Judges 7:19

_SO GIDEON, AND THE HUNDRED MEN THAT WERE WITH HIM, CAME UNTO THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAMP IN THE BEGINNING OF THE MIDDLE WATCH; AND THEY HAD BUT NEWLY SET THE WATCH: AND THEY BLEW THE TRUMPETS, AND BRAKE THE PITCHERS THAT WERE IN THEIR HANDS._ Gideon ... come ... in the beginning of the middle watch. In the early period of their history the Israelites divided the night into three watches (Psalms 63:6; Psalms 90:4), the first watch extending until midnight (Lamentations 2:19), the middle watch from midnight until cock-crowing, and the morning until sunrise (Exodus 14:24). THEY BLEW THE TRUMPETS ... The sudden

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 trumpet, and the holding forth that light out of earthen vessels, for such are the ministers of the gospel, 2 Corinthians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 4:7. God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, a barley-cake to overthrow the tents of Midian, that the excellency of the power might be of God only. The gospel is a sword, not in the hand, but in the mouth: the sword of the Lord and of Gideon; of God and Jesus Christ, of Him that sits on the throne and the Lamb. The wicked are often led to avenge the cause of God upon each other, under the power of their delusions, and the fury of their passion...

THE MIDDLE WATCH - The old Jewish division of the night was three watches of four hours each. They are alluded to in Exo 14:24; 1 Samuel 11:11; Psalms 63:6; Psalms 90:4; Psalms 119:148; Psalms 130:6; Lamentations 2:19. After the Jews fell under the power of the Romans, they used the Roman division of four watches of three hours each...

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 in the camp. JUDGES 7:11 THE ARMED MEN. The exact meaning of the word here rendered _armed men _(_chamushim_),_ _and which occurs Exodus 13:18; Joshua 1:14; Joshua 4:12, is a little uncertain, but it is generally thought to be synonymous with another

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 h, and which the Jews received from them; hence in the New Testament we read of the fourth watch; yet in earlier times, with the Jews and other eastern nations, there were but three watches, as affirmed by Jarchi and Kimchi on the place: and very wisely did Gideon fix on this watch for the time of his coming; for had he come at the first watch, many as yet might not have been in bed, or at least not fallen asleep; and had he come in the third watch, many might have been awake out of their sleep, and others up; b...

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 also called Jerubbaal “the contender with Baal,” after his faith had been strengthened, pitched his camp at the well of Harod (trembling). The Lord did not need the large army he had gathered, lest Israel would say: “Mine own hand hath saved me.” First 22,000 were let go. They were afraid. What an evidence of the sad conditions among the people. Jehovah had commanded through Moses this test. “And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and faint he

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. Judges 7:18. The battle-cry agreed upon was For Yahweh and for Gideon! When the actual conflict began, many or all prefixed to this A sword, suggested by the gleaming weapons they had unsheathed. The words express with splendid terseness a double loyalty, to God and a trusted leader; an ideal, Yahweh's victory and glory; and a means of attaining it, the sword. Judges 7:20. If each soldier carried a trumpet, a torch, an empty pitcher, and a sword, his hands were too full. There are awkward repetitions in the narrative (see...

_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 7:17 (Gideon's order), Judges 7:20 (the blowing of the trumpets), Judges 7:22 (the direction of the flight). It is usually objected that one pair of hands (Judges 7:16) could not have carried a trumpet and a pitcher with a lighted (?) torch inside; the objection is rather prosaic; such a difficulty would not, perhaps, have occurred to an ancient writer. But the fact remains that the text in...

DISCOURSE: 267 GIDEON’S VICTORY OVER MIDIAN Judges 7:19._ So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host._ WE are so familiar with scripture history, that we cease to be struck with the most astonishing events. Great events in profane history are hand

_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 said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. 16 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. 17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. 18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. 19 So Gideon, and the three hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; a