Judges 7:5-22

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:12

And the Midianites and the Amalekites, and the children of the east ,.... The Arabians, who with the Amalekites joined the Midianites in this expedition: lay along in the valley in the valley of Jezreel, in their tents, which overspread the valley, or at least great part of it: like grasshoppers for multitude ; or locusts, which usually come in great numbers, and cover the air and the sun where they fly, and the earth where they light, as they did the land of Egypt; this army... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:13

And when Gideon was come ,.... With his servant, near and within hearing the talk and conversation of the outer guards or sentinels: there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow ; his comrade that stood next him, and was upon guard with him; perhaps it was a dream he had dreamed the night before or this selfsame night, being just called up to take his turn in the watch, and so it was fresh upon his mind: and said, behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo ; thus it was as I am going to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:14

And his fellow answered and said ,.... As the dream was no doubt from God, so the interpretation of it was; it was he that put into the mind of the soldier's comrade to whom he told it to interpret it as follows; or otherwise in all likelihood he would never have thought of it: this is nothing else save the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel ; that is, this signifies nothing else, and a fit emblem it was of him and his little army. A cake is but a small thing, and, let it... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:15

And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof ,.... Or, "the breaking of it" F7 שברו "fractionem ejus", Vatablus, Drusius; "fracturam ejus", Piscator. ; the dream itself being like something closed up and sealed, and the interpretation of it was like the breaking of a seal, and discovering what is hid under it; or like a nut, the kernel of which cannot be come at till the shell is broken: that he worshipped ; bowed his head with an... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:16

And he divided the three hundred men into three companies ,.... One hundred in a company, partly to make the better figure, a show of an army, with a right and left wing, and partly that they might fall upon the camp of Midian in different parts: and he put a trumpet in every man's hand ; they that returned of the trumpeters having left their trumpets behind them, whereby there was a sufficient number for three hundred men; and these were put into their hands, that when they blew them... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:17

And he said unto them, look on me, and do likewise ,.... Observe what I do, and do the same, in blowing a trumpet, breaking a pitcher, and shouting with the words expressed by him: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp ; where the sentinels stood, and the watch was set: it shall be, that as I do, so shall ye do ; and not before; a trumpet was not to be blown, nor a pitcher broken, nor a torch held out, nor a word spoken, till just they came to the outside of the camp:... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:18

When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me ,.... He being at the head of one of the three companies, Judges 7:19 perhaps the middlemost, which might stand for the body of the army; and the other two be one to the right and the other to the left of him, and so could more easily discover his motions: then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp ; for it seems they were so disposed as to be around the camp, which when the trumpets were blown at once on every... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:19

So Gideon, and the one hundred men that were with him ,.... Which was one of the three companies his army was divided into, and which company he had the command of particularly: came unto the outside of the camp, in the beginning of the middle watch ; the second watch, for the night was divided into three watches; for though in later times there were four watches, among the Romans F8 Liv. Hist. l. 36. c. 24. "Suidas in. voce" προφνλακη , "et in voce" φνλακη , and which the Jews... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:20

And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers ,.... The other two, observing what Gideon and his company did, followed their example, and at the same time blew their trumpets, and broke their pitchers; for that there were four companies, three besides Gideon's, as Kimchi and Ben Melech suggest, there is no reason to believe: and held the lamps in their left hands ; which they took out of the pitchers when they broke them, and holding them up in their left hands, gave... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Judges 7:21

And they stood every man in his place around the camp ,.... To see the salvation of God, and that it might most clearly appear to be his own doing; and indeed, had they gone into it, they could have done nothing; they had no weapons in their hands, a trumpet in one hand, and a lamp in the other; though this their position served to increase the terror of the enemy, who might suppose that they stood either to light and introduce a large army at the back of them; or to light the forces already... read more

Group of Brands