Judges 7 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Judges 7

Gideon’s Three Hundred Men

7:1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

4 And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the LORD said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

9 That same night the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11 And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”

15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the LORD has given the host of Midian into your hand.” 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’”

Gideon Defeats Midian

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. 22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah,¹ as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.

24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. 25 And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.

Footnotes

[1] 7:22 Some Hebrew manuscripts Zeredah

Commentary

v1-3: Gideon had gathered his army for attacking the Midianites, see 6.35. We note that the Midianite army was very large; 6.5; 7.12; 8.10.

The Lord God insisted that His work be done in His way, that His power be demonstrated. Gideon had to ask if anyone was fearful; 22,000 men left (Deut 20.5-9); there was need for single-mindedness.

v4: God tested Gideon, by further sifting the army. This was part of God's teaching and moulding of Gideon.

v5-8: Gideon took the men to a stream; those who put their heads to the water were sent home. Only those who used their hands were chosen; they indicated a readiness and alertness.

v9-12: Lest the reduction in the size of his army should discourage him, the Lord sent a further encouragement to Gideon, but he had to go to the Midianite camp to receive it.

v13-14: The man's dream was about a loaf of barley; lit. "rolling roughness"; this was ironic since Midian had destroyed all the barley (6.3-6), yet it would be a barley loaf, in the person of Gideon (the "destroyer"). The loaf was sent, just as Gideon was sent by God, it was not his own scheme.

v15: Not surprisingly, Gideon was encouraged by the dream; he confidently roused his men for battle and victory. They awoke, and attacked during the night, as the guard was changing (v19).

v16-18: Trumpets were provided, as in the victory at Jericho a century or more earlier; see 2 Cor 4.7; the treasure was in earthen vessels, both men and pots, that the glory might be God's.

v19-22: While Israel remained around the camp, in three small groups (v16), the Midianites were thrown into panic.

v23: Other Israelites joined the fray, presumably from among the thousands who had earlier been sent home. As Midian was scattered, more soldiers were needed to pursue them. Soldiers from Ephraim joined also. This is significant, since chapter 8 relates their complaint against Gideon.