Judges 7:4-14

4 1Then 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. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go."
5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels * to drink."
6 Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 * men; but all the rest of the people kneeled * to drink water.
7 The LORD said to Gideon, "I will deliver you 2with the 300 * men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home."
8 So the 300 men took the people's provisions and their trumpets into their hands. And Gideon sent all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the 300 * men; and the camp of Midian was below * him in the valley.
9 Now the same night it came about that the LORD said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, 3for I have given it into your hands.
10 "But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp,
11 and you will hear what they say; and 4afterward your hands will be strengthened that you may go down against the camp." So he went with Purah his servant down to the outposts of the army that was in the camp.
12 Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley 5as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, 6as numerous as the sand on the seashore *.
13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, "Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat."
14 His friend replied, "This is nothing less * than * the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp 7into his hand."

Judges 7:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

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, Jud 7:1-8 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, Jud 7:9-15 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, Jud 7:16-22 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, Jud 7:23-25.

Cross References 7

  • 1. 1 Samuel 14:6
  • 2. 1 Samuel 14:6
  • 3. Joshua 2:24; Joshua 10:8; Joshua 11:6
  • 4. Judges 7:15; 1 Samuel 14:9, 10
  • 5. Judges 6:5; Judges 8:10
  • 6. Joshua 11:4
  • 7. Joshua 2:9

Footnotes 7

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