Judges 7: Gideon's three hundred men and the fall of Midian's camp
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What happens?
Gideon camps at the spring of Harod, but Yahweh says his army is too big, so that Israel could not boast that it saved itself. Twenty-two thousand who are afraid go home, and of the ten thousand left, Yahweh keeps only the three hundred who lap the water with their hands to their mouths. By night Gideon goes down to Midian's camp with his servant Purah and hears a man tell a dream of a barley loaf that knocks a tent flat; his friend says it means God has given Midian into Gideon's hand. Gideon's three hundred surround the camp with ram's horns, jars and torches, blow the horns, smash the jars and shout, and Yahweh sets the Midianites' swords against each other. Midian runs, and the men of Ephraim take the waters as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan, and kill the Midianite princes Oreb and Zeeb.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. God's own words are in 8 of the 25 verses: Yahweh's words to Gideon in verses 2 to 5 and 7, and in verses 9 to 11. In verse 3 Yahweh tells Gideon what to call out to the people. The man in Midian's camp tells his dream in verse 13, and his friend explains it in verse 14: those are their words, not God's. Gideon speaks to his men in verses 15, 17 and 18, and sends word to Ephraim in verse 24. The three hundred shout in verse 20. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose up early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. Midian’s camp was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
In plain English: Then Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, and all the people with him got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was to the north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
Good to know: The text does not explain the name Harod, but in Hebrew it sounds like chared, "trembling", the word for the fearful men in verse 3.
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2Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel brag against me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Gideon, "There are too many people with you for me to give Midian into their hand. Israel would boast (this Bible: brag) against me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'
Good to know: Yahweh gives the reason himself: so that Israel cannot say, "My own hand has saved me." Sending home the fearful in verse 3 is what commands before a battle: "What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? Let him go and return to his house."
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3Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.God speaks
In plain English: So now call out for the people to hear (literally: in the ears of the people): 'Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him turn back and leave (or: hurry away) from Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand of the people went back, and ten thousand were left.
Good to know: The text says "Mount Gilead", though Gideon's camp is at the spring of Harod (verse 1), across from Midian's camp in the valley, which calls the Valley of Jezreel, and Gilead is "beyond the Jordan" (). The text does not explain this, and readers explain it in different ways. "Depart" is a word the dictionary gives as "to skip about, i.e. return".
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4Yahweh said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. It shall be, that those whom I tell you, ‘This shall go with you,’ shall go with you; and whoever I tell you, ‘This shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Gideon, "There are still too many people. Take them down to the water, and I will test them (literally: refine them) for you there. Whoever I tell you, 'This one will go with you,' will go with you. And whoever I tell you, 'This one will not go with you,' will not go."
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5So he brought down the people to the water; and Yahweh said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue, like a dog laps, you shall set him by himself; likewise everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.”God speaks
In plain English: So he took the people down to the water, and Yahweh said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, set him apart by himself. Do the same with everyone who gets down on his knees to drink."
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6The number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water.
In plain English: The number of those who lapped, with their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men. All the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.
Good to know: Verse 5 says those who lap "with his tongue, like a dog laps", and verse 6 says the three hundred lapped "putting their hand to their mouth". The text does not say how the two fit together, and it does not say why the lappers were the ones chosen. The only reason it gives for making the army small is Yahweh's in verse 2.
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7Yahweh said to Gideon, “I will save you by the three hundred men who lapped, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, each to his own place.”God speaks
In plain English: Yahweh said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men who lapped I will save you and give Midian into your hand. Let all the other people go, each to his own place."
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8So the people took food in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of the men of Israel to their own tents, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
In plain English: So the people took food (this Bible: provisions) and their ram's horns (this Bible: trumpets) in their hands. Gideon sent all the other men of Israel to their tents, but kept the three hundred men. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
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9That same night, Yahweh said to him, “Arise, go down into the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.God speaks
In plain English: That same night Yahweh said to him, "Get up, go down into the camp, because I have given it into your hand.
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10But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp.God speaks
In plain English: But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant.
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11You will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened to go down into the camp.” Then went he down with Purah his servant to the outermost part of the armed men who were in the camp.God speaks
In plain English: You will hear what they are saying, and after that your hands will be strong to go down into the camp." So he went down with Purah his servant to the edge of the armed men (this Bible: the outermost part of the armed men) in the camp.
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12The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is on the seashore for multitude.
In plain English: The Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the people of the east lay in the valley as many as locusts. Their camels could not be counted, as many as the sand on the seashore.
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13When Gideon had come, behold, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow. He said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream; and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.”
In plain English: When Gideon got there, a man was telling his friend a dream. He said, "Listen, I had a dream. A round loaf (this Bible: cake) of barley bread came tumbling into the camp of Midian. It came to the tent and struck it, and it fell. It turned it upside down, and the tent lay flat."
The Hebrew word: "Cake" is tselul, which the dictionary gives as "a (round or flattened) cake". This is the only verse that uses it. "Tumbled" is haphak, "to turn about or over", the word for the tent turned "upside down" later in the verse.
Good to know: The text does not explain the barley loaf. In verse 14 the man's friend takes it to mean "the sword of Gideon": those are his words, and the text tells them as part of what Gideon heard (verse 15).
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14His fellow answered, “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has delivered Midian into his hand, with all the army.”
In plain English: His friend answered, "This can be nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand."
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15It was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. Then he returned into the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for Yahweh has delivered the army of Midian into your hand!”
In plain English: When Gideon heard the dream told and what it meant (this Bible: its interpretation), he bowed down in worship. Then he went back to the camp of Israel and said, "Get up, because Yahweh has given the camp of Midian into your hand!"
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16He divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers.
In plain English: He divided the three hundred men into three companies. He put ram's horns (this Bible: trumpets) and empty jars (this Bible: pitchers) into all their hands, with torches inside the jars.
Good to know: "Torches" is lappid, the word that may stand behind "Lappidoth" in (see the note there).
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17He said to them, “Watch me, and do likewise. Behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so you shall do.
In plain English: He said to them, "Watch me, and do the same. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do.
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18When 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 Yahweh and for Gideon!’”
In plain English: When I and all who are with me blow the ram's horn, then you also blow the ram's horns all around the camp, and shout, 'For Yahweh and for Gideon!'"
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19So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch. Then they blew the trumpets and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.
In plain English: So Gideon and the hundred men with him came to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch of the night, just after the guards had been posted. They blew the ram's horns and smashed the jars that were in their hands.
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20The three companies blew the trumpets, broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands with which to blow; and they shouted, “The sword of Yahweh and of Gideon!”
In plain English: The three companies blew the ram's horns and broke the jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the ram's horns in their right hands to blow, and they shouted, "A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon!"
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21They each stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight.
In plain English: Each man stood in his place all around the camp, and the whole army ran. They cried out in alarm (this Bible: shouted) and fled (this Bible: put them to flight).
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22They blew the three hundred trumpets, and Yahweh set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth Shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.
In plain English: When the three hundred blew the ram's horns, Yahweh set each man's sword against his neighbor all through the army. The army fled as far as Beth Shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel Meholah, near Tabbath.
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23The men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued Midian.
In plain English: The men of Israel were called out from Naphtali, from Asher, and from all Manasseh, and they chased Midian.
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24Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against Midian and take the waters before them as far as Beth Barah, even the Jordan!” So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together and took the waters as far as Beth Barah, even the Jordan.
In plain English: Gideon sent messengers all through the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against Midian and take the waters ahead of them as far as Beth Barah, and the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they took the waters as far as Beth Barah, and the Jordan.
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25They took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at Oreb’s rock, and Zeeb they killed at Zeeb’s wine press, as they pursued Midian. Then they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.
In plain English: They captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, and they chased Midian. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan (literally: from the other side of the Jordan).
Good to know: The rock and the winepress are named after the two princes killed there. Later verses remember this victory: speaks of "the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb", and prays, "Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb". "Beyond the Jordan" is literally "from the other side of the Jordan": it can be read as the place where Gideon was, or the place the heads were brought from. The text tells of Gideon crossing the Jordan in .
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