New King James Version
Judges 7:19
19So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.
Judges 7:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.
- New Living Translation (NLT)It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars.
Context of Judges 7:19
17And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’ ” So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” 21And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled.
Read all of Judges 7Judges 7:19 word by word
וַיָּבֹ֣א גִ֠דְעוֹן וּמֵאָה־אִ֨ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־אִתּ֜וֹ בִּקְצֵ֣ה הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֗ה רֹ֚אשׁ הָאַשְׁמֹ֣רֶת הַתִּֽיכוֹנָ֔ה אַ֛ךְ הָקֵ֥ם הֵקִ֖ימוּ אֶת־הַשֹּֽׁמְרִ֑ים וַֽיִּתְקְעוּ֙ בַּשּׁ֣וֹפָר֔וֹת וְנָפ֥וֹץ הַכַּדִּ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּיָדָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- So Gideonגִּדְעוֹןgid‛ôn · GideonH1439
- and the hundredמֵאָהmê'âh mê'yâh · hundredH3967
- menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- with him, cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- unto the outsideקָצֶהqâtseh qêtseh · endH7097
- of the campמַחֲנֶהmachăneh · campH4264
- in the beginningרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: firstH7218
- of the middleתִּיכוֹןtîykôn tîykôn · middleH8484
- watchאַשְׁמוּרָה'ashmûrâh 'ashmûrâh 'ashmôreth · watchH821
- and they had butאַךְ'ak · surelyH389
- newlyקוּםqûm · to arise: guardH6965
- the watchשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
- and they blewתָּקַעtâqa‛ · to blowH8628
- the trumpetsשֹׁפָרshôphâr shôphâr · trumpetH7782
- and brakeנָפַץnâphats · to shatterH5310
- the pitchersכַּדkad · jarH3537
- in their handsיָדyâd · handH3027
People and places in Judges 7:19
Cross-references for Judges 7:19
- Exodus 14:24Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians.
- Matthew 25:6“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
- Revelation 16:15“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
- Judges 7:8So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
- Judges 7:16Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.
- Psalms 2:9You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
- Jeremiah 13:13“Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land—even the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem—with drunkenness!
- Jeremiah 19:1Thus says the Lord: “Go and get a potter’s earthen flask, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the elders of the priests.
Commentaries on Judges 7:19
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19The middle watch - The old Jewish division of the night was three watches of four hours each. They are alluded to in Exodus 14:24; 1 Samuel 11:11; Psalm 63:6; Psalm 90:4; Psalm 119:148; Psalm 130:6; Lamentations 2:19. After the Jews fell under the power of the Romans, they used the Roman division of four watches of three hours each Matthew 14:25; Mark 13:35. “The beginning” of the watch would be about eleven o‘clock at night.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 This method of defeating the Midianites may be alluded to, as exemplifying the destruction of the devil's kingdom in the world, by the preaching of the everlasting gospel, the sounding that trumpet, and the holding forth that light out of earthen vessels, for such are the ministers of the gospel, 2Co 4:6, 7. 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…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-20Surprise and trickery replaced the need for a large army. The war cry, the sudden sound of 300 trumpets, and the torches lighting up made it seem like there was a big army.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-2416-22. he divided the three hundred men into three companies--The object of dividing his forces was, that they might seem to be surrounding the enemy. The pitchers were empty to conceal the torches, and made of earthenware, so as to be easily broken; and the sudden blaze of the held-up lights--the loud echo of the trumpets, and the shouts of Israel, always terrifying (Nu 23:21), and now more terrible than ever by the use of such striking words, broke…Read the comment
Topics related to Judges 7:19
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Judges 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries