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.

JUDGES 7:4KJV
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Judges 7:4 (KJV)

What does Judges 7:4 mean?

Judges 7:4 shows God telling Gideon that his army is still too large and instructs him to bring the men to the water, where God will test them and decide who should stay and who should go. The verse highlights that God, not Gideon, will choose which men are fit to continue.

In this scene, the LORD (God) is speaking directly to Gideon, who is preparing to fight the Midianites. Even after reducing his army once, God insists there are still too many men, signaling that victory should clearly be seen as God's doing, not human strength. The act of bringing the men to the water sets up a test that will further reduce their numbers, emphasizing God's control over the situation.

The Hebrew behind Judges 7:4

  • The word "try" (צָרַף, tsaraf) means to test or refine, often used for purifying metals. Here, it suggests God is carefully selecting and purifying the group, not just reducing numbers at random.
  • The word "go" (יָלַךְ, yalak) appears several times, stressing the idea that only those God specifically chooses will be allowed to continue with Gideon. This repetition underlines God's authority over who participates in the battle.

Why Judges 7:4 matters

  • This verse clarifies that God is intentionally limiting Gideon's army so that the coming victory cannot be credited to human effort or numbers.
  • The use of the word for "try" or "refine" shows that God is not just testing for military skill but is shaping the group for His own purposes.
  • Understanding this verse helps make sense of the dramatic reduction in Gideon's forces that follows, highlighting the theme of trust in God's guidance rather than human strategy.

Where else these words appear

“try” Hebrew H6884 · used in 29 verses

  • Judges 17:4 Yet he restored the money unto his mother; and his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder, who made thereof a graven image and a molten image: and they were in the house of Micah.
  • Psalms 105:19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
  • Jeremiah 6:29 The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.

“Gideon” Hebrew H1439 · used in 37 verses

  • Judges 6:11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
  • Judges 7:5 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.
  • Judges 8:11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.