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1 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.

2 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.

3 Now 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.

4 And the Lord 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.

5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

8 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.

9 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:

11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.

12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.

17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.

18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

19 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.

20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.

25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.

<html><b> Of signal valley ridge.</b> Overlooking the plain¹<i class=“footnote”>This is Targum Yonasan’s interpretation. The ridge overlooked the plain, and was thus suitable as an observation post.</i>. <span>הַמּוֹרֶה</span> connotes instruction, observation, as in “instructs by gesturing.”²<i class=“footnote”>Mishlei, 6:13.</i> From there they would observe, and then signal instructions to the valley.</html>

<html><b> Glorify.</b> “Vanter” in old French.</html>

<html><b> In the morning.</b> In the morning is <span>צַפְדׇא</span> in Aramaic.</html>

<html><b> Anyone who laps with his tongue, etc.</b> Anyone who bends forward while on his knees to drink, set them aside, out of your retinue. They shall not accompany you, since they are practiced in kneeling before idols.³<i class=“footnote”>Both phrases of this passage—“Anyone who laps, etc.” and “anyone who bends forward, etc.”—refer to the same drinkers. Those who bend forward while on their knees, bringing their faces down to the water in order to lap it up, are practiced in prostrating themselves before idols.</i></html>

<html><b> Who lapped from hand.</b> This is not the kind of bending forward as when lapping up with the tongue.⁴<i class=“footnote”>Lapping from hand to mouth does not involve prostrating oneself.</i></html>

<html><b> Lay in the valley.</b> Were stationed in the valley.</html>

<html><b>Toasted.</b> The written text is <span>צׇלוּל</span>, “clear”.⁵<i class=“footnote”>Occasionally, the written Scriptural text, <span>כְתַב</span>, differs from the the spoken text, <span>קֽרִי</span>. Rashi notes that this is the case here, where the written text is <span>צׇלוּל</span>, while the spoken text is <span>צְלִיל</span>, “toasted”.</i> The generation was cleared of righteous men.

<b>A toasted barley bread.</b> A loaf of barley bread. A loaf toasted over coals.

<b>Barley bread.</b> This represents the merit of the Omer offering, which was brought on Pesach.⁶<i class=“footnote”> On the second day of Pesach. The offering consisted of barley meal. (Vayikra, 23:11,16. See Rashi there. Cf. Rashi above, 6:19).</i> <b>And hit it, and it collapsed</b> (the tent), <b>then it overturned</b> the tent, completely overturned, and the tent collapsed.

<html><b> The recounting of the dream.</b> The story of the dream.⁷<i class=“footnote”> <span>מִסְפַר</span>, generally translated as “number”, is interpreted here as “story”.</i> “The retelling of the dream and its interpretation.”⁸<i class=“footnote”>This is Targum Yonasan’s translation.</i>

<b>And its interpretation [lit. “its sale”].</b> The goods exchanged for it,⁹<i class=“footnote”>According to the literal interpretation, “sale”.</i> or its interpretation.</html>

<html><b> Shofars and torches</b> to invoke the merit of the giving of the Torah.¹⁰<i class=“footnote”> At Mount Sinai, when the shofar sounded, and fire descended on the mountain. (Shemos, 19:16–19).</i> According to the plain explanation: this took place at night, as it is written,¹¹<i class=“footnote”>V. 9.</i> and it was dark. They therefore carried torches to provide them with light. They placed them in pitchers so that the torches would remain undetected.</html>

<html><b> Watch me.</b> Watch my actions, and follow suit.</html>

<html><b> I, and everyone with me.</b> One of the divisions and one hundred men accompanied him. <b>For Adonoy, and for Gidon.</b> The sword that executes is from Adonoy, so that victory is Gidon's.¹²<i class=“footnote”>This is Targum Yonasan’s interpretation, following v. 20, “Adonoy’s sword, and for Gidon!”</i></html>

<html><b> Had posted.</b> The soldiers had already posted the sentries who were assigned to the middle watch. Members of the military usually assign sentry duty so that some serve during the first third of the night, some during the second third, and some during the final third.¹³<i class=“footnote”>See Yalkut, 63.</i>

<b>And smashed the pitchers.</b> And broke¹⁴<i class=“footnote”> <span>נׇפוֹץ</span> is sometimes translated as “dispersed”. Here, however, the translation is <span>שָבוֹר</span>, “broke”, as stated clearly in v.20.</i> the pitchers which were in their hands.</html>

<html><b> They sounded the alarm.</b> The signal to withdraw and flee.</html>

<html><b> Capture the waters</b> which intervene between Aram and Canaanite territory.

<b>And the Yardein</b> which also intervened.</html>

<html><b> They brought to Gidon, across the Yardein.</b> In the morning, when Gidon crossed the Yardein pursuing Zevach and Tzalmona.¹⁵<i class=“footnote”></i></html>