Bible Commentaries

Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

Jerubbaal - (cf. Judges 6:32.) This had now become Gideon's honourable sirname-`the enemy of Baal,' well-rather, 'spring of Harod' - i:e., 'fear, trembling;' probably the same as the fountain in Jezreel (1 Samuel 29:1). It was situated not far from Gilboa, on the confines of Manasseh; and the name "Harod" was bestowed on it with evident reference to the panic which seized the majority of Gideon's troops. The host of the Midianites were on the northern side of the valley, seemingly deeper down in the descent toward the Jordan, near a little eminence.

And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

The Lord said ... The people ... are too many. Although the Israelite army mustered only 32,000-or one-sixth of the Midianite host-the number was too great; because it was the Lord's purpose to teach Israel a memorable lesson of dependence on Him.

Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever 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.

Now therefore ... proclaim ... Whosoever is fearful ... let him return. This proclamation was in terms of an established law (Deuteronomy 20:8).

And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try 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.

Too many. Two reductions were ordered; the last by the application of a test which was made known to Gideon alone.

Bring them down to the water. The wandering people in Asia, when, on a journey or in haste, they come to water, do not stoop down with deliberation on their knees, but only bend forward as much as is necessary to bring their hand in contact with the streams, and throw it up with rapidity, and at the same time such address, that they do not drop a particle. The Israelites, it seems were acquainted with the practice; and those who adopted it on this occasion were selected as fit for a work that required expedition; the rest were dismissed, according to the divine direction.

So 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.

No JFB commentary on these verses.

And the LORD said unto Gideon, By 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.

The Lord said ... By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you. It is scarcely possible to conceive a severer trial than the command to attack the overwhelming forces of the enemy, with such a handful of followers. But Gideon's faith in the divine assurance of victory was stedfast; and it is for this he is so highly commended, Hebrews 11:32.

So the people took victuals in their hand, and their 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 beneath him in the valley.

He sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent. ["The rest" are neither in the Hebrew original nor in the Septuagint: kai ton andra Israeel exapesteilen, andra eis skeeneen autou].

The host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. Attention to the relative position of the parties is of the greatest importance to an understanding of what follows.

And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

Arise, get thee down ...

But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: Go thou with Phurah thy servant. In ancient times it was reckoned no degradation for persons of the highest rank and character to act as spies on an enemy's camp: and so Gideon did on this occasion. But the secret errand was directed by God, who intended that he should hear something which might animate his own and the valour of his troops.

And thou 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 armed men that were in the host.

The outside of the armed men that were in the host. "Armed" [ hach

And the 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, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

Lay along in the valley ... and their camels were without number - a most graphic description of an Arab encampment. They lay wrapt in sleep, or resting from their day's plunder, while their innumerable camels were stretched round about them.

And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a 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.

I dreamed ... and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled. This was a characteristic and very expressive dream for an Arab in the circumstances. The rolling down the hill, striking against the tents, and overturning them, naturally enough connected it in his mind with the position and meditated attack of the Israelite leader. The circumstance of the cake, too, was very significant (Bahr's 'Symbolik,' 2:, 8, sec. 445). Barley was usually the food of the poor, and of beasts; but most probably, from the widespread destruction of that crops by the invaders, multitudes must have been reduced to poor and scanty fare.

And 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.

Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel , [ 'iysh ] - a mighty or distinguished man of Israel.

And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

When Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation ... he worshipped. The incident originated in the secret overruling providence of God; and Gideon, from his expression of pious gratitude, regarded it as such. On his mind, as well as that of his followers, it produced the intended effect-that of imparting new animation and impulse to their patriotism.

And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.

He divided the three hundred men. The object of dividing his forces was, that they might seem to be surrounding the enemy.

He put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. The law prescribed to the Israelites the employment of trumpets in battle with their enemies; and the Lord, on the blast of them, remembered His people (Numbers 10:9). Gideon, therefore, provided them, as of indispensable importance, apart from his strategic device. The pitchers were empty, to conceal the torches, and made of earthenware, so as to be easily broken. "Lamps" [ lapidiym ] - rendered in our version sometimes "firebrands," and at other times, as here, "lamps." Large splinters of wood, either of a resinous nature in themselves, or artificially prepared, are made use of in the Levant, instead of flambeaux; and if these are in use now, when great improvements have been made in all the arts of life, it is natural to suppose they were used anciently, particularly by the common people. If the peasants, and those who were abroad at night, as shepherds and travelers, who wanted light, made use of this kind of torches, it can be no wonder that Gideon should be able, with so much ease, to procure 300 of them for 300 men that he retained with him; or that they should continue burning some considerable time in their pitchers.

And he said unto them, Look 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.

No JFB commentary on these verses.

So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

Gideon ... come ... in the beginning of the middle watch. In the early period of their history the Israelites divided the night into three watches (Psalms 63:6; Psalms 90:4), the first watch extending until midnight (Lamentations 2:19), the middle watch from midnight until cock-crowing, and the morning until sunrise (Exodus 14:24).

They blew the trumpets ... The sudden blaze of the held-up lights, the loud echo of the trumpets, and the shouts of Israel-always terrible (Numbers 23:21), and now more terrible than ever by the use of such striking words-broke through the stillness of the midnight air; the sleepers started from their rest; not a blow was dealt by the Israelites, but the enemy ran tumultuously, uttering the wild, discordant cries peculiar to the Arab race. They fought indiscriminately, not knowing friend from foe. The panic being universal, they soon precipitately fled, directing their flight down to the Jordan, by the foot of the mountains of Ephraim, to places known as the 'house of the acacia' and 'the meadow of the dance.'

And the three companies blew 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.

No JFB commentary on these verses.

And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

The men of Israel gathered themselves together. These were evidently the parties dismissed, who, having lingered at a little distance from the scene of contest, now eagerly joined in the pursuit southwestward through the valley.

And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take 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.

Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim. The Ephraimites lay on the south, and could render seasonable aid. A message, therefore, was sent to inform the people of that large district of the occurrences, and to rouse them to engage in helping forward the common cause of their country's deliverance.

Come ... take before them the waters unto Beth-barah - (see the note at Judges 3:28.) These were the northern fords of the Jordan, to the eastnortheast of Wady Maleh. 'One of the main entrances into western Palestine from the Jordan has always been up the valley of Jezreel (now Zerin), at the foot of which are the fords of Beth-barah' (cf. John 1:28 : Drew's 'Scripture Lands,' p. 196; Reland's 'Palaestina,' 2:, 626).

The men of Ephraim gathered themselves together ... unto Beth-harah. A new conflict ensued, in which two secondary chiefs were seized, and slain on the spots where they were respectively taken. The spots were named after these chiefs, Oreb, 'the Raven,' and Zeeb, 'the Wolf'-appropriate designations of Arab leaders. Those titles are similar to 'the Black Eagle' and 'the Great Serpent' of the Red Indians, and to Hengist and Horsa, the 'Mare' and the 'Stallion' of the Saxons.