Judges 7:21

21 And man stood in his place round about the host; and all the host ran, and sounded , and fled.

Judges 7:21 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 7:21

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" ^F12; 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 ) ( Hebrews 6:18 ) .

---

FOOTNOTES:

F12 (Uwr) "confracta", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus.

Judges 7:21 In-Context

19 And Gedeon and the hundred men that were with him came to the extremity of the army in the beginning of the middle watch; and they completely roused the guards, and sounded with the horns, and they broke the pitchers that were in their hands,

20 and the three companies sounded with the horns, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and in their right hands their horns to sound with; and they cried out, A sword for the Lord and for Gedeon.

21 And man stood in his place round about the host; and all the host ran, and sounded , and fled.

22 And they sounded with the three hundred horns; and the Lord set man's sword in all the host against his neighbour.

23 And the host fled as far as Bethseed Tagaragatha Abel-meula to Tabath; and the men of Israel from Nephthali, and from Aser, and from all Manasse, came to help, and followed after Madiam.