Judges 7:15-25

15 And when Gideon had heard the dream, and the interpreting thereof, he worshipped the Lord, and turned again to the tents of Israel, and said, Rise ye (up); for the Lord hath betaken into our hands the tents of Midian (for the Lord hath delivered the host, or the army, of the Midianites into our hands).
16 And he parted the three hundred men into three parts, and he gave them trumps in their hands, and empty pots, and lamps (with lamps), that is, (with) burning brands, either torches, that might not lightly be quenched, in the midst of the pots.
17 And he said to them, Do ye this thing which ye see me do; I shall enter into a part of the tents, and follow ye that, that I do.
18 When the trump in my hand shall sound, sound ye also all about the tents, and cry ye together, To the Lord, and to Gideon.
19 And Gideon entered, and the three hundred men that were with him, into a part of the tents, when the watches of midnight began; and when the keepers were raised, they began to sound with trumps, and to beat together the pots among themselves (and after the guards had changed, they began to sound with the trumpets, and to beat the pots together).
20 And when they sounded in three places by compass, and had broken the pots, they held [the] lamps in their left hands, and [the] sounding trumps in their right hands; and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon;
21 and they stood all in their place, about the tents of their enemies. And so all the tents were troubled; and they cried [out], and yelled, and fled; (and they all stood in their places, about the tents of their enemies. And all the army was troubled, and many of the enemies cried out, and yelled, and fled away;)
22 and nevertheless the three hundred men continued, sounding with trumps. And the Lord sent sword in all the tents, and they killed themselves by death each other; and they (who were left) fled till to Bethshittah, (in Zererath), and by the side, from Abelmeholah into Tabbath. (but the three hundred men continued sounding with the trumpets. And the Lord set each man in the camp against his neighbour, and they killed each other with their swords; and those who were left fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to Abelmeholah Ridge by Tabbath.)
23 And men of Israel cried together, of Naphtali, and of Asher, and of all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian; and the Lord gave victory to the people of Israel in that day. (Then the men of Israel from Naphtali, and Asher, and from both parts of Manasseh, were called out, and they pursued the Midianites; and the Lord gave victory to the people of Israel on that day.)
24 And Gideon sent messengers into all the hill (country) of Ephraim, and said, Come ye down against the coming of Midian, and occupy ye the waters till to Bethbarah and (the) Jordan. And all Ephraim cried (And all the men of Ephraim were called out), and before-occupied the waters of the Jordan until Bethbarah.
25 And Ephraim killed two chief men of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; he killed Oreb in the stone of Oreb, and Zeeb in the presser of Zeeb; and Ephraim pursued Midian, and they bare the heads of Oreb and of Zeeb to Gideon, over the floods of Jordan. (And the Ephraimites killed the two chief men of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at the stone of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb; and they pursued the Midianites, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, on the other side of the Jordan River.)

Judges 7:15-25 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.