Judges 7

Chap. VII. Ver. 1-25. Gideon defeats the Moabites, and delivers Israel.—Gideon being now fully satisfied that he should be the deliverer of Israel, collects his forces, which amounted to 32,000 men; only a third part of which, however, appear fit for soldiers; for, on the proclamation that all the fearful might leave the camp, 22,000 immediately return home; still the remaining 10,000, who appear willing to fight, are pronounced too many for the purpose; “Lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, (saith the Lord,) saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.” These ten thousand are therefore reduced to three hundred, and those armed only with pitchers and with lamps, or torches; for ‘the battle was the Lord’s.”’ On the night before the expected engagement, Gideon is directed to go down privately into the camp of the enemy; and there he overhears a Midianite relate his dream, which is interpreted by his companion as ominous of their discomfiture.

The for- 5… | tap Ga rina er ee eS of their tents, and overturned it; and his companion instantly interprets this of “the sword of Gideon,” who, in himself, was no more able to cope with them than a cake of barley meal to overturn a tent. Gideon no sooner heard this, than he concluded both the dream and interpretation to be of the Lord, and immediately “‘worshipped;” that is, offered to God thanksgivings for this encouragement, and prepared his men with lamps, and pitchers, and trumpets, for the attack. The blaze of light at once bursting from three hundred lamps, or torches, amidst the darkness; the blast of three hundred trumpets, and the shout of three hundred men, amidst the stillness of the night, were certainly calculated both to surprise and to alarm; it should seem, also, that there were cowards among the Midianites, as well as in Israel; and a panic of this nature would spread like lightning among undisciplined troops; yet had it not been for a spirit of terror poured upon them from on high, it is reasonable to believe that some part of the Midianitish army might have rallied to the fight; instead of which, they all ‘ran, and cried, and fled;”

and, in their confusion, unable to distinguish friends from foes, they fall upon each other. The force of Midian being thus broken, the whole army of Gideon appears to have been re-collected, to pursue the victory, and to destroy their enemies. This history has afforded a favourite subject for allegory to the Christian fathers, both of ancient and modern times; and without going into any of their extravagances, we know that the trumpet is an established emblem of the preaching of the gospel; that its preachers are frail as earthen vessels; that the treasures of which they are the depositaries are treasures of light and of fire, of wisdom and of zeal; and it is only by the display of heavenly light and holy love, that they can fulfil the mission with success, and promote the salvation of man-

Notes on the verses

Chap. VII. Ver. 1. Jerubbaal.—It appears that Jerubbaal had now become the surname of Gideon. He is mentioned by Sanchoniathon, who lived in the reign of Ithobal, king of Tyre, and consequently a little after the time of Gideon, by the name of Jerombalus, a priest of Jevo.]—Bagster. Ver. 3. Mount Gilead.—(Gideon was certainly not at mount Gilead, east of Jordan, at this time; but rather near mount Gilboa, west of Jordan. Calmet thinks there must either have been two Gileads, which does not appear from Scripture, to be the case; or that the Hebrew text is corrupt, and that for Gilead we should read Gilboa. This reading, though adopted by Houbigant, is not confirmed by any MS. or version. Dr.

Hales endeavours to reconcile the whole, by the supposition that in Gideon’s army there were many eastern Manassites from mount Gilead, near the Midianites; and therefore proposes to read, “Whosoever from mount Gilead is fearful and afraid, let him return (home) and depart early.” —Bagster. Not Gilead beyond Jordan, but some other mountain of the same name.—Dr. Wall. Ver. 5. Every one that lappeth, &c.—(The original word yatok, is precisely the sound which the dog makes in lapping. It appears that it is not unusual for the Arabs to drink water out of the palms of their hands: and, from this account, we learn that the Israelites did so occasionally. Dr. A. Clarke, in his edition of Harmer, has presented us with the following curious MS.

note from Dr. Russell. “When they take water with the palms of their hands, when they drink from a pitcher, or gourd, fresh filled, they do not sit down on purpose to drink, but drink standing, and very often put the sleeve of their shirt over the mouth of the vessel, by way of strainer, lest small leeches might have been taken up with the water. For the same reason they often prefer taking the water with the palm of the hand, to lapping it from the surface.” From the letters of Busbequius, we learn, that the Eastern people are not in the habit of drinking standing. ‘The 300 men, who satisfied their thirst in the most expeditious manner, by this sufficiently indicated their spirit and alacrity to follow Gideon in his dangerous enterprise; while the rest showed their love of ease, self-indulgence, effeminacy, and want of courage.’—Bagster.

It was not uncommon among the ancients, when provided with vessels, to take up the water in their hands, and lap it thence, like a dog; and it is remarkable that the Hottentots, at this day, have a custom very similar. Campbell says, when they come to water, they stoop down: but no farther than is sufficient to allow the right hand to reach the water, by which they throw it up so dexterously, that their hand seldom approaches nearer to the mouth than a foot. On such occasions, I never observed any of the water to be spilt, so as to wet their breasts. They perform it nearly as quickly as the dog, and satisfy their thirst in half the time taken by another man.—Mr. C.’s First Travels in Ver. 15. The interpretation.—Hebrew, “The breaking thereof.”

N. B. The interpretation of a secret, or mystery, is, figuratively, breaking it open. Ver. 18. The sword of the Lord.—The word sword is not now found in our printed Hebrew Bibles; but it is in the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, and in eight Hebrew MSS., also in the printed text of verse 20. There can therefore be no doubt but it was here omitted by transcribers. Ver. 24. Take before them the waters, &c.—Many of the Midianites fled to the fords of Jordan, in hopes, probably, of finding a passage through them; but being met by the Ephraimites, who resided on the other side, they were there destroyed, their two chief generals slain, and their heads sent to Gideon. Ver. 5, 8. Succoth, and Penuel were both cities on the east side of Jordan. Ver. 10.

Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor.—No such place is elsewhere mentioned in Scripture; but the Vulgate translates the word, “they rested,” which agrees with the next verse, “the host was secure,” and therefore was taken by surprise. Ver. 11. Nobah.—Nobah took its name from an Israelite who conquered it; and is said by Eusebius to have been, in his time, a forsaken place eight miles south from Heshbon. Jogbehah was probably near it.—Bagster. Ver. 12. Discomfited.—Hebrew, “terrified.” When terror, or a panic, seizes an undisciplined army, they generally fly in all directions. Ver. 13. Before the sun was up.—It should be rendered, from the ascent (or height) of Chares.” So the LXX., Syriac, and Arabic.—Dr.

Clarke. So Dr. Boothroyd. Ver. 14. He described.—Hebrew, “He writ,” or rather “wrote” down the — probably, of those who had been principally concerned in offending. Ver. 16. He taught.—Heb. made to know.—Instead of 1oyyoda, Houbigant, Le Clerc, and others, read wyyadosh, “and he tore or threshed;” and this is not only agreeable to what Gideon threatened, (ver. 7.) but is supported by the LXX., Vulgate, Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. The Hebrew text might easily have been corrupted simply by the change of shin into ayin, letters very similar to each other. ]—Bagster. Ver. 18. Each of them resembled.—Hebrew, “according to the form,” &c. Perhaps this was intended to flatter Gideon, though it had a contrary effect.

Compare the conduct of Pallas to Turnus. Ver. 21. Rise and fall on us.—It was disgraceful to fall by the hands of a child; and death by the blows of such a person must be all the more lingering and tormenting. Some have employed children to dispatch captives. Tacitus, says of Civilis, a Roman knight who headed a revolt of the Gauls against Rome, “He is said to have given to his little son some prisoners, as butts to be shot at with little darts and arrows.” ]—Bagster.——Ornaments.—Margin, “like the moon;” i.e. crescents. The camels and horses of the chiefs were always richly dressed. Ver. 26. Seven hundred shekels.—[Taking the shekel at half an ounce, the sum of the gold ear-rings was 73 lbs. 4 oz., and worth about $14,625.

This computation will bring to the Reader’s mind the slaughter of the Roman Enighes by the Carthaginians at the battle of Cannae; from whose spoils Hannibal sent three bushels of gold rings to the city of Carthage!|—Bagster. —Purple raiment.—See Bs. viii. 15.; Mace. iv. 23.; viii. 14.; xx. 20, 62, &c. Ver. 27. An ephod.—See (Exodus 28:4), &c. xxxix. 21, &c. Ver. 33, Baal-berith.—Literally, “the lord of the covenant;” the same as Jupiter fuderis, or Mercury, among the Romans; the deity, whose business was to preside over compacts, treaties, leagues, bands, &c. —Bagster. Ver. 35. Jerubbaal.—[Rather, Jerubbaal Gideon; as we say, Simon Peter; or call a person by his Christian and surname. Gideon was a mighty man of valour, a true patriot, reverendly, disinterested and void of ambition.

He loved his country, and hazarded his life for it; but refused the kingdom, when offered to him and his heirs. The act of making the ephod was totally wrong; yet, probably it was done with no pernicious design. Of his private character we know little:—it does not appear to have been very exemplary.]—