The Meaning of Judges 7:1 Explained

Judges 7:1

KJV: 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.

YLT: And Jerubbaal (he is Gideon) riseth early, and all the people who are with him, and they encamp by the well of Harod, and the camp of Midian hath been on the south of him, on the height of Moreh, in the valley.

Darby: Then Jerubba'al (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Mid'ian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

ASV: Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and encamped beside the spring of Harod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Judges 7:1 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 7:1-8 - Quantity Versus Quality
"No king is saved by the multitude of an host," Psalms 33:16. God does not need multitudes. It is false to say that He is "on the side of the heaviest battalions." Read 2 Chronicles 14:1-15; 2 Chronicles 23:1-21. Those that are fearful and trembling, because they look at the might of their enemies rather than to the eternal God, had better depart to their homes; they are an impediment and hindrance, and may, by an evil telepathy, slacken the faith of others. Those also who forget that they are soldiers, who put the ease of the body before the strenuous attitude of the soul, who think most and first of their physical indulgence, are of no use to God for great exploits. Send them to their tents; they can assist in the secondary work of pursuit.
It was a very little act-the attitude in drinking-but how much it meant! The 300 who caught up the water in the hollow of their hands, showed that they could not forget the foe; that they were resolved to subordinate bodily appetite to the spirit and dared not relax their girded loins. These are the men that God can use! But 300 of these are enough to rout 135,000, Judges 7:8-10. Live in the Spirit; walk in the Spirit; be always in touch with the Spirit, and make no provision for the flesh, Romans 13:14; Galatians 5:16. And be faithful, also, in very little actions. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 7

1  Gideon's army of thirty-two thousand is brought to three hundred
9  He is encouraged by the dream and interpretation of the burley cake
16  His plan of trumpets and lamps in pitchers
24  The Ephraimites take Oreb and Zeeb

What do the individual words in Judges 7:1 mean?

And rose early Jerubbaal he [is] Gideon and all the people who [were] with him and encamped beside - the well of Harod so that the camp of the Midianites was of them on the north side by the hill of Moreh in the valley
וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם יְרֻבַּ֜עַל ה֣וּא גִדְע֗וֹן וְכָל־ הָעָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתּ֔וֹ וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ עַל־ עֵ֣ין חֲרֹ֑ד וּמַחֲנֵ֤ה מִדְיָן֙ הָיָה־ ל֣וֹ מִצָּפ֔וֹן מִגִּבְעַ֥ת הַמּוֹרֶ֖ה בָּעֵֽמֶק

וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם  And  rose  early 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁכַם  
Sense: to rise or start early.
יְרֻבַּ֜עַל  Jerubbaal 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְרֻבַּעַל  
Sense: name given to Gideon by his father when he destroyed the altar of Baal.
ה֣וּא  he  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
גִדְע֗וֹן  Gideon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גִּדְעֹון  
Sense: youngest son of Joash of the Abiezrites, fifth judge of Israel who led the Israelites against the Midianites.
וְכָל־  and  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הָעָם֙  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  who  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
אִתּ֔וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ  and  encamped 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: חָנָה  
Sense: to decline, incline, encamp, bend down, lay siege against.
עַל־  beside 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
עֵ֣ין  - 
Parse:
חֲרֹ֑ד  the  well  of  Harod 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֲרֹד 
Sense: a camping place of Gideon and Israel near the hill of Moreh.
וּמַחֲנֵ֤ה  so  that  the  camp 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular construct
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
מִדְיָן֙  of  the  Midianites 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְיָן  
Sense: son of Abraham by Keturah and progenitor of the tribe of Midianites or Arabians.
ל֣וֹ  of  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
מִצָּפ֔וֹן  on  the  north  side 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: צָפֹון  
Sense: north (of direction), northward.
מִגִּבְעַ֥ת  by  the  hill 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: גִּבְעָה  
Sense: hill.
הַמּוֹרֶ֖ה  of  Moreh 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹורֶה  
Sense: the oak tree at Shechem where Abram stopped when he first entered Canaan; close to the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim.
בָּעֵֽמֶק  in  the  valley 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵמֶק  
Sense: valley, vale, lowland, open country.