Judges 7:2

Judges 7:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’
• English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are 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.’

Context of Judges 7:2

1Then 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 army of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. And Yhwh 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. 3Now 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. 4And Yhwh 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.

Judges 7:2 word by word

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־גִּדְע֔וֹן רַ֗ב הָעָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתָּ֔ךְ מִתִּתִּ֥י אֶת־מִדְיָ֖ן בְּיָדָ֑ם פֶּן־יִתְפָּאֵ֨ר עָלַ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יָדִ֖י הוֹשִׁ֥יעָה לִּֽי׃Read the interlinear

• And Yhwhיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto Gideonגִּדְעוֹןgid‛ôn · GideonH1439
• The peopleעַם‛am · people: soldiersH5971
• too manyרַבrab · manyH7227
• for me to giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• the Midianitesמִדְיָןmidyân · MidianH4080
• into their handsיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• lest Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• vauntפָּאַרpâ'ar · to beautifyH6286
• hath savedיָשַׁעyâsha‛ · to saveH3467

Cross-references for Judges 7:2

• 1 Samuel 14:6And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that Yhwh will work for us: for there is no restraint to Yhwh to save by many or by few.
• 2 Chronicles 14:11And Asa cried unto Yhwh his God, and said, Yhwh, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Yhwh our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Yhwh, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
• Zechariah 4:6Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of Yhwh unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith Yhwh of Armies.
• Zechariah 12:7Yhwh also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.
• 1 Corinthians 1:27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
• 1 Corinthians 2:4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
• 2 Corinthians 4:7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
• 2 Corinthians 10:4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
• Deuteronomy 32:27Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, And Yhwh hath not done all this.
• Isaiah 2:11The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And Yhwh alone shall be exalted in that day.
• Jeremiah 9:23Thus saith Yhwh, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
• Romans 3:27Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
• Romans 11:18Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.
• 1 Corinthians 1:29That no flesh should glory in his presence.
• Ephesians 2:9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
• James 4:6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Commentaries on Judges 7:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The people that are with thee are too many - Had he led up a numerous host against his enemies, the excellence of the power by which they were discomfited might have appeared to be of man and not of God. By the manner in which this whole transaction was conducted, both the Israelites and Midianites must see that the thing was of God. This would inspire the Israelites with confidence, and the Midianites with fear.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2The Lord does not need a large army to save his people (compare 1 Samuel 14:6). A large army might have hindered success because surprise was crucial to the Lord’s plan. Gideon reduced the army to keep humility, not for military strategy.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. the Lord said unto Gideon, The people ... are too many--Although the Israelitish army mustered only thirty-two thousand (or one-sixth of the Midianitish host), the number was too great, for it was the Lord's purpose to teach Israel a memorable lesson of dependence on Him.Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Gideon
• Israel
• Dream
• Esdraelon
• Harod
• Lap
• Midianite
• Moreh, the Hill of
• Abdon (1)
• Deuteronomy

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