Judges 7

Judges 7 forms the middle portion of the Gideon narrative, which spans Judges 6–8. Gideon, who received his call and asked for signs in Judges 6, fights and defeats Midian in this chapter.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 Gideon encamps beside the well of Harod. The LORD declares that the people are too many and has those who are fearful and afraid sent home. Twenty-two thousand depart, and ten thousand remain.
• Verses 4–8 The men are tested again at the water. Only the three hundred who brought the water to their mouths with their hands and lapped are kept; the rest are sent back to their tents.
• Verses 9–15 At night Gideon goes down near the enemy camp with his servant Purah. There he hears a man recount a dream in which a cake of barley bread tumbles into the camp and overturns a tent, and he hears the dream interpreted as "the sword of Gideon." Gideon then worships.
• Verses 16–22 Gideon divides the three hundred men into three companies and gives them trumpets and empty pitchers with torches hidden inside. At the beginning of the middle watch they break the pitchers and cry, "The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon," and the enemy soldiers turn their swords against one another and flee.
• Verses 23–25 The men of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh give chase. The men of Ephraim seize the fords of the Jordan and kill Oreb and Zeeb, the princes of Midian.

Key Verses

• Judges 7:2 "Mine own hand hath saved me" — This verse explains why the army was reduced and is read as the key to the chapter.
• Judges 7:7 "By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you" — This reaffirms that God is the one who brings the victory.
• Judges 7:20 "The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon" — The battle cry raised by the three hundred.

Characters and Places

• Gideon: Also called Jerubbaal; the son of Joash.
• Purah: Gideon's servant, who scouted the enemy camp with him.
• Oreb and Zeeb: Two princes (commanders) of Midian. The places where they were killed came to be called the rock Oreb and the winepress of Zeeb.
• Midian, Amalek, and the children of the east: A coalition force encamped in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude.
• The well of Harod and the hill of Moreh: The places where the two armies encamped.
• Jordan: Where the men of Ephraim seized the fords.

Points for Reflection

• The manner of drinking is often explained as a sign of alertness and watchfulness. The text, however, does not judge either method to be better. Many interpreters hold that, as verse 2 indicates, the emphasis lies on the small number of soldiers. Because the wording of verses 5 and 6 does not agree, commentators debate the posture in which the three hundred drank.
• Some sermons connect the pitchers and torches with the "treasure in earthen vessels" of 2 Corinthians 4:7. This is a connection added in preaching rather than something the text itself states.
• Hebrews 11:32 names Gideon among the people of faith. The "day of Midian" in Isaiah 9:1–7 is also read as referring to this victory.

In the Korean Church

The expression "Gideon's three hundred warriors" is frequently used in sermons, Sunday school lessons, and retreat themes. It is commonly presented as teaching that even a small number can prevail when they rely on God.