Verse 1
7:1. Gideon rose up early — As
one whose heart was upon his
business, and who was afraid of
losing time. Being now sure God
was with him, he is impatient of
any delay. And pitched by the
well of Harod — That his army
might not be distressed for want
of water; and he gained the
higher ground, which possibly
might be some advantage to him,
for the Midianites were beneath
him in the valley. Our faith in
God’s promises must not slacken,
but rather quicken our
endeavours. When we are sure God
goes before us in any
undertaking, we must be the more
active, and exert ourselves the
more to accomplish it.
Verse 2
7:2. The people that are with
thee are too many — The army
consisted of thirty-two thousand
men, a small army in comparison
of what Israel might have raised
on so great an occasion, and a
very small one in comparison
with that which the Midianites
had now brought into the field.
Gideon, doubtless, was ready to
think they were too few; but God
comes to him and tells him they
were too many. It is indeed the
same thing with God to save by
many or by few; but man being
prone to attribute every thing
to natural causes rather than to
God, it is one great design of
God in all his dispensations,
both of providence and grace, to
counteract this evil disposition
in our nature which robs God of
his glory, and to cause us to
consider him, and see his hand
more in all things.
Verse 3
7:3. From mount Gilead — Not
that mount Gilead which was on
the east side of Jordan, for the
camps, both of the Israelites
and Midianites, were on the west
side of that river, in the land
of Canaan; but another mount
Gilead in the tribe of Manasseh.
There returned of the people
twenty and two thousand — These,
finding their whole army very
small, in comparison of that of
their enemies, who were a
hundred and thirty-five
thousand, ( 8:10,) and all, no
doubt, well armed and
disciplined, and encouraged by
long success, whereas the
Israelites were dispirited with
long servitude, and many of them
unarmed, lost the courage which
they had at first, and therefore
returned.
Verse 4
7:4. The Lord said, The people
are yet too many — For my
purpose, which is so to deliver
Israel that it may appear to be
by my own act; that so I may
have all the glory, and they may
be more strongly obliged to
serve me. God foresaw that if
the Israelites had fought
against the Midianites, even
only with ten thousand men, they
would have attributed victory to
their own strength and courage;
they were therefore reduced to
three hundred only, that there
might not be the least room left
for thinking that their own hand
had saved them. Bring them down
unto the water — Either that
which ran from the well of
Harod, mentioned 7:1, or some
other brook.
Verse 6
7:6. That lapped — Taking up a
little water in the palm of
their hands. It is probable that
Gideon, upon this occasion,
commanded his whole army to
leave their baggage behind them,
and among that the vessels and
cups they used to drink out of;
and, when he had brought them to
the river-side, told them to
drink of it, as they were going
upon an expedition which would
not admit of the carrying water
with them, and in which they
would not soon meet with any.
Something of this kind we may
reasonably imagine, to account
for the whole army’s drinking at
the same time, and not one of
them using any kind of cup. The
whole army, except three hundred
men, upon the command being
given, seem to have flung
themselves down on the river’s
bank, as it were, to indulge
themselves, which is probably
meant by bowing down their knees
to drink. But the three hundred
men, probably more intent on the
expedition, contented themselves
with taking up some water in the
palm or hollow of their hands,
and so quenching their thirst,
without laying aside their arms,
or putting themselves off their
guard.
Verse 7
7:7. Every man unto his place —
That is, to his own home. “By
this further distinction,” says
Henry, “it was proved that none
should be made use of, but, 1st,
Men that were hardy, that could
endure fatigue, without
complaining of thirst or
weariness; 2d, Men that were
hasty, that thought it long till
they were engaged with the
enemy, preferring the service of
God and their country before
their necessary refreshment.
Such as these God chooses to
employ, that are not only well
affected, but zealously affected
to his work.”
Verse 8
7:8. Their trumpets — That is,
the trumpets belonging to the
whole army, which he retained
for the use following. Gideon
seems to have been now inspired
with the thought of the
stratagem which he put in
execution afterward, otherwise
he would not have ordered every
one of the three hundred to take
a trumpet in his hand.
Verses 9-11
7:9-11. The same night — After
he had dismissed all but the
three hundred; the Lord said —
In a dream or vision of the
night; But if thou fear to go
down — Namely, with thy three
hundred men, to attack the
Midianites. Afterward shall thy
hand be strengthened — Thou wilt
be encouraged to proceed,
notwithstanding the smallness of
thy number.
Verse 13-14
7:13-14. And lo, a cake tumbled
into the host of Midian — A weak
and contemptible thing, and in
itself as unable to overthrow a
tent as to remove a mountain;
but, being thrown by a divine
hand, it bore down all before
it. His fellow answered, &c. —
As there are many examples of
significant dreams, given by God
to heathen, so some of them had
the gift of interpreting dreams;
which they sometimes did by
divine direction, as in this
case. For it is evident that God
influenced the mind of this man,
to give this interpretation to
the dream of his companion, for
the encouragement of Gideon;
otherwise, considering the
numerous host of the Midianites,
and the small force which Gideon
had, it does not seem probable
that a Midianitish soldier
should have entertained such a
conjecture; and one may observe
the soldier speaks as if under
some prophetic influence. Into
his hand hath God delivered
Midian, and all the host — It is
certain, at least, that the hand
of God was in this affair, that
Gideon should be directed to
this particular tent, and that
the soldier should be telling
his dream just at that very
moment.
Verse 15-16
7:15-16. When Gideon heard, he
worshipped — He praised God for
this special encouragement. He
divided the men into three
companies — To make a show of a
vast army. Lamps within the
pitchers — The lights were put
into the pitchers, partly to
preserve them from the wind and
weather, and partly that their
approach to the Midianites not
being discovered, they might
surprise them with sudden
flashes of light. But when every
man had taken his post just on
the outside of the camp, then
they broke the pitchers, that
they might have the advantage of
the lamps, and at the same time
cast a great terror upon the
Midianites; who, from the number
of the lights in different
places, doubtless concluded that
they were surrounded by a
numerous army; and to this
terror the number of trumpets,
(each man sounding one,) and the
shouts from different parts,
greatly contributed.
Verse 17-18
7:17-18. He said to them, Look
on me — For though two hundred
of his men were placed on other
sides of the camp, yet they were
so disposed, that some persons,
set as watchmen, might see what
was done, and give notice to the
rest to follow the example. The
sword of the Lord, and of Gideon
— He mentions his own name,
together with God’s, not out of
arrogance, as if he would equal
himself with God, but from
prudent policy, because his name
was grown formidable to them,
and so was likely to further his
design. See 7:14.
Verse 19
7:19. Middle watch — That is, of
the second watch; for though
afterward the night was divided
into four watches by the Romans,
(Matthew 14:25,) yet in more
ancient times, and in the
eastern parts, it was divided
into three: he chose the dark
and dead of the night, to
increase their terror by the
trumpets, whose sound would then
be loudest, and the lamps, whose
light would then shine most
brightly, to surprise them, and
conceal the smallness of their
numbers.
Verse 21-22
7:21-22. They stood — As if they
had been torch-bearers to the
several companies. Every man’s
sword against his fellow — They
slew one another, because they
suspected treachery, and so fell
upon those they first met with;
which they might more easily do,
because they consisted of
several nations, because the
darkness of the night made them
unable to distinguish friends
from foes, because the
suddenness of the thing struck
them with horror and amazement,
and because God had infatuated
them, as he had done many
others.
Verse 23-24
7:23-24. The men of Israel
gathered themselves together —
Upon advice of this flight of
the Midianites, by swift
messengers sent on purpose, the
Israelites immediately poured
down from all parts, to
intercept them in their flight.
Take before them the waters —
That is, the passes over those
waters to which they are likely
to come; unto Beth-barah and
Jordan — The fords of Jordan,
which they must pass over into
their own country.
Verse 25
7:25. To Gideon on the other
side of Jordan — For Gideon, in
the pursuit, had passed over
Jordan. Oreb and Zeeb had
probably taken shelter, the one
in a rock, the other by a
wine-press. But the places of
their shelter were made the
places of their slaughter, and
the memory of it preserved in
the names of the places. |