Judges 7:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And his comrade answered, "This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp."

NIV: His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands."

NASB: And his friend replied, 'This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has handed over to him Midian and all the camp.'

CSB: His friend answered: "This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has handed the entire Midianite camp over to him."

NLT: His companion answered, 'Your dream can mean only one thing — God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!'

KJV: And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

NKJV: Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”

God is reassuring Gideon using a dream given to a Midianite soldier (Judges 7:13). The man dreamt of a small loaf of bread rolling into the camp and flattening an entire tent. Gideon overhears this while he spies on the enemy, at God's command (Judges 7:9–11). Part of that command was that Gideon would hear something to strengthen his resolve. If the meaning of the overhead dream was not obvious, the Lord provides an immediate interpretation.

The other Midianite soldier replied by interpreting the dream in a blunt, supernaturally confident manner. He refers to Gideon—whose army was undoubtedly seen gathering over the last few days (Judges 6:33–35). The Midianite says Gideon, son of Joash of Israel, has been guaranteed victory by their God. This includes the defeat of all the nations camped alongside Midian, as well.

Scripture offers no explanation how a pagan soldier could have known this. It's likely God inspired those exact words without the man even knowing where they came from. We can't know for sure. What is certain is that Gideon finds this experience inspiring. He sees clear confirmation that God was with Him; He was doing exactly what He promised. This overheard conversation becomes a gift of grace to calm Gideon's fears, imbuing him with confidence before the battle.

Judges 7:1–18 begins with Gideon and his large company of Israelite volunteers setting up camp in the hills just a few miles from the Midianite camp in the valley below. God gives Gideon two tests to reduce the number of his troops until only 300 are left. God tells Gideon to spy on the Midianite camp, where he overhears a conversation which bolsters his faith. Gideon returns to his camp and prepares for the attack that night. He gives his men torches concealed in clay jars, as well as trumpets.

Gideon and his 32,000–man army of volunteer Israelites camp in the hills above the Midianite invaders in the valley. The Lord tells Gideon to reduce his troops until only 300 remain. God allows Gideon to overhear the interpretation of a Midianite dream, an event that strengthens his faith. Gideon and his 300 men take positions around the Midianite camp and blow trumpets, hold up torches, and shout battle cries. Those in the camp panic and begin attacking each other. The survivors flee toward the Jordan but are eventually cut off.

Despite a miraculous calling from God, and success in his first actions, Gideon still expressed doubt (Judges 6). After seeing two custom-requested miracles, Gideon prepares to attack the Midianite invaders. He winnows his army down to only 300 men and overhears an encouraging conversation. Gideon and his men surprise the enemy after nightfall with trumpets and torches, sparking a panic. This begins a rout of the enemy. In the next chapter, Gideon succeeds further despite stubbornness from his own people (Judges 8).

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).