Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, Judges · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
Verſ. 1. THen Jerubbaal (who is Gideon) and all the people that were with him, roſe up early, and pitched beſide the well of Harod.] Which ſignifieth fear; probable it is therefore that it was ſo called from the fear of thoſe cowardly Iſraelites which here forſook their Captain and brethren.
Verſ. 2. The people that are with thee, are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, leſt Iſrael vaunt themſelves, &c.] The whole army that Gideon had gathered when they were all together, was but two and thirty thouſand, and the Midianites on the other ſide were at leaſt a hundred thirty and five thouſand; for there were an hundred and twenty thouſand of them ſlain in the firſt overthrow, and the remainder that were left with Zebah and Zalmunna were fifteen thouſand, chap. 8.10. So that the Midianites were above foure times ſo many as the Iſraelites when Gideon had his whole army together. Now conſidering, firſt this great diſproportion that was already betwixt the forces of Gideon, and the hoſt of the Midianites: and ſecondly, how unexpectedly the Lord had raiſed the ſpirit of Gideon to undertake this attempt, and made the people ſo willing to follow him, that ere while had hid themſelves in caves and dennes of the earth, chap. 6.2. and thirdly, that God had beforehand told Gideon that he would deliver the Midianites into their hands, and confirmed his promiſe with many miraculous ſignes; I ſay, conſidering theſe things, one would have thought, that had the Iſraelites vanquiſhed the Midianites with theſe two and thirty thouſand that were now come in to Gideon, they would never have attributed their victory to themſelves, and robbed God of his glory. But the Lord knew well how prone men are upon any ſucceſſe in this kind to vaunt themſelves, and to forget God; and therefore being very tender of his glory this way, he would not let the Iſraelites be ſo many as they were, but would have them brought to a handfull of three hundred men, that they might be the more abundantly convinced, that their victory was merely of God, and not of themſelves.
Verſ. 3. Whoſoever is fearfull and afraid, let him depart early from mount Gilead.] That the Iſraelites ſhould make ſuch a proclamation as this when they were to go out to battell, God had formerly enjoyned in his Law, Deut. 20.8. Concerning which, ſee the the note in that place. Now for the mount Gilead from which they were now to depart, becauſe that mount Gilead which is ſo frequently mentioned in the Scripture, was without Jordan, and Gideon and his army were now within Jordan, chap. 6. it muſt needs be yielded that this mount Gilead here ſpoken of, was another mount of the ſame name in the tribe of Manaſſeh within Jordan, near the valley of Jezreel where the Midianites now lay: which is probable enough conſidering that we may well think, that a great many of this half of Manaſſeh within Jordan were alſo deſcended from Gilead the ſonne of Machir the ſonne of Manaſſeh, and night therefore call this mountain Gilead, either in remembrance of their father, or elſe, as a witneſſe that though they were parted from their brethren by Jordan, yet they were of the ſame tribe with thoſe of their brethren the Manaſſites that inhabited mount Gilead without Jordan.
And there returned of the people twenty and two thouſand, and there remained ten thouſand.] For though they had before of their own accord, as volunteirs, couragiouſly proffered their ſervices againſt the Midianites, yet now when they came to ſee the power and ſtrength of the enemy, their hearts began to fail them, and thereupon they ſoon imbraced this liberty given them to depart away.
Verſ. 4. The people are yet too many: bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there.] That is, I will diſcover who they be that are indeed fit for this ſervice.
Verſ. 5. Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue as a dog lappeth, him ſhalt thou ſet by himſelf, &c.] That is, every one that takes up water in the palm of his hand, and ſo laps it up. Thoſe that were to be diſmiſſed were ſuch as kneeling down upon their knees, bowed their heads down to the river, and ſo putting their mouthes into the water drunk and ſucked up their fill; the other ſort that were to be retained were ſuch, as onelyonly bending their bodies a little, did with their hands ſnatch up a little water for the refreſhing of themſelves, and ſo lapping it up, went away. And theſe are ſaid to lappe as a dog lappeth, becauſe this kind of drinking in ſuch a ſnatching manner, without thruſting their mouths into the water as horſes and other cattell do, is moſt like the lapping of dogs, who put not their mouths into the water, but ſnatch it up with their tongues, nor drink ſo ſoakingly as other cattell, eſpecially when they are hunting, but onelyonly lappe a little and make haſt preſently away: and why were theſe choſen and the other ſent away? becauſe that other kind of drinking argued weakneſſe and faintneſſe, ſloth, and a greedy deſire of filling themſelves, as men impatient of the thirſt they had indured; this on the other ſide argued ſtrength and abilitie of body, and that they were content with a little refreſhing, more minding the buſineſſe they had in hand then the filling themſelves.
Verſ. 7 By the three hundred men that lapped, will I ſave you, &c.] Whereas of the enemy there were at leaſt a hundred thirty five thouſand, chap. 8.10. ſo that for every ſouldier Gideon had left, there were foure hundred and fifty of his enemies: and in this poore remainder of Gideons troups which he brought, we ſee a ſhadow of that Chriſt ſaith, Matt. 22.14. Many are called, but few are choſen.
Verſ. 8. So the people took victualls in their hands, and their trumpets.] That is, the trumpets of the whole army, even thoſe that were diſmiſſed; for amongſt thirty two thouſand, there might well be three hundred trumpets.
Verſ. 9. And it came to paſſe the ſame night the Lord ſaid unto him, &c.] That is, the ſame night after he had diſmiſſed all his ſouldiers, ſave onelyonly thoſe three hundred men that lapped the water; ſo that it ſeems, this alſo the Lord revealed to him in a nightly viſion or dream. The like is noted before in the foregoing chapter.
Verſ. 10. But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy ſervant down to the host.] That is, if thou feareſt to go down and ſet upon the enemy, becauſe thy army is reduced to ſo ſmall a number, then go firſt with thy ſervant privately to their army, and there thou ſhalt hear what ſhall further ſtregthen thy faith.
Verſ. 12. And the Midianites, and the Amalekites, and all the children of the eaſt, lay along in the valley, like graſſehoppers for multitude.] There is expreſſe mention made of a hundred thirty five thouſand of them, chap. 8.10. Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hoſt with them, about fifteen thouſand men, all that were left of the children of the eaſt: for there fell a hundred twenty thouſand men that drew ſword.
Verſ. 13. Behold, I dreamed a dream, and lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, &c.] The analogy betwixt Gideon and this barley cake conſiſts chiefly in this, that being a man comparatively baſe and of no eſteem, nor likely in the eye of reaſon, with thoſe poore weak troops, which he had ſo ſuddenly ſcrambled together, to ruine the whole army of the Midianites (no more then that the fall of a barly cake ſhould overthrow one of their ſtrongeſt and goodlieſt tents) but rather likely to be devoured by them, ſo ſoon as ever he ſhould ſhow himſelf amongſt them, even to be eaten up by them, as men eat bread, Pſalm 14.4. he ſhould notwithſtanding, utterly ruine and overthrow that huge army of the Midianites, and lay their pomp and glory in the duſt.
Verſ. 15. And it was ſo, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worſhiped, &c.] That is, he bowed himſelf to God by way of thankfullneſſe for bringing him to hear this for the ſtrengthening of his faith: for firſt, hereby it was manifeſt that God had already ſtricken them with a fear of him & thoſe forces which he had raiſed againſt them: and ſecondly, he might plainly ſee that Gods hand was in this buſineſſe to comfort and encourage him, that juſt at this time one of the ſouldiers ſhould be telling this dream, and another of his fellows ſhould in this manner expound it.
Verſ. 18. And ſay, The ſword of the Lord, and of Gideon.] Thus was Gideon carefull in the firſt place to aſcribe all their ſucceſſe to the Lord, acknowledging thereby that Gideons ſword would have been of no power to vanquiſh their enemies, if the Lord ſhould not fight for them, and cauſe the ſword of Gideon to be victorious; but yet withall he appointed them to joyn his name with the Lords, the ſword of the Lord, and of Gideon, becauſe he perceived by that which he heard in the camp of the Midianites, that the Lord had made his name terrible amongſt them.
Verſ. 19. So Gideon and the three hundred men that were with him, came to the outſide of the camp, in the beginning of the middle watch.] If the Hebrews in theſe times did (as ſome conceive) divide the night into three watches, the meaning of the words is plain, that this was done in the beginning of the ſecond watch; but it is evident that in future times they had foure watches, allowing three hours to every watch, Matt. 14.25. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jeſus went unto them walking on the ſea. If it were ſo now alſo, the meaning muſt be, that Gideon came upon them in the beginning of the third watch, which is called the middle watch, becauſe it begun about midnight; but I ſhould rather think that they had not four watches, till they came to be under the Romane government, and ſo followed their cuſtome in the ordering of their night-watches.
And they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands, &c.] Beſides the terrour of the ſuddenneſſe of ſeeing ſo many lights burning about them, and of hearing ſo many pitchers broken, ſo many trumpets ſounding, and ſo many men crying out, the ſword of the Lord, and of Gideon, & that in the dead of the night when they lay ſleeping ſecurely, the firſt thoughts which adviſed reaſon could ſuggeſt muſt needs be, that it could not but be a mighty army that had ſo many trumpets and lights attending them, and hence it was, that the Midianites ran and cryed and fled, verſ. 21. Yea beſides, we may well think this was the rather appointed that herein we might have a ſweet type of the ſpirituall conqueſt of Satan by Chriſt and his elect. For how did Chriſt vanquiſh hell and death, but 1. by being broken for our tranſgreſſions, and bruiſed for our ſinnes, Heb. 2.14. For as much therefore as the children are pertakers of fleſh and bloud, he alſo himſelf likewiſe took part of the ſame, that through death he might deſtroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil: and 2. by his reſurrection, wherein the ſplendour of his divinity did ſhine forth moſt gloriouſly, Rom. 1.4. and 8.34. And how do the Saints prevail, but 1. by the preaching, and the free profeſſion of the Goſpell, the treaſure we have in earthen veſſels, 2. Cor. 4.7. that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us: 2. By ſhewing forth the power of the word in the light of a holy converſation: and 3. By a willing ſuffering for the truth, Rev. 12.11. They overcame him by the bloud of the Lamb, and by the word of their Teſtimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Verſ. 21. And they ſtood every man in his place, round about the camp.] As if they had come onelyonly to be torch-bearers to the reſt of the army; and indeed thereby teſtifying alſo, that this victory was to be the ſole work of God, according to that, Exod. 14.14. The Lord ſhall ſight for you, and ye ſhall hold your peace.
Verſ. 24. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themſelves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah, and Jordan.] That is, the foords and paſſages of the river Jordan, even unto Beth-barah, or Bethabarah, John 1.28. or elſe, theſe waters unto Beth-barah, were ſome other rivers they were to paſſe over, ere they came to Jordan, and therefore diſtinguiſhed from them; and indeed, by this means many of the Midianites did they here intercept, and amongſt the reſt, two of their princes, Oreb, and Zeeb, and the other that eſcaped over before the paſſages could be taken Gideon purſued; now hereby the Iſraelites might have ſeen the humble ſpirit of Gideon; namely, that he deſired not to ingroſſe the glory of the victory wholy to himſelf, but was willing that his brethren ſhould have their ſhare in it too.
Verſ. 25. And they ſlew Oreb at the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they ſlew at the winepreſſe of Zeeb, &c.] That is, the rock and winepreſſe which were afterwards called, upon this occaſion, the rock Oreb, and the wine preſſe of Zeeb; namely, becauſe there theſe princes were taken and ſlain, the very places where it may be they had hid themſelves for fear of the Iſraelites. As for the next clauſe, where it is ſaid, that they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, on the other ſide Jordan, though this be here inſerted, that ſo the whole paſſage of that which the men of Ephraim did might be related together, yet it was not done (as is expreſſed in the words) till Gideon had paſſed over Jordan to purſue thoſe Midianites that were eſcaped; which muſt be noted, becauſe we ſee that after this there is mention made of Gideons paſſing over Jordan, Chap. 8.4. And Gideon came to Jordan, and paſſed over, he and the three hundred men that were with him.