J
U D G E S
CHAP. VII.
This
chapter presents us with Gideon in the field, commanding the army of Israel, and routing the army of the
Midianites, for which great exploit we found in the former chapter how he was
prepared by his converse with God and his conquest of Baal. We are here told,
I. What direction God gave to Gideon for the modelling of his army, by which
it was reduced to 300 men, ver. 1, 8. II. What encouragement God gave to
Gideon to attack the enemy, by sending him secretly into their camp to hear a
Midianite tell his dream, ver. 9-15. III. How he formed his attack upon the
enemy's camp with his 300 men, not to fight them, but to frighten them, ver.
16-20. IV. The success of this attack; it put them to flight, and gave them a
total rout, the disbanded forces, and their other neighbours, then coming in
to his assistance, ver. 21-25. It is a story that shines very brightly in the
book of the wars of the Lord.
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Gideon's
Three Hundred Men.
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B.
C. 1249.
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1 Then Jerubbaal, who is
Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and
pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on
the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 And
the LORD
said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for
me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves
against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3 Now therefore
go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful
and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there
returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten
thousand. 4 And the LORD
said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down
unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that
of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee;
and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall
not go. 5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD
said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a
dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth
down upon his knees to drink. 6 And the number of them that
lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but
all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7 And the LORD
said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and
deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go
every man unto his place. 8 So the people took victuals in their
hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man
unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian
was beneath him in the valley.
Here, I. Gideon applies himself with all possible care and industry to do the
part of a good general, in leading on the hosts of Israel against the
Midianites (v. 1): He rose up early, as one whose heart was upon
his business, and who was afraid of losing time. Now that he is sure God is
with him he is impatient of delay. He pitched near a famous well, that his
army might not be distressed for want of water, and gained the higher ground,
which possibly might be some advantage to him, for the Midianites were
beneath him in the valley. Note, Faith in God's promises must not slacken,
but rather quicken, our endeavours. When we are sure God goes before us, then
we must bestir ourselves, 2 Sam. v. 24.
II. God provides that the praise of the intended victory may be reserved
wholly to himself, by appointing 300 men only to be employed in this service.
1. The army consisted of 32,000 men, a small army in comparison with what the
Midianites had now brought into the field; Gideon was ready to think them too
few, but God comes to him, and tells him they are too many, v.
2. Not but that those did well who offered themselves willingly to this
expedition, but God saw fit not to make use of all that came. We often find
God bringing great things to pass by a few hands, but this was the only time
that he purposely made them fewer. Had Deborah lately blamed those who came
not to the help of the Lord, and yet in the next great action must those
be turned off that do come? Yes; (1.) God would hereby show that when he
employed suitable instruments in his service he did not need them, but could
do his work without them, so that he was not indebted to them for their
service, but they to him for employing them. (2.) He would hereby put those to
shame for their cowardice who had tamely submitted to the Midianites, and
durst not make head against them, because of the disproportion of their
numbers. They now saw that, if they had but made sure of the favour of God,
one of them might have chased a thousand. (3.) He would hereby silence and
exclude boasting. This is the reason here given by him who knows the pride
that is in men's hearts: Lest Israel vaunt themselves against me.
Justly were those denied the honour of the success. My own hand hath saved
me is a word that must never come out of the mouth of such as shall be
saved. He that glories must glory in the Lord, and all flesh must be
silent before him.
2. Two ways God took to lessen their numbers:-- (1.) He ordered all that would
own themselves timorous and faint-hearted to be dismissed, v. 3. They
were now encamped on a mountain close to the enemy, called Mount Gilead,
from Gilead, the common ancestor of these families of Manasseh, which were
seated on this side Jordan (Num. xxvi. 30), and thence they might see perhaps
the vast numbers of the enemy; those therefore who were disheartened at the
sight were left to their liberty, to go back if they pleased. There was a law
for making such a proclamation as this, Deut. xx. 8. But Gideon perhaps
thought that concerned only those wars which were undertaken for the enlarging
of their coast, not, as this, for their necessary defence against an invader;
therefore Gideon would not have proclaimed this if God, who knew how his
forces would hereby be diminished, had not commanded him. Cowards would be as
likely as any, after the victory, to take the honour of it from God, and
therefore God would not do them the honour to employ them in it. One would
have thought there would be scarcely one Israelite to be found that against
such an enemy as the Midianites, and under such a leader as Gideon, would own
himself fearful; yet above two parts of three took advantage of this
proclamation, and filed off, when they saw the strength of the enemy and their
own weakness, not considering the assurances of the divine presence which
their general had received of the Lord, and, it is likely, delivered unto
them. Some think the oppression they had been under so long had broken their
spirits, others, more probably, that consciousness of their own guilt had
deprived them of their courage. Sin stared them in the face, and therefore
they durst not look death in the face. Note, Fearful faint-hearted people are
not fit to be employed for God; and, among those that are enlisted under the
banner of Christ, there are more such than we think there are. (2.) He
directed the cashiering of all that remained except 300 men, and he did it by
a sign: The people are yet too many for me to make use off, v.
4. See how much God's thoughts and ways are above ours. Gideon himself, it is
likely, thought they were too few, though they were as many as Barak
encountered Sisera with (ch. iv. 14); and, had he not forced his way
through the discouragement by dint of faith, he himself would have started
back from so hazardous an enterprise, and have made the best of his own way
back. But God saith, they are too many, and, when diminished to a third
part, they are yet too many, which may help us to understand those
providences which sometimes seem to weaken the church and its interests: its
friends are too many, too mighty, too wise, for God to work deliverance by;
God is taking a course to lessen them, that he may be exalted in his own
strength. Gideon is ordered to bring his soldiers to the watering,
probably to the well of Harod (v. 1) and the stream that ran from it;
he, or some appointed by him, must observe how they drank. We must suppose
they were all thirsty, and were inclined to drink; it is likely he told them
they must prepare to enter upon action immediately, and therefore must refresh
themselves accordingly, not expecting, after this, to drink any thing else but
the blood of their enemies. Now some, and no doubt the most, would kneel down
on their knees to drink, and put their mouths to the water as horses do, and
so they might get their full draught. Others, it may be, would not make such a
formal business of it, but as a dog laps with his tongue, a lap and away, so
they would hastily take up a little water in their hands, and cool their
mouths with that, and be gone. Three hundred and no more there were of this
latter sort, that drank in haste, and by those God tells Gideon he would rout
the Midianites, v. 7. By the former distinction none were retained but
hearty men, that were resolved to do their utmost for retrieving the liberties
of Israel; but by this further distinction it was provided that none should be
made use of but, [1.] Men that were hardy, that could endure long fatigue,
without complaining of thirst or weariness, that had not in them any dregs
either of sloth or luxury. [2.] Men that were hasty, that thought it long till
they were engaged with the enemy, preferring the service of God and their
country before their necessary refreshment; such as these God chooses to
employ, that are not only well affected, but zealously affected in a good
thing. And also because these were the smaller number, and therefore the least
likely to effect what they were designed for, God would by them save Israel.
It was a great trial to the faith and courage of Gideon, when God bade him let
all the rest of the people but these 300 go every man to his place,
that is, go where they pleased out of his call, and from under his command;
yet we may suppose those that were hearty in the cause, though now set aside,
did not go so far out of hearing but that they were ready to follow the blow,
when the 300 had broken the ice, though this does not appear. Thus strangely
was Gideon's army purged, and modelled, and reduced, instead of being
recruited, as one would think in so great an action it both needed and
deserved to be. Now,
3. Let us see how this little despicable regiment, on which the stress of the
action must lie, was accoutred and fitted out. Had these 300 been
double-manned with servants and attendants, and double-armed with swords and
spears, we should have thought them the more likely to bring something to
pass. But, instead of making them more serviceable by their equipment, they
are made less so. For, (1.) Every soldier turns butler: They took victuals
in their hands (v. 8), left their bag and baggage behind, and every
man burdened himself with his own provision, which was a trial of their faith,
whether they could trust God when they had no more provisions with them than
they could carry, and a trial of their diligence, whether they would carry as
much as they had occasion for. This was indeed living from hand to mouth. (2.)
Every soldier turns trumpeter. The regiments that were cashiered left their
trumpets behind them for the use of these 300 men, who were furnished with
these instead of weapons of war, as if they had been going rather to a game
than to a battle.
9 And it came to pass the
same night, that the LORD
said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it
into thine hand. 10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with
Phurah thy servant down to the host: 11 And thou shalt hear what
they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the
host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed
men that were in the host. 12 And the Midianites and the
Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like
grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as
the sand by the sea side for multitude. 13 And when Gideon was
come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and
said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into
the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and
overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14 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. 15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the
telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and
returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD
hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
Gideon's army being diminished as we have found it was, he must either fight
by faith or not at all; God therefore here provides recruits for his faith,
instead of recruits for his forces.
I. He furnishes him with a good foundation to build his faith upon. Nothing
but a word from God will be a footing for faith. He has this as full and
express as he can desire, v. 9. 1. A word of command to warrant the
action, which otherwise seemed rash and indiscreet, and unbecoming a wise
general: Arise, get thee down with this handful of men unto the
host. 2. A word of promise to assure him of the success, which otherwise
seemed very improbable: I have delivered it into thy hand; it is all
thy own. This word of the Lord came to him the same night, when he was
(we may suppose) greatly agitated and full of care how he should come off; in
the multitude of his thoughts within him these comforts did delight his soul.
Divine consolations are given in to believers not only strongly but
seasonably.
II. He furnishes him with a good prop to support his faith with. 1. He orders
him to be his own spy, and now in the dead of the night to go down privately
into the host of Midian, and see what intelligence he could gain: "If
thou fear to go down to fight, go first only with thy own servant (v.
10) and hear what they say" (v. 11); and it is intimated to
him that he should hear that which would greatly strengthen his faith. God
knows the infirmities of his people, and what great encouragement they may
sometimes take from a small matter; and therefore, knowing beforehand what
would occur to Gideon, in that very part of the camp to which he would go
down, he orders him to go down and hearken to what they said, that he might
the more firmly believe what God said. He must take with him Phurah his
servant, one that he could confide in, probably one of the ten that had
helped him to break down the altar of Baal. He must take him and no one else
with him, must take him with him to be a witness of what he should hear the
Midianites say, that out of the mouth of these two witnesses, when the matter
came to be reported to Israel, the word might be established. He must take his
servant with him, because two are better than one and a little help is better
than none. 2. Being so, he orders him the sight of something that was
discouraging. It was enough to frighten him to discern, perhaps by moon-light,
the vast numbers of the enemy (v. 12), the men like grasshoppers for
multitude, and they proved no better than grasshoppers for strength and
courage; the camels one could not count, any more than the sand. But, 3. He
causes him to hear that which was to him a very good omen; and when he had
heard it he went back again immediately, supposing he now had what he was sent
thither for. He overheard two soldiers of the enemy, that were comrades,
talking; probably they were in bed together, waking in the night. (1.) One of
them tells his dream, and as our dreams generally are, and therefore not worth
telling again, it is a very foolish one. He dreamed that he saw a barley-cake
come rolling down the hill into the camp of the Midianites, and
"methought," says he (for so we speak in telling our dreams),
"this rolling cake struck one of our tents" (perhaps one of the
chief of their tents) "and with such violence that" (would you think
it?) "it overturned the tent, forced down the stakes, and broke the cords
at one blow, so that the tent lay along and buried its inhabitants," v.
13. In multitudes of dreams there are divers vanities, says Solomon,
Eccl. v. 7. One would wonder what odd incoherent things are often put together
by a ludicrous fancy in our dreams. (2.) The other, it may be between sleeping
and waking, undertakes to interpret this dream, and the interpretation is very
far-fetched: This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon, v.
14. Our expositors now can tell us how apt the resemblance was, that Gideon,
who had threshed corn for his family, and made cakes for his friend (ch.
vi. 11-19), was fitly represented by a cake,--that he and his army were as
inconsiderable as a cake made of a little flour, as contemptible as a
barley-cake, hastily got together as a cake suddenly baked upon the coals, and
as unlikely to conquer this great army as a cake to overthrow a tent. But,
after all, do not interpretations belong to God? He put it into the
head of the one to dream and into the mouth of the other to give the sense of
it; if Gideon had heard the dream only, and he and his servant had been left
to interpret it themselves, it had so little significancy in it that it would
have done him little service; but, having the interpretation from the mouth of
an enemy, it not only appeared to come from God, who has all men's hearts and
tongues in his hand, but it was likewise an evidence that the enemy was quite
dispirited, and that the name of Gideon had become so formidable to them that
it disturbed their sleep. The victory would easily be won which was already so
tamely yielded: Into his hand hath God delivered Midian. Those were not
likely to fight who saw God fighting against them.
Lastly, Gideon, observing the finger of God pointing him to this very
place, at this very time, to hear this dream and the interpretation of it, was
exceedingly encouraged by it against the melancholy apprehensions he had upon
the reducing of his army. He was very well pleased to hear himself compared to
a barley-cake, when it proved to effect such great things. Being hereby
animated, we are told (v. 15), 1. How he gave God the glory of it; he
worshipped immediately, bowed his head, or, it may be, lifted up his eyes and
hands, and in a short ejaculation thanked God for the victory he was now sure
of, and for this encouragement to expect it. Wherever we are, we may speak to
God, and worship him, and find a way open heavenward. God must have the praise
of that which is encouraging to our faith, and his providence must be
acknowledged in those events which, though minute and seemingly accidental,
prove serviceable to us. 2. How he gave his friends a share in the
encouragements he had received: Arise, prepare to march presently; the
Lord has delivered Midian into your hand.
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The
Midianites Surprised.
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B.
C. 1249.
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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 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. 20 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. 21 And they stood every man in his place round
about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. 22 And
the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD
set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and
the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah,
unto Tabbath.
Here is, I. The alarm which Gideon gave to the hosts of Midian in the dead
time of the night; for it was intended that those who had so long been a
terror to Israel, and had so often frightened them, should themselves be
routed and ruined purely by terror.
1. The attack here made was, in many circumstances, like that which Abraham
made upon the army that had taken Lot captive. The number of men was much the
same: Abraham had 318, Gideon 300; they both divided their forces, both made
their attack by night, and were both victorious under great disadvantages
(Gen. xiv. 14, 15); and Gideon is not only a son of Abraham (so were the
Midianites by Keturah) but an heir of his faith. Gideon, (1.) Divided his
army, small as it was, into three battalions (v. 16), one of which he
himself commanded (v. 19), because great armies (and such a one he
would make a show of) were usually divided into the right wing, and left wing,
and the body of the army. (2.) He ordered them all to do as he did, v.
17. He told them now, it is very likely, what they must do, else the thing was
so strange that they would scarcely have done it of a sudden, but he would, by
doing it first, give notice to them when to do it, as officers exercise their
soldiers with the word of command or by beat of drum: Look on me, and do
likewise. Such is the word of command which our Lord Jesus, the captain of
our salvation, gives his soldiers; for he has left us an example, with
a charge to follow it: As I do, so shall you do. (3.) He made his
descent in the night, when they were secure and least expected it, which would
put them into great consternation, and when the smallness of his army would
not be discovered. In the night all frights are most frightful, especially in
the dead of the night, as this was, a little after midnight, when the middle
watch began, and the alarm would wake them out of their sleep. We read of terror
by night as very terrible (Ps. xci. 5), and fear in the night,
Cant. iii. 8. (4.) That which Gideon aimed at was to frighten this huge host,
to give them not only a fatal rout, but a very shameful one. He accoutred his
army with every man a trumpet in his right hand, and an earthen pitcher, with
a torch in it, in his left, and he himself thought it no disparagement to him
to march before them thus armed. He would make but a jest of conquering this
army, and goes out against them rather as against a company of children than
against a host of soldiers. The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised
thee, and laughed thee to scorn, Isa. xxxvii. 22. The fewness of
his men favoured his design; for, being so few, they marched to the camp with
the greater secresy and expedition, so that they were not discovered till they
were close by the camp; and he contrived to give the alarm when they had just
mounted the guards (v. 19), that the sentinels, being then wakeful,
might the sooner disperse the alarm through the camp, which was the best
service they could do him. Three ways Gideon contrived to strike a terror upon
this army, and so put them into confusion. [1.] With a great noise. Every man
must blow his trumpet in the most terrible manner he could and clatter an
earthen pitcher to pieces at the same time; probably each dashed his pitcher
to his next man's, and so they were broken both together, which would not only
make a great crash, but was a figure of what would be the effects of the
fright, even the Midianites' killing one another. [2.] With a great blaze. The
lighted torches were hid in the pitchers, like a candle under a bushel,
until they came to the camp, and then, being taken out all together of a
sudden, would make a glaring show, and run through the camp like a flash of
lightning. Perhaps with these they set some of the tents on the outside of the
camp on fire, which would very much increase the confusion. [3.] With a great
shout. Every man must cry, For the Lord, and for Gideon, so some think
it should be read in v. 18, for there the sword is not in the original,
but it is in v. 20, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. It
should seem, he borrowed the word from the Midianite's dream (v. 14):
it is the sword of Gideon. Finding his name was a terror to them, he
thus improves it against them, but prefixes the name of Jehovah, as the figure
without which his own was but an insignificant cypher. This would put life
into his own men, who might well take courage when they had such a God as
Jehovah, and such a man as Gideon, both to fight for, and to fight
for them; well might those follow who had such leaders. It would likewise
put their enemies into a fright, who had of old heard of Jehovah's great name,
and of late of Gideon's. The sword of the Lord is all in all to the success of
the sword of Gideon, yet the sword of Gideon must be employed. Men the
instruments, and God the principal agent, must both be considered in their
places, but men, the greatest and best, always in subserviency and
subordination to God. This army was to be defeated purely by terrors, and
these are especially the sword of the Lord. These soldiers, if they had
swords by their sides, that was all, they had none in their hands, but they
gained the victory by shouting "The sword." So the church's enemies
are routed by a sword out of the mouth, Rev. xix. 21. 2. These
soldiers, if they had swords by their sides, that was all, they had none in
their hands, but they gained the victory by shouting "The sword." So
the church's enemies are routed by a sword out of the mouth, Rev. xix.
21.
2. This method here taken of defeating the Midianites may be alluded to, (1.)
As typifying the destruction of the devil's kingdom in the world by the
preaching of the everlasting gospel, the sounding of that trumpet, and the
holding forth of that light out of earthen vessels, for such the ministers of
the gospel are, in whom the treasure of that light is deposited, 2 Cor. iv. 6,
7. Thus 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, him that sits on the throne and the Lamb. (2.) As representing the
terrors of the great day. So the excellent bishop Hall applies it; if these
pitchers, trumpets, and firebrands, did so daunt and dismay the proud troops
of Midian and Amalek, who shall be able to stand before the last terror, when
the trumpet of the archangel shall sound, the elements shall be on a flame,
the heavens pass away with a great noise, and the Lord himself shall descend
with a shout!
II. The wonderful success of this alarm. The Midianites were shouted out of
their lives, as the walls of Jericho were shouted down, that Gideon might see
what he lately despaired of ever seeing, the wonders that their fathers
told them of. Gideon's soldiers observed their orders, and stood every
man in his place round about the camp (v. 21), sounding his trumpet
to excite them to fight one another, and holding out his torch to light them
to their ruin. They did not rush into the host of Midian, as greedy either of
blood or spoil, but patiently stood still to see the salvation of the Lord,
a salvation purely of his own working. Observe how the design took effect. 1.
They feared the Israelites. All the host immediately took the alarm; it
flew like lightning through all their lines, and they ran, and cried, and
fled, v. 21. There was something natural in this fright. We may
suppose they had not had intelligence of the great diminution of Gideon's
army, but rather concluded that since their last advices it had been growing
greater and greater; and therefore they had reason to suspect, knowing how
odious and grievous they had made themselves and what bold steps had been
taken towards the throwing off of their yoke, that it was a very great army
which was to be ushered in with all those trumpeters and torch-bearers. But
there was more of a supernatural power impressing this terror upon them. God
himself gave it the setting on, to show how that promise should have been
fulfilled if they had not forfeited it, One of you shall chase a thousand.
See the power of imagination, and how much it may become a terror at some
times, as at other times it is a pleasure. 2. They fell foul upon one another:
The Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, v. 22. In
this confusion, observing the trumpeters and torch-bearers to stand still
without their camp, they concluded the body of the army had already entered
and was in the midst of them, and therefore every one ran at the next he met,
though a friend, supposing him an enemy, and one such mistake as this would
occasion many, for then he that slew him would certainly be taken for an
enemy, and would be dispatched immediately. It is our interest to preserve
such a command of our own spirits as never to be afraid with any amazement,
for we cannot conceive what mischiefs we thereby plunge ourselves into. See
also how God often makes the enemies of his church instruments to destroy one
another; it is a pity the church's friends should ever be thus infatuated. 3.
They fled for their lives. Perhaps when day-light came they were sensible of
their mistake in fighting with one another, and concluded that by this fatal
error they had so weakened themselves that now it was impossible to make any
head against Israel, and therefore made the best of their way towards their
own country, though, for aught that appears, the 300 men kept their ground. The
wicked flee when none pursueth, Prov. xxviii. 1. Terrors make him
afraid on every side, and drive him to his feet, Job xviii. 11.
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Gideon's
Victory.
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B.
C. 1249.
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23 And the men of Israel
gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all
Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites. 24 And Gideon sent
messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the
Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. Then
all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto
Beth-barah and Jordan. 25 And they took two princes of the
Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb
they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads
of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.
We have here the prosecution of this glorious victory. 1. Gideon's soldiers
that had been dismissed, and perhaps had begun to disperse themselves, upon
notice of the enemies' flight got together again, and vigorously pursued those
whom they had not courage to face. The men of Israel out of Naphtali and Asher
who did this (v. 23) were not such as now came from those distant
countries, but the same that had enlisted themselves (ch. vi. 35), but
had been cashiered. Those who were fearful and afraid to fight (v. 3)
now took heart, when the worst was over, and were ready enough to divide the
spoil, though backward to make the onset. Those also that might not fight
though they had a mind to it, and were disbanded by order from God, did not as
those, 2 Chron. xxv. 10, 13, return in great anger, but waited for an
opportunity of doing service in pursuing the victory, though they were denied
the honour of helping to force the lines. 2. The Ephraimites, upon a summons
from Gideon, came in unanimously, and secured the passes over Jordan, by the
several fords, to cut off the enemies' retreat into their own country, that
they might be entirely destroyed, to prevent the like mischief to Israel
another time. Now that they had begun to fall, it was easy to say, Down with
them, Esth. vi. 13. They took the waters (v. 24), that is,
posted themselves along the river side, so that the Midianites, who fled from
those who pursued them, fell into the hands of those that waited to intercept
them. Here were fear, and the pit, and the snare, Isa. xxiv. 17. 3. Two
of the chief commanders of the host of Midian were taken and slain by the
Ephraimites on this side Jordan, v. 25. Their names perhaps signified
their nature, Oreb signifies a raven, and Zeeb a wolf
(corvus and lupus). These in their flight had taken shelter, one
in a rock (Isa. ii. 21; Rev. vi. 15), the other by a wine-press,
as Gideon for fear of them had lately hid his corn by a wine-press, ch.
vi. 11. But the places of their shelter were made the places of their
slaughter, and the memory of it was preserved to posterity in the names of the
places, to their perpetual infamy: Here fell the princes of Midian.
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