Judges 7:12

12 And Madiam and Amalec and all the children of the east scattered in the valley, as the locust for multitude; and there was no number to their camels, but they were as the sand on the seashore for multitude.

Judges 7:12 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 7:12

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 6:5 ) .

Judges 7:12 In-Context

10 And if thou art afraid to go down, go down thou and thy servant Phara into the camp.

11 And thou shalt hear what they shall say, and afterwards thy hands shall be strong, and thou shalt go down into the camp: and he went down and Phara his servant to the extremity of the fifty, which were in the camp.

12 And Madiam and Amalec and all the children of the east scattered in the valley, as the locust for multitude; and there was no number to their camels, but they were as the sand on the seashore for multitude.

13 And Gedeon came, and behold a man relating to his neighbour a dream, and he said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread rolling into the camp of Madiam, and it came as far as a tent, and smote it, and it fell, and it turned it up, and the tent fell.

14 And his neighbour answered and said, This is none other than the sword of Gedeon, son of Joas, a man of Israel: God has delivered Madiam and all the host into his hand.