Wesley's Explanatory Notes
Judges 7:16
Three companies — To make a shew of a vast army. Within the pitchers — Partly to preserve the flame from the wind and weather; and partly to conceal it, and surprise their enemy with sudden flashes of light.
Three companies — To make a shew of a vast army. Within the pitchers — Partly to preserve the flame from the wind and weather; and partly to conceal it, and surprise their enemy with sudden flashes of light.
Verse Judges 7:16. _HE DIVIDED THE THREE HUNDRED MEN_] Though the victory was to be from the Lord, yet he knew that he ought to use prudential means; and those which he employed on this occasion were...
Gideon himself took the command of one company, and sent the other two under their respective captains to different sides of the camp Judges 7:18, Judges 7:21....
CHAPTER 7 THE VICTORY OF GIDEON _ 1. The sifting of Gideon's army (Judges 7:1)_ 2. The dream of the Midianite (Judges 7:9) 3. Victory through weakness (Judges 7:16) Gideon “the cutter down,” now al...
THE NIGHT ALARM AND ROUT. Gideon's stratagem consisted in the division of his small force into three companies, who charged the enemy from three sides at once, making an uproar and producing a panic....
LAMPS. torches, which smoulder till waved in the air....
_divided … into three companies_ Cf. Jdg 9:43 ff., 1 Samuel 11:11; 1 Samuel 13:17 f., Job 1:17 for similar tactics. Gideon had to make up by wit and daring what he lacked in numbers. _trumpets_ Hebr....
_The night attack_ The account of Gideon's bold and successful stratagem is perfectly intelligible as a whole, though there is some confusion in the details, chiefly due to the repetitions in Judges...
_The Lamps and the Pitchers Judges 7:15-23_ 15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshiped, and returned into the host of Israel, and s...
_AND HE DIVIDED THE THREE HUNDRED MEN INTO THREE COMPANIES, AND HE PUT A TRUMPET IN EVERY MAN'S HAND, WITH EMPTY PITCHERS, AND LAMPS WITHIN THE PITCHERS._ He divided the three hundred men. The object...
THE ROUT OF MIDIAN 1-7. Gideon's choice of his Followers....
LAMPS] RV 'torches.'...
LIFE WITHOUT LAW JUDGES _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 7 V1 Early in the morning, Jerubbaal (Gideon) and his men camped at the *spring called Harod. The army from Midian had their camp north from them. It...
INTO THREE COMPANIES. — See Judges 9:43. This division of the attacking force was a common stratagem. We find it in Job 1:17 — “the Chaldæans made out three bands “ — and it was adopted by Saul agains...
וַ יַּ֛חַץ אֶת ־שְׁלֹשׁ ־מֵאֹ֥ות הָ אִ֖ישׁ
"THE PEOPLE ARE YET TOO MANY" Judges 6:33; Judges 7:1 ANOTHER day of hope and energy has dawned. One hillside at least rises sunlit out of darkness with the altar of Jehovah on its summit and holier...
"MIDIAN'S EVIL DAY" Judges 7:8 - Judges 8:1 THERE is now with Gideon a select band of three hundred, ready for a night attack on the Midianites. The leader has been guided to a singular and striking...
THE SWORD OF JEHOVAH AND OF GIDEON Judges 7:9 Gideon _asked_ for the sign of the fleece, but God, _without his asking,_ gave him that of the barley-cake. It was only barley-bread, the cheapest and co...
This is the story of perhaps one of the most remarkable conflicts in the whole history of the people. As we have seen, it was a time when they had been cruelly oppressed as the result of disobedience....
The second invasion of the Midianites and their allies placed 135,000 troops in the land of Israel (Ruth 8:10). Yet, when God saw the number of men who answered Gideon's call to arms, he said 32,000 m...
And he divided the three hundred men [into] three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps (h) within the pitchers. (h) These weak means God used to signify...
Lamps, or flambeaux, (Calmet) made of wood, full of turpentine. (Haydock) --- The soldiers held one end in their hand, and when they had thrown down their pitchers, the sudden light, the sound of trum...
As the Holy Ghost, in his own comment on this battle, (Hebrews 11:32), hath pronounced it to be a battle of faith, we have his authority to mark the prominent features of it, agreeable to this account...
The book of Joshua has shown the power of Jehovah in the conquests of His people, and this too distinguished from the measure of their practical taking possession of what was conquered. For as these a...
Thirty-two thousand men followed Gideon. But Jehovah will not have so many. He alone must be glorified in their deliverance. Their faith was indeed so weak, even while the Spirit of God was at work, t...
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 fal...
And he divided the three hundred men [into] three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. Ver. 16. A trumpet in every man's hand.] As...
_When Gideon heard, he worshipped_ He praised God for this special encouragement. _He divided the men into three companies_ To make a show of a vast army. _Lamps within the pitchers_ The lights were p...
1 Gideons armie of two and thirtie thousand is brought to three hundred. 9 He is encouraged by the dreame and interpretation of the barley cake. 16 His stratageme of trumpets and lampes in pitchers....
And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, of a hundred men each, AND HE PUT A TRUMPET IN EVERY MAN'S HAND, WITH EMPTY PITCHERS, earthen vessels, AND LAMPS, torches, WITHIN THE PITCHER...
THE DEFEAT OF THE MIDIANITES...
ISRAEL'S ARMY REDUCED BY GOD (vv. 1-9) Gideon's influence had gathered 32,000 men, and they encamped south of the encampment of the Midianites, prepared for battle (v. 1).Compared to Midian, this ar...
A TRUMPET IN EVERY MANS HAND: _ Heb._ trumpets in the hand of all of them LAMPS: Or, firebrands or torches...
16-22 This method of defeating the Midianites may be alluded to, as exemplifying the destruction of the devil's kingdom in the world, by the preaching of the everlasting gospel, the sounding that tru...
INTO THREE COMPANIES; to make a show of a vast army encompassing them. LAMPS, or, _torches_, made of such materials as would quickly take fire, and keep it for some time. WITHIN THE PITCHERS; partly t...
Judges 7:16 divided H2673 (H8799) three H7969 hundred H3967 men H376 three H7969 companies H7218 put H5414 ...
‘ And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them ram's horns, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers. And he said to them, “Watch me,...
Judges 6-8 In the first words of Gideon we find the key to his character. (1) He was a man who felt deeply the degradation of his people. He could not enjoy his own harvest while the Midianites were r...
Judges 7:16 Gideon went down into the battle with only three hundred men, with only trumpets, pitchers and lights for weapons, and the mighty hosts of Amalek and Midian fled before him, and were drive...
CONTENTS: Gideon's three hundred and the victory over Midian and Amalek. CHARACTERS: God, Gideon, Phurah, Oreb, Zeeb. CONCLUSION: God wants prepared men to fight God's battles with God's weapons in...
Judges 7:1. _The well of Harod;_ equivalent to terror, from the panic of the Midianites. It is situate on the south side of Gilboa. Judges 7:2. _The people with thee are too many,_ while human fears s...
_Arise, for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian._ DIVINE PROVIDENCE OVERRULING THE RESULT I. The hand of the Lord visible in this deliverance. 1. In the general effect produce...
_MAIN HOMILETICS_.—_Judges 7:15_ I. THE HAND OF THE LORD VISIBLE IN THIS DELIVERANCE. It is quite manifest that the overruling Providence of God was at work in all this to bring out the result. This...
EXPOSITION JUDGES 7:9 GET THEE DOWN, etc; _i.e_. attack the camp at once with thy 300 men. But if thou art afraid to do so, go down first alone with Phurah thy servant, and hear what they are saying...
So in chapter seven, [when] Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose up early, and they pitched beside the well of Harod (Judges 7:1): Now the well of Harod is still there...
2 Corinthians 4:7...
GIDEON, A HERO OF THE FAITH Judges 7:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS Hebrews eleven classes Gideon with the heroes of the faith. This may well have been done. We need to remember, however, that Gideon lived i...
THE SWORD OF THE LORD AND OF GIDEON Judges 7:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We are coming to our second study concerning Gideon. We are sure that many things of value will be found in this remarkable chapter...