Judges 7:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled.

NIV: While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

NASB: And each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled.

CSB: Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army began to run, and they cried out as they fled.

NLT: Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape.

KJV: And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

NKJV: And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled.

Every one of Gideon's 300 soldiers stood his ground around the Midianite camp, making a daring attack at night. This must have required remarkable courage and confidence. Even seeing the massive horde beginning to wake up and move around, Gideon's soldiers stay in their places and continued to blow their trumpets and shout their battle cry (Judges 7:15–20). Earlier verses describe what the Israelite soldiers must have seen when they held their torches high:

"The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance." (Judges 7:12)

The result in the Midianite camp reveals Gideon's strategy to be a masterful use of psychological warfare. Hundreds of trumpets, in a normal army, would imply many thousands of men. They surround the enemy. Gideon's men attack just as armed guards are making their way back at the end of their watch, past sleeping men in a dark camp. Those awakened by the chaos likely mistook some of the returning men as the enemy and attacked them. That, in turn, would lead others to attack the attackers, each assuming they were being invaded.

Like ripples in a pool of water, this wave of chaos, panic, and confusion seems to have spread almost instantly through the entire Midianite camp. The foreign raiders (Judges 6:1–5) shout in terror and try to run away. Instead, they ran into each other—and fought with one another (Judges 6:22).

Judges 7:19–25 describes the Lord's victory over the Midianites through Gideon and his 300 men. The Israelites take positions around the Midianite camp well after dark. They choose a strategic moment to attack: just after the changing of the guard. Nearly in unison, the Israelite soldiers blow trumpets and shout battle cries while exposing torches. The Midianites panic, assuming the enemy force is massive. In the dark, and in a panic, they begin attacking each other. The chaos leads them to flee toward the Jordan River. Gideon calls for men from several tribes to join him in chasing them down. He sends messengers to Ephraim to tell them to cut off the fleeing enemy at the Jordan River. The Midianites do not escape.

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).