1Gideon's army of thirty-two thousand is by God's direction reduced to three hundred. 9He is sent into the enemy's camp by night, where he is encouraged by hearing a dream told with its interpretation. 16He divideth his army into three companies, giving to each man a trumpet, and a lamp in a pitcher. 19On his approach the Midianites are thrown into confusion and put to flight. 24The Ephraimites take Oreb and Zeeb, and put them to death.
1THEN aJerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, brose up early, and pitched beside cthe well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the dvalley.
a ch. 6.32. b Jos. 3.1; 6.12. Ec. 9.10. Ps. 119.60. c ch. 6.3,33. 1Sa. 29.1. v.3. d Ge. 12.6. De. 11.30.
2And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are etoo many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel *vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
*vaunt-boast.
e Zec. 4.6. 1Co. 1.27,29. 2Co. 10.4,5. De. 8.17; 32.27.
3Now therefore *go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, fWhosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
*go to-come now!
f De. 20.8. Mat. 13.21. Re. 21.8; 17.14.
4And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will 1try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
1Heb. separate, purify. Mal. 3.2,3. 1Sa. 16.6,7.
5So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
6And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7And the LORD said unto Gideon, gBy the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.
g ch. 18.9. 1Sa. 14.6. Is. 41.14-16. Le. 26.7,8. Jos. 23.10. 2Ch. 14.11.
8So the people took *victuals in their hand, and htheir trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was ibeneath him in the valley.
*victuals-food.
h Le. 23.24. ch. 3.27. v.19. i ch. 6.33. v.1.
9¶And it came to pass the same jnight, that the LORD said unto him, kArise, get thee down unto the host; for lI have delivered it into thine hand.
j Job 4.13. Ge. 15.1. Mat. 1.20. k Jos. 1.5-9. Ge. 46.2,3. Is. 43.1,2; 41.10,14-16. He. 13.5,6. l v.2,7,14,15. ch. 3.28.
10But if mthou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
m ch. 4.8,9. Ex. 4.10,14.
11And nthou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the 2armed men that were in the host.
2Or, ranks by five, Ex. 13.18.
n Ge. 24.14. v.13,14,15. ch. 6.36-40. 1Sa. 14.9,10.
12And othe Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, pas the sand by the sea side for multitude.
o ch. 6.3,5,33; 8.10. Is. 8.9,10; 48.19. Ps. 33.16; 3.1; 118.10-12. p Jos. 11.4.
13And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his qfellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, ra cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
q Nu. 23.5; 24.10-13. Re. 12.16. r ch. 6.15; 3.15,31; 4.9,21. 1Co. 1.27. Is. 41.14,15.
14And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else *save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
*save-except.
15¶And it was so , when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and 3the interpretation thereof, that he sworshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, tArise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
3Heb. the breaking thereof.
s Ge. 24.26,27. Ex. 4.30,31. Ps. 34.1,2. t ch. 4.14. 2Co. 10.4-6. Jos. 1.5,9. De. 31.1,6,7.
16And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put 4a trumpet in every man's hand, with uempty pitchers, and 5lamps within the pitchers.
4Heb. trumpets in the hand of all of them.
5Or, firebands, or torches.
u Is. 26.12. Jn. 15.5. 2Co. 3.5; 4.7; 10.4,5.
17And he said unto them, vLook on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that , as I do, so shall ye do.
v ch. 9.48. 1Co. 11.1. Mat. 16.24.
18When I wblow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
w v.20. 1Sa. 17.47. 2Ch. 20.15,17.
19¶So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp xin the beginning of the *middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and ybrake the pitchers that were in their hands.
*middle watch-10.00pm to 2.00am.
x Ex. 14.24. Re. 16.15. 1Th. 5.3. Mat. 24.42,44. Pr. 27.1. y Ps. 2.9. Je. 13.13,14; 19.11.
20And the three companies zblew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow *withal : and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
*withal-with.
z Jos. 6.4,16,20. 2Co. 10.4,5; 4.7.
21And they astood every man in his place round about the camp: and ball the host ran, and cried, and fled.
a Ex. 14.13,14. 2Ch. 20.17. Is. 30.7,15; 26.12. b Pr. 28.1. 2Ki. 7.6,7. Ex. 14.25.
22And the three hundred cblew the trumpets, and the dLORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah 6in Zererath, and to the 7border of eAbel-meholah, unto Tabbath.
6Or, toward.
7Heb. lip.
c Jos. 6.4,16,20. d Ps. 83.9. Is. 9.4. 1Sa. 14.15,20. 2Ch. 20.23. e 1Ki. 4.12; 19.16.
23And the fmen of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.
f ch. 6.35; 7.3.
24¶And Gideon gsent messengers throughout all hmount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and itake before them the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan.
g ch. 3.28; 8.1-3. Ro. 15.30. Phi. 1.27. h Jos. 24.33. i ch. 3.28; 12.5. Jos. 2.7.
25And they took jtwo princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon kon the other side Jordan.
j Ps. 83.11. Is. 10.26. ch. 8.3. k ch. 8.4.