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.

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

What does Judges 7:7 mean?

Judges 7:7 records God telling Gideon that He will save Israel and defeat the Midianites using only the three hundred men who drank water by lapping it, while everyone else should return home. This verse highlights that victory will come through a small, specifically chosen group, not by a large army.

God is speaking directly to Gideon during a time when Israel is oppressed by the Midianites. Earlier, Gideon had gathered a large force, but God repeatedly reduced the number to show that Israel’s deliverance would be by God’s power alone. The three hundred men are chosen based on how they drank water, a detail that sets them apart and emphasizes God’s control over the situation.

The Hebrew behind Judges 7:7

  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): This is the personal name of Israel’s God, used here to stress that the promise and the victory come directly from Him, not from human effort.
  • lapped (לָקַק, laqaq): This word describes how the chosen men drank water, like a dog laps. This unusual detail is a key part of how God selects the final group, showing that the method of selection is entirely God’s choice, not based on military skill.
  • save (יָשַׁע, yasha): This verb means to deliver or rescue. God is making it clear that the rescue of Israel is His work, not the result of the army’s size or strength.
  • deliver (נָתַן, natan): This word means to give or hand over. God is promising to hand the Midianites over into Gideon’s control, reinforcing that the outcome is certain because God is the one acting.

Why Judges 7:7 matters

  • Judges 7:7 clarifies that God intentionally uses a small, unlikely group to accomplish His purpose, making it clear that success is not about numbers or human ability.
  • The verse connects to the larger story by showing how God’s instructions to Gideon reduce the army to the point where only God could get the credit for the victory.
  • This verse helps clear up the misunderstanding that God always works through large or impressive means; instead, it shows that God often chooses unexpected ways to fulfill His promises.

Where else these words appear

“lapped” Hebrew H3952 · used in 5 verses

  • 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 7:6 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.
  • 1 Kings 21:19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

“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 7:4 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.
  • 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.

“Midianites” Hebrew H4080 · used in 55 verses

  • Genesis 25:2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
  • Judges 6:2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
  • Judges 7:25 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.