7:2 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 a vaunt themselves against me, saying,
Mine own hand hath saved me.
(a) God will not that any creature deprive him of his glory.
7:4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people [are] yet [too]
many; bring them down unto the water, and I will b 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.
(b) I will give you a proof to know those who will go with
you.
7:5 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;
c likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to
drink.
(c) Let them depart as unfit for this enterprise.
7:7 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] d people go every man
unto his place.
7:9 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto
him, Arise, e get thee down unto the host; for I have
delivered it into thine hand.
(e) Thus the Lord by various means strengthens him, that he
faint not in so great an enterprise.
7:13 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 f 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.
(f) Some read, a trembling noise of barley bread: meaning,
that one of no reputation would make their great army
tremble.
7:15 And it was [so], when Gideon heard the telling of the
dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he g
worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said,
Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host
of Midian.
(g) Or, gave God thanks, as it is in the Chaldea text.
7:16 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 h within the pitchers.
(h) These weak means God used to signify that the whole
victory came from him.
7:18 When I blow 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, i [The sword] of the LORD, and of Gideon.
(i) That is, the victory shall be the Lord's and Gideon's
his servant.
7:20 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 k sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
(k) Shall destroy the enemies.
7:22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set
every man's sword against his l fellow, even throughout
all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath,
[and] to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.
(l) The Lord caused the Midianites to kill one another.
7:24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim,
saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before
them the m waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the
men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the
waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
(m) Meaning, the passages or the fords so they could not
escape.
7:25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb;
and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew
at n the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and
brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other
side Jordan.
(n) These places got their names from the acts that were
done there.
