TRV
Translation
King James Version
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.
KJV (with Strong's)
And it was so, when Gideon H1439 heard H8085 the telling H4557 of the dream H2472, and the interpretation H7667 thereof, that he worshipped H7812, and returned H7725 into the host H4264 of Israel H3478, and said H559, Arise H6965; for the LORD H3068 hath delivered H5414 into your hand H3027 the host H4264 of Midian H4080.
Complete Jewish Bible
When Gid'on heard the dream and its interpretation, he fell on his knees in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Isra'el and said, "Get up! because ADONAI has handed Midyan's army over to you."
Berean Standard Bible
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”
American Standard Version
And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped; and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said, Arise; for Jehovah hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
World English Bible Messianic
It was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and its interpretation, that he worshiped; and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise; for the LORD has delivered the army of Midian into your hand!”
Geneva Bible (1599)
When Gideon heard the dreame tolde, and the interpretation of the same, he worshipped, and returned vnto the hoste of Israel, and said, Vp: for the Lord hath deliuered into your hande the hoste of Midian.
Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass, when Gideon heareth the narration of the dream and its interpretation, that he boweth himself, and turneth back unto the camp of Israel, and saith, `Rise ye, for Jehovah hath given into your hand the camp of Midian.'
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In the KJVVerse 6,710 of 31,102
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Commentary on Judges 7 verses 9–15
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, Jdg 7:9. 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 (Jdg 7:10) and hear what they say" (Jdg 7:11); 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 (Jdg 7:12), 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," Jdg 7:13. In multitudes of dreams there are divers vanities, says Solomon, Ecc 5:7. 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, Jdg 7:14. 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 (Jdg 6:11-19), 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 (Jdg 7:15), 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.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 9–15. Public domain.
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Gregory the DialogistAD 604
MORALS ON THE BOOK OF JOB 30.25
I think it will not be amiss if we consider at greater length this war of the Midianites, which was intentionally introduced by the prophet in comparison with the coming of the Lord. For in the book of Judges Gideon is described as having fought against the Midianites.… Why then is it that such a battle is brought forward by the prophet, and why is victory in that battle compared with the coming of our Redeemer? Did the prophet intend to point out to us that that victorious battle under the command of Gideon was a type of the coming of our Redeemer? Such deeds were doubtless there wrought, which, the more they exceed the usual mode of fighting, are the less removed from the mystery of prophecy. For whoever went forth to battle with pitchers and lamps? Who, when going against arms, ever abandoned his arms? These things would have been truly absurd to us, had they not been terrible to the enemies. But we have learned by the evidence of the victory itself not to regard these things which were done as of little account. Gideon, therefore, coming to battle, signifies to us the coming of our Redeemer, of whom it is written: “Lift up, O princes, your gates, and be lifted up you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle.” He prophesied of our Redeemer not only by his doings but also by his name. For Gideon is interpreted “going about in the womb.” For our Lord embraces all things by the power of his majesty, and yet he came through the grace of the dispensation assuming the nature of a human being in the womb of the Virgin. Who then is he who goes about in the womb except almighty God, redeeming us by his own dispensation, embracing all things by his divinity and taking a human’s nature in the womb? In the womb he was both incarnate and not confined because he was both within the womb by the substance of his infirmity and beyond the world by the power of his majesty.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Judges 7:15 marks the dramatic turning point in Gideon's leadership, where divine confirmation transforms his lingering doubt into unwavering faith and decisive action. Having secretly overheard a Midianite soldier's dream and its prophetic interpretation, Gideon immediately responds with profound worship, recognizing God's sovereign hand in the impending victory. This newfound assurance propels him to rally his drastically reduced army, confident that the Lord has already delivered the formidable Midianite host into their hands, setting the stage for one of the most unconventional and miraculous victories in Israel's history.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is the climactic moment following Gideon's covert reconnaissance mission into the Midianite camp. It occurs specifically after he overhears a Midianite soldier recounting a dream of a barley cake overturning a tent, and another soldier interpreting it as "the sword of Gideon" and God delivering Midian into his hand, as detailed in Judges 7:13-14. This divine, unsolicited sign directly addresses Gideon's prior need for repeated confirmation from God, as evidenced by his requests for fleece signs in Judges 6:36-40. The immediate consequence of this verse is Gideon's return to his 300 men and his inspired command to prepare for the battle, outlining the unconventional strategy that follows in Judges 7:16-22. Thus, Judges 7:15 serves as the psychological and spiritual pivot point, transitioning from a period of anxious preparation and lingering doubt to one of confident execution and bold leadership.
Historical & Cultural Context: For seven years, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other "people of the East" had severely oppressed Israel, devastating their land and resources and forcing them into hiding in caves and strongholds, as described in Judges 6:1-6. This period of severe oppression followed Israel's disobedience, highlighting a recurring cycle of sin, oppression, cry for help, and deliverance (the Deuteronomistic cycle) in the Book of Judges. Gideon, initially a timid farmer from a relatively insignificant clan, was called by God to deliver Israel, but he struggled with fear and doubt, understandable given the overwhelming numerical superiority of the Midianite forces, estimated at 135,000 in Judges 8:10. Culturally, dreams were often considered significant omens or divine communications in the ancient Near East, and their interpretation held considerable weight. The fact that God used a dream overheard from the enemy's camp, interpreted by one of their own, would have been a profoundly powerful and culturally resonant form of confirmation for Gideon, far more impactful than a direct angelic message at that precise moment.
Key Themes: This verse powerfully illustrates several core themes within the Book of Judges and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it underscores Divine Assurance, demonstrating God's willingness to provide specific, timely confirmation to His servants, especially when they face daunting odds or personal anxieties. The dream and its interpretation serve as God's final, undeniable sign to Gideon. Secondly, it highlights the theme of Faith and Worship, as Gideon's immediate response to God's clear sign is an act of profound reverence and submission, showcasing that true faith often expresses itself in worship before action. This worship signifies a complete trust in God's word. Thirdly, the verse emphasizes God's Sovereignty in Deliverance, as Gideon's rallying cry attributes the victory entirely to the Lord, reinforcing the principle that salvation comes not by human might or numbers, but by divine power, a truth echoed in Psalm 33:16-17. Finally, it portrays Empowered Leadership, showing how a leader's personal encounter with God's truth can transform their timidity into courageous conviction, enabling them to inspire and lead others into seemingly impossible situations, confident in God's pre-ordained victory.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Judges 7:15 is rich in Irony, as God uses the very camp of the enemy to provide the decisive confirmation Gideon needs, with a pagan soldier's dream and interpretation serving as the divine message. This highlights God's ability to work through unexpected means and even through those who do not know Him, demonstrating His pervasive sovereignty. The verse also showcases a dramatic Contrast between Gideon's previous fear and repeated requests for signs (seen throughout Judges 6) and his newfound boldness and immediate, decisive action. This transformation underscores the profound power of divine assurance to overcome human weakness and timidity. Furthermore, the narrative employs Emphasis through Gideon's immediate act of worship, which is presented as the natural and necessary response to God's faithfulness and clear revelation. The declaration, "the LORD hath delivered," functions as a Proleptic Statement, declaring a future event as if it has already occurred, thereby instilling confidence and highlighting God's sovereign control over the outcome. This moment serves as a crucial Turning Point in the narrative, marking the shift from preparation and psychological struggle to decisive action and the execution of God's unconventional plan.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Judges 7:15 profoundly illustrates the principle that God's power is perfected in human weakness, and that true victory comes not through human might or numerical superiority, but through divine intervention and unwavering faith. Gideon's transformation from a hesitant, sign-seeking leader to one filled with confident worship and bold declaration exemplifies how God empowers those He calls, often using the most unlikely individuals and unconventional methods to achieve His purposes. This moment is a powerful reminder that when God confirms His word, the appropriate response is worship and immediate, courageous obedience, trusting that what God has declared, He will surely accomplish. It teaches us that our confidence in facing overwhelming odds should stem from God's character and promises, not from our own resources or perceived strength.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Judges 7:15 offers a timeless blueprint for how believers should respond when God provides clarity and confirmation in the midst of daunting challenges. Gideon's immediate act of worship teaches us that gratitude and adoration should precede action, acknowledging God's sovereignty and faithfulness even before the full manifestation of His promises. In our own lives, when we seek God's will and He provides clear direction—whether through His Word, wise counsel, providential circumstances, or even unexpected confirmations—our first response should be one of humble worship and thanksgiving. This worship then fuels a confident, courageous resolve to step out in obedience, knowing that the "battle" is truly the Lord's. This verse encourages us to move beyond our fears and doubts, embracing God's unconventional plans, and to lead or act with the conviction that what God has promised, He has already "delivered" in His divine economy. It calls us to trust that God's power is made perfect in our weakness, empowering us to face our own "Midianites" with divine assurance.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why did God reduce Gideon's army so drastically before the battle?
Answer: God reduced Gideon's army from 32,000 to a mere 300 men to ensure that the victory would be undeniably His, preventing Israel from boasting in their own strength or numbers. As stated in Judges 7:2, the Lord said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'" This act reinforced a core biblical principle: salvation and deliverance come from the Lord alone, not from human might or military prowess. It was a powerful lesson for Israel and a testament to God's sovereignty, demonstrating that His power is perfected in weakness.
Was Gideon's visit to the Midianite camp an act of faith or doubt?
Answer: Gideon's visit to the Midianite camp, while prompted by God's command in Judges 7:9-11, was a divine provision to bolster his faith, which still contained elements of doubt. God, knowing Gideon's need for reassurance, specifically told him that if he was afraid, he should go down to the camp with his servant Purah and listen to what they were saying. This was not a test of Gideon's faith in the sense of a punishment for doubt, but rather a compassionate act by God to provide the final, undeniable confirmation Gideon needed to move from hesitation to unwavering conviction. It transformed lingering doubt into absolute certainty, leading to his profound act of worship and courageous leadership.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Gideon's experience in Judges 7:15, where divine confirmation leads to worship and confident action, powerfully foreshadows the ultimate and perfect confirmation found in Jesus Christ. Just as Gideon's victory was not by human strength or numbers but by God's power acting through an unlikely vessel and unconventional means, so too is the salvation of humanity accomplished not by our works, but by the finished work of Christ on the cross. The "host of Midian" represents the overwhelming forces of sin, death, and the devil that humanity could never overcome on its own. Yet, through Christ, God has already "delivered into our hand" the victory. The New Testament reveals Jesus as the true Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!, whose apparent weakness on the cross led to His glorious triumph over all spiritual enemies, disarming principalities and powers and making a public spectacle of them (Colossians 2:15). We, like Gideon, are called to worship in response to this divine assurance, for Christ has declared, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Our confidence in facing life's "Midianites" stems from the reality that Christ has already secured the decisive victory, empowering us to live and lead with courageous faith, knowing that "if God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).