Judges 7:21

21 Each man stayed in his position around the camp. But all of the Midianites ran away in fear. They were crying out as they ran.

Judges 7:21 Meaning and Commentary

Judges 7:21

And they stood every man in his place around the camp
To see the salvation of God, and that it might most clearly appear to be his own doing; and indeed, had they gone into it, they could have done nothing; they had no weapons in their hands, a trumpet in one hand, and a lamp in the other; though this their position served to increase the terror of the enemy, who might suppose that they stood either to light and introduce a large army at the back of them; or to light the forces already in the midst of them, while they destroyed them; which latter seems rather to be the thing their imaginations were possessed with, since they fell to slaying their fellows, supposing them to be enemies, as in the following verse:

and all the host ran, and cried, and fled;
or "were broken" ^F12; as some render the first word, their lines were broken; they could not put themselves in rank and file, but were thrown into the utmost confusion; and cried as being in the utmost danger of their lives, and fled for their safety as fast, as they could; see ( Isaiah 27:13 ) ( Hebrews 6:18 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 (Uwr) "confracta", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus.

Judges 7:21 In-Context

19 Gideon and the 100 men who were with him reached the edge of the enemy camp. It was about ten o'clock at night. It was just after the guard had been changed. Gideon and his men blew their trumpets. They broke the jars that were in their hands.

20 The three companies blew their trumpets. They smashed their jars. They held their torches in their left hands. They held in their right hands the trumpets they were going to blow. Then they shouted the battle cry, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!"

21 Each man stayed in his position around the camp. But all of the Midianites ran away in fear. They were crying out as they ran.

22 When the 300 trumpets were blown, the LORD caused all of the men in the enemy camp to start fighting each other. They attacked each other with their swords. The army ran away to Beth Shittah toward Zererah. They ran all the way to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.

23 The men of Israel from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher and all of Manasseh were called out. They chased the Midianites.