Chapter Seven

1. The positions of the Israelite and Midianite camps. 2–8. The selection and equipping of the Israelite warriors. 9–15. Gideon’s secret visit to the Midianite camp. 16–22. Gideon’s attack on the Midianite camp and his victory. 23–25. The pursuit of the Midianites.

Judges 7:1. Then Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was to the north of them by the Hill of Moreh in the valley. The Israelites were camped at the spring of Harod (1 Sam 29:1), which is at the foot of the Gilboa Mountains, to the east of the Esdraelon Valley, and the Midianites to the north of them, at the Hill of Moreh, or Little Hermon.

Judges 7:2. The Lord said to Gideon: The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, “My own hand has saved me. Judges 7:3. So now proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, “Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him return home.” And Gideon tested them; twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. Judges 7:4. The Lord said to Gideon: There are still too many people; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there; and anyone of whom I say to you, “This one shall go with you,” shall go with you; and anyone of whom I say to you, “This one shall not go with you,” shall not go. Judges 7:5. So he brought the people down to the water; and the Lord said to Gideon: All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall set to one side; and all those who kneel down to drink, set them to another side. Judges 7:6. The number of those that lapped was three hundred; but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. Judges 7:7. The Lord said to Gideon: With the three hundred that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand; let all the others go to their homes. Judges 7:8. So he took the provisions and the trumpets of the people from their hands; and he sent all the rest of Israel to their tents, but retained the three hundred. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley. In order that the Israelites might more clearly see the saving help of the Lord, whose salvation is joined not with quantity but with the quality of those who carry it out, the Lord commanded Gideon to make a special selection of warriors to go with him against the enemy. After this selection, from the whole force of 32,000 warriors, only 300 remained with Gideon, while the rest were sent home. With such a small force, Gideon could venture to fight the numerous enemy only because of his firm faith in God’s help, for which the holy apostle Paul calls him one who conquered by faith (Heb 11:32-33).

Judges 7:9. That night the Lord said to him: Arise, go down against the camp; for I have given it into your hand. Judges 7:10. But if you fear to go down, go with your servant Purah down to the camp; Judges 7:11. and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp. So he went down with his servant Purah to the outposts of the armed men that were in the camp. Judges 7:12. Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Judges 7:13. When Gideon arrived, a man was telling a dream to his comrade; and he said: I had a dream, and in it a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and it turned it upside down, and the tent collapsed. Judges 7:14. And his comrade answered: This is no other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has given Midian and all the army. Judges 7:15. When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped; and he returned to the camp of Israel, and said: Arise! for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hand. Before entering into battle, Gideon, together with his servant, penetrated by night into the Midianite camp, which was located in the valley and was visible from the Gilboa Mountains, where Gideon’s detachment was positioned. Here he overheard two warriors discussing the meaning of a dream seen by one of them, after which he became fully assured that God would grant him victory. The peoples of the East, as shown in the history of Joseph, Daniel, and others, generally believed in the significance of dreams.

Judges 7:16. And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them, and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. Judges 7:17. And he said to them: Look at me, and do likewise; when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do exactly as I do. Judges 7:18. When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp, and shout: “For the Lord and for Gideon! Judges 7:19. So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. Judges 7:20. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars, holding the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing; and they cried: “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon! Judges 7:21. Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran; they cried out and fled. Judges 7:22. When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow throughout all the camp; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. Like Abraham in his attack on the forces of Sennaar and Elam (see Gen 14:15), Gideon divided his force into three parts and attacked the Midianite camp during the middle watch, that is, at midnight, when the enemy camp was in deep sleep. The appearance of mysterious men with shining torches, the sound of breaking jars and the shouting of Gideon’s warriors produced panic in the Midianite camp, and they fled, striking each other in the confusion. Most of them went south down the Esdraelon Valley to the town of Bethshittah, identified with modern El-Shatta, near a stream that flows into the Jalud water and further to Abel-meholah (see 1 Kgs 19:16), which according to Jerome lay ten Roman miles north of Scythopolis (Bethshan). The location of Zererah (probably Zereda) and Tabbath mentioned in the account of the Midianite flight is unknown. History presents several other examples of the strategic trick used by Gideon. The Falisci terrified the Roman army by means of men with torches instead of weapons and serpents. The same was done by the Vesti and Fidenes (Tit. Liv. XXII, 16; Sallust Jugurtha, 99).

Judges 7:23. And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and Asher and all Manasseh, and they pursued after the Midianites. Judges 7:24. Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying: Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they seized the waters as far as Beth-barah and also the Jordan. Judges 7:25. They captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb, and they pursued Midian. And they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan. The nearby Israelite tribes, called by Gideon, pursued the fleeing enemy and cut off the ford across the Jordan (Beth-barah, or “place of the ford” across the Jordan, or, according to Jerome, “place of the spring” (Onom 106, 12), see John 1:28, south of Scythopolis) and slew many Midianites. Among the slain were the Midianite princes Oreb and Zeeb. This defeat of the Midianites was called in later history “the day of Midian” (Isa 9:4; Hab 3:7, Ps 82:10).