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb,.... The one
signifies a "raven", and the other a "wolf"; which were
either nicknames given them because of their voraciousness and cruelty, or
which they took themselves, or their ancestors before them, to make themselves
terrible to others; so the Romans had the families of the Corvini, &c.
and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb; perhaps they
found him in a cave of the rock, and dragging him out slew him, from whence the
rock afterwards had its name. So we read of the rock Corax in HomerF16Odyss.
13. "prope finem". , which was in Ithaca, and another high mountain
of the same name in Aetolia, mentioned by LivyF17Hist. l. 36. c. 30.
and which signifies the same as Oreb. This is a different rock or mountain from
Horeb, the same with Sinai, from whence the law was given; which always ought
to be written with an "H" or "Ch", to distinguish it from
this; though that is written Oreb by LactantiusF18De vera Sap. l. 4.
c. 17. , and so by MiltonF19Paradise Lost, l. 1. ver. 7. , contrary
to the propriety of the language:
and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb; the Targum
is, the plain of Zeeb, which, as Kimchi and Ben Gersom suppose, was in the form
of a winepress, having high lips or hills around it, and which afterwards took
its name from this prince being slain in it:
and pursued Midian; the rest of the Midianites, even beyond
Jordan, those that got over it:
and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side
Jordan; that is, when he had passed over it the next morning, as Jarchi
remarks; for after this we read of Gideon's going over Jordan, Judges 8:4 unless
this is said by way of anticipation; though the phrase will bear to be
rendered, "on this side Jordan", for it signifies both. It seems they
cut off the heads of those two princes, and presented them to Gideon, as it has
been usual to bring the heads of enemies to kings and conquerors; see 1 Samuel 17:54.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)