Judges 6:4

4 and they setted their tents beside the sons of Israel, and they wasted all things that were in herbs, either green corn, unto the entering of Gaza, and utterly they left not in Israel anything pertaining to life, not sheep, not oxen, not asses (and they left not utterly any beast alive in Israel, not sheep, nor oxen, nor donkeys).

Judges 6:4 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 6:4

And they encamped against them
Formed a camp, from whence they sent out parties to plunder the people; or

``they were fixing their tents among them,''

as the Vulgate Latin version; and so the Targum,

``they dwelt by them,''

or fixed their habitations by them; for they seem not to have come as a regular army, but as a sort of banditti to pillage, and plunder, and destroy the fruits of the earth; and the Midianites and Arabians dwelt in tents chiefly:

and destroyed the increase of the earth;
the corn and grass before they were well ripe, and fit to cut down; this they did, and gave it to their cattle, and the rest they carried off:

till thou come unto Gaza;
a principality of the Philistines, which lay in the western part of Canaan, on the shore of the Mediterranean sea; so that as these people came out of the east, and entered the eastern part, they went through the whole land from east to west, cutting down all the fruits of the earth for forage for their cattle:

and left no sustenance for Israel;
nothing to support life with, cutting down their corn and their grass, their vines and olives, so that they had nothing to live upon:

neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass;
not anything for those creatures to live upon, nor did not leave any of them, but carried them all away.

Judges 6:4 In-Context

2 And Israel was oppressed of them greatly; and Israel made ditches, and dens to themselves in hills, and most strong places to fight against Midian. (And Israel was greatly oppressed by them; and in the hills they made ditches, and caves, and strongholds for themselves, from which to fight against the Midianites.)

3 And when Israel had sown, Midian ascended, and Amalek (was with them), and others of the nations of the east;

4 and they setted their tents beside the sons of Israel, and they wasted all things that were in herbs, either green corn, unto the entering of Gaza, and utterly they left not in Israel anything pertaining to life, not sheep, not oxen, not asses (and they left not utterly any beast alive in Israel, not sheep, nor oxen, nor donkeys).

5 For they and all their flocks came with their tabernacles, and at the likeness of locusts they full-filled all things, and a multitude of men and of camels was without number (yea, they were a multitude without number of men and of camels), and they wasted whatever thing(s) they touched.

6 And Israel was made low greatly in the sight of Midian (And Israel was brought greatly low before the Midianites). And Israel cried to the Lord,