Jueces 7:5

5 E hizo bajar el pueblo al agua. Y el SEÑOR dijo a Gedeón: Pondrás a un lado a todo aquel que lamiere el agua con su lengua, como lame el perro, y a todo el que se arrodille para beber.

Jueces 7:5 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 7:5

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 relates ^F2, 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 Aristotle

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 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.

F2 Var. Hist. l. 1. c. 4.
F3 Hist. Animal. l. 8. c. 6.

Jueces 7:5 In-Context

3 Ahora pues, proclama a oídos del pueblo, diciendo: "Cualquiera que tenga miedo y tiemble, que regrese y parta del monte Galaad." Y veintidós mil personas regresaron, pero quedaron diez mil.

4 Y el SEÑOR dijo a Gedeón: Todavía el pueblo es demasiado numeroso; hazlos bajar al agua y allí te los probaré. Y será que de quien yo te diga: "Este irá contigo", ése irá contigo; pero todo aquel de quien yo te diga: "Este no irá contigo", ése no irá.

5 E hizo bajar el pueblo al agua. Y el SEÑOR dijo a Gedeón: Pondrás a un lado a todo aquel que lamiere el agua con su lengua, como lame el perro, y a todo el que se arrodille para beber.

6 Y fue el número de los que lamieron, poniendo la mano a su boca, trescientos hombres; pero todo el resto del pueblo se arrodilló para beber.

7 Entonces el SEÑOR dijo a Gedeón: Os salvaré con los trescientos hombres que lamieron y entregaré a los madianitas en tus manos; que todos los demás del pueblo se vayan, cada uno a su casa.