The Meaning of Judges 7:8 Explained

Judges 7:8

KJV: So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

YLT: And the people take the provision in their hand, and their trumpets, and every man of Israel he hath sent away, each to his tents; and on the three hundred men he hath kept hold, and the camp of Midian hath been by him at the lower part of the valley.

Darby: So he took the jars of the people from their hands, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Mid'ian was below him in the valley.

ASV: So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the men of Israel every man unto his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

So the people  took  victuals  in their hand,  and their trumpets:  and he sent  all  [the rest of] Israel  every man  unto his tent,  and retained  those three  hundred  men:  and the host  of Midian  was beneath him in the valley. 

What does Judges 7:8 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 7:8 mean?

So took - provisions the people in their hands and their trumpets all [the [rest of] Israel he sent away every man to his tent and three hundred those men retained and the camp of Midian was him below in the valley -
וַיִּקְח֣וּ אֶת־ צֵדָה֩ הָעָ֨ם בְּיָדָ֜ם וְאֵ֣ת שׁוֹפְרֹֽתֵיהֶ֗ם כָּל־ אִ֤ישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ שִׁלַּח֙ אִ֣ישׁ לְאֹֽהָלָ֔יו וּבִשְׁלֹשׁ־ מֵא֥וֹת הָאִ֖ישׁ הֶֽחֱזִ֑יק וּמַחֲנֵ֣ה מִדְיָ֔ן הָ֥יָה ל֖וֹ מִתַּ֥חַת בָּעֵֽמֶק פ

וַיִּקְח֣וּ  So  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
צֵדָה֩  provisions 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: צֵידָה  
Sense: provision, food.
הָעָ֨ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
בְּיָדָ֜ם  in  their  hands 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
שׁוֹפְרֹֽתֵיהֶ֗ם  their  trumpets 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: שֹׁופָר  
Sense: horn, ram’s horn.
אִ֤ישׁ  [the  [rest  of] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
שִׁלַּח֙  he  sent  away 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אִ֣ישׁ  every  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
לְאֹֽהָלָ֔יו  to  his  tent 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֹהֶל  
Sense: tent.
וּבִשְׁלֹשׁ־  and  three 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Number, feminine singular construct
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
מֵא֥וֹת  hundred 
Parse: Number, feminine plural
Root: מֵאָה 
Sense: hundred.
הָאִ֖ישׁ  those  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הֶֽחֱזִ֑יק  retained 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָזַק  
Sense: to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore.
וּמַחֲנֵ֣ה  and  the  camp 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular construct
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
מִדְיָ֔ן  of  Midian 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְיָן  
Sense: son of Abraham by Keturah and progenitor of the tribe of Midianites or Arabians.
מִתַּ֥חַת  below 
Parse: Preposition-m
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
בָּעֵֽמֶק  in  the  valley 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵמֶק  
Sense: valley, vale, lowland, open country.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation