King James Version

What Does Judges 7:22 Mean?

“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. in: or, toward border: Heb. lip”

Context

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.

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

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. in: or, toward border: Heb. lip

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.

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.

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Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(22) **Blew the trumpets.**—They continued to blow incessantly, to add to the panic. **The Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow.**—We have an exact parallel to this in the mutual slaughter of the Ammonites, Moabites, and Edomites, when stricken with a similar panic before the army of Jehoshaphat, in 2Chronicles 20:21-22; and on a smaller scale in the camp of the Philistines at Gibeah (1 Samuel 14). The tremendous tragedy of their flight can only be appreciated by the vivid impression which it made on the national imagination (Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 10:26). In Psalm 83:13-14, it is compared to the whirling flight of dry weeds before a rush of flame and wind, recalling the Arab imprecation, “May you be whirled like the akukb (‘wild artichoke,’ ‘a wheel,’ ‘a rolling thing’) before the wind, until you are caught in the thorns or plunged into the sea” (Thomson, *Land and Book, *Judges 36). **Beth-shittah.**—It should be rather, *Beth hash-shit-tah, *“the house of the acacia”—a place named from the trees which are still abundant in that neighbourhood, just as we have such names as Burntash, Seven-oaks, Nine Elms, &c. (Comp. Abel-Shittim, Numbers 33:49; Joshua 21.) If *Beth hash-shittah *was the village *Shultah, *with which Robinson (*Bibl. Reg., *3:219) identifies it, some of the host must have fled northwards. It is improbable that it was another name for Beth-shean, though the LXX. have Bethsead in some MSS. It is, however, by no means unlikely that some of the marauders would fly towards the fords of the Jordan near Bethshean (comp. Jos. *Antt. v.* 6, § 5), as others fled south to the fords near Succoth, which lay to the south of the Jabbok. **In.**—Rather, *towards, *as in the margin. **Zererath.**—Rather, *Zererah. *This is omitted in the Vulgate; the LXX. have the extraordinary reading *Tagaragatha, *or in some MSS. “and he led them.” The final *th *is no part of the name, but the mode of connecting the name with the particle of motion. Zererath is not again mentioned, but the distinction between the Hebrew letters *r *(ר) and *d *(ד) is so slight that the reading *Zeredath *may here be correct; and if so, it may be the Zeredath in Ephraim, which was the birthplace of Jeroboam (1Kings 11:26), and the Zaretan of Joshua 3:16, 1Kings 7:46, which is sixteen miles north of Jericho. **To the border.**—Literally, as in the margin, *to the lip, *or *brink, *as in Genesis 22:17; Exodus 4:30. It does not, however, necessarily prove that Abel-meholah was on the edge of the Jordan valley. **Abel-meholah.**—“The meadow of the dance.” It was in Ephraim, and was the native place of Elisha (1Kings 19:16; see, too, 1Kings 4:12). Eusebius and Jerome place it ten miles south of Bethshean, at Wady Maleb. *Abel *means “a moist, grassy meadow.” **Unto Tabbath.**—Literally, *upon Tabbath. *The name seems to mean “famous,” but the site is unknown, unless it be the remarkable bank called *Tubukhat Fahil,*

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Judges. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Judges 7:22 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.