Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, May 24th, 2025
the Fifth Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Judges 7:2

Then the Lord said to Gideon, "I am going to help your men defeat the Midianites, but you have too many men. I don't want the Israelites to forget me and brag that they saved themselves.

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gideon;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Esdraelon;   Moreh, the Hill of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Judges, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Levi;   Marriage;   Midian, Mtdianites;   Ophrah;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Jerubbaal;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armageddon;   Gideon;   Harod;   Midian;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Trumpet;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Reign of the Judges;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Deuteronomy;   Gideon;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Army;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for August 12;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say, ‘My own strength saved me.’
Hebrew Names Version
The LORD said to Gid`on, The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midyanim into their hand, lest Yisra'el vaunt themselves against me, saying, My own hand has saved me.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
And Yahweh said to Gideon, "The troops that are with you are too many for me to give Midian into their hands; Israel will boast, saying, ‘My hand has delivered me.'
English Standard Version
The Lord said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.'
New Century Version
Then the Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men to defeat the Midianites. I don't want the Israelites to brag that they saved themselves.
New English Translation
The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.'
Amplified Bible
Then the LORD said to Gideon, "There are too many people with you for Me to hand over Midian to them, otherwise Israel will boast [about themselves] against Me, saying, 'My own power has rescued me.'
New American Standard Bible
And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to hand Midian over to them, otherwise Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power has saved me.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the Lord said vnto Gideon, The people yt are with thee, are too many for me to giue the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel make their vaunt against me, and say, Mine hand hath saued mee.
Legacy Standard Bible
Toe sê die HERE vir Gídeon: Die manskappe by jou is te veel vir My om die Midianiete in hulle hand te gee; anders kan Israel hom teen My beroem deur te sê: My eie hand het my verlos.
Contemporary English Version
The Lord said, "Gideon, your army is too big. I can't let you win with this many soldiers. The Israelites would think that they had won the battle all by themselves and that I didn't have anything to do with it.
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai said to Gid‘on, "There are too many people with you for me to hand Midyan over to them, because I don't want Isra'el to be able to boast against me, ‘We saved ourselves by our own strength.'
Darby Translation
And Jehovah said to Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give Midian into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
George Lamsa Translation
And the LORD said to Gideon, The people that are with you are too many for me to deliver the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel should glory in themselves, saying, My own hand has made me victorious.
Good News Translation
The Lord said to Gideon, "The men you have are too many for me to give them victory over the Midianites. They might think that they had won by themselves, and so give me no credit.
Literal Translation
And Jehovah said to Gideon, The people with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, that Israel not glorify itself against Me, saying, My hand has delivered me.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the LORDE sayde vnto Gedeon: The people that be with ye are to many for me to delyuer Madian into their hande, lest Israel boost them selues agaynst me, and saye: My hande hath delyuered me.
American Standard Version
And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Bible in Basic English
And the Lord said to Gideon, So great is the number of your people, that if I give the Midianites into their hands they will be uplifted in pride over me and will say, I myself have been my saviour.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Lord sayd vnto Gedeon: The people that are with thee, are to many for me to geue ye Madianites into their handes, lest Israel make their vaunt against me, and saye: Myne owne hand hath saued me.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD said unto Gideon: 'The people that are with thee are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying: mine own hand hath saved me.
King James Version (1611)
And the Lord said vnto Gideon, The people that are with thee, are too many for me to giue the Midianites into their handes, lest Israel vaunt themselues against mee, saying, Mine owne hand hath saued me.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord said to Gedeon, The people with thee are many, so that I may not deliver Madiam into their hand, lest at any time Israel boast against me, saying, My hand has saved me.
English Revised Version
And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many people for Me to deliver Midian into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, 'My own hand has delivered me.'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord seide to Gedeon, Myche puple is with thee, and Madian schal not be bitakun in to the hondis `ther of, lest Israel haue glorie ayens me, and seie, Y am delyuerid bi my strengthis.
Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah saith unto Gideon, `Too many [are] the people who [are] with thee for My giving Midian into their hand, lest Israel beautify itself against Me, saying, My hand hath given salvation to me;
Update Bible Version
And Yahweh said to Gideon, The people that are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, or else Israel will vaunt themselves against me, saying, My own hand has saved me.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD said to 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, My own hand hath saved me.
World English Bible
Yahweh said to Gideon, The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, My own hand has saved me.
New King James Version
And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, "My own hand has saved me.'
New Living Translation
The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.
New Life Bible
The Lord said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands. Israel might say with pride, ‘Our own power has saved us.'
New Revised Standard
The Lord said to Gideon, "The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Yahweh said unto Gideon, Too many, are the people that are with thee, for me to deliver the Midianites into their hand, - lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand, hath saved me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord said to Gedeon: The people that are with thee are many, and Madian shall not be delivered into their hands: lest Israel should glory against me, and say: I was delivered by my own strength.
Revised Standard Version
The LORD said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for me to give the Mid'ianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, 'My own hand has delivered me.'
THE MESSAGE
God said to Gideon, "You have too large an army with you. I can't turn Midian over to them like this—they'll take all the credit, saying, ‘I did it all myself,' and forget about me. Make a public announcement: ‘Anyone afraid, anyone who has any qualms at all, may leave Mount Gilead now and go home.'" Twenty-two companies headed for home. Ten companies were left.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, 'My own power has delivered me.'

Contextual Overview

1 Early in the morning Jerub-Baal (Gideon) and all his men set up their camp at the spring of Harod. The Midianites were camped in the valley at the bottom of the hill called Moreh, north of Gideon and his men. 2 Then the Lord said to Gideon, "I am going to help your men defeat the Midianites, but you have too many men. I don't want the Israelites to forget me and brag that they saved themselves. 3 So make an announcement to your men. Tell them, ‘Anyone who is afraid may leave Mount Gilead and go back home.'" At that time 22,000 men left Gideon and went back home, but 10,000 still remained. 4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take the men down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say, ‘This man will go with you,' he will go. But if I say, ‘That one will not go with you,' then he will not go." 5 So Gideon led the men down to the water. There the Lord said to him, "Separate the men like this: Those who drink the water by using their tongue to lap it up like a dog will be in one group. And those who bend down to drink will be in the other group." 6 There were 300 men who used their hands to bring water to their mouth and lapped it like a dog does. All the other people bent down and drank the water. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, "I will use the 300 men who lapped the water like a dog. I will use them to save you, and I will allow you to defeat the Midianites. Let the other men go home." 8 So Gideon sent the other men of Israel home. He kept the 300 men with him. Those 300 men kept the supplies and the trumpets of the other men who went home. The Midianites were camped in the valley below Gideon's camp.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

too many: 1 Samuel 14:6, 2 Chronicles 14:11, Zechariah 4:6, Zechariah 12:7, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, 1 Corinthians 2:4, 1 Corinthians 2:5, 2 Corinthians 4:7, 2 Corinthians 10:4, 2 Corinthians 10:5

Israel: Deuteronomy 32:27, Isaiah 2:11, Isaiah 2:17, Jeremiah 9:23, Romans 3:27, Romans 11:18, 1 Corinthians 1:29, Ephesians 2:9, James 4:6

Mine own: Deuteronomy 8:17, Isaiah 10:13, Ezekiel 28:2, Ezekiel 28:17, Daniel 4:30, Habakkuk 1:16

Reciprocal: Exodus 8:9 - Glory over me Numbers 31:4 - a thousand Deuteronomy 2:33 - the Lord 1 Kings 17:9 - widow woman Job 32:13 - Lest Psalms 33:16 - no king Isaiah 9:21 - Ephraim 1 Corinthians 1:25 - the foolishness

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
Then the Lord said to Noah, "I have seen that you are a good man, even among the evil people of this time. So gather your family, and all of you go into the boat.
Genesis 7:8
All the clean animals, all the other animals on the earth, the birds, and everything that crawls on the earth
Genesis 7:11
On the 17th day of the second month, when Noah was 600 years old, the springs under the earth broke through the ground, and water flowed out everywhere. The sky also opened like windows and rain poured down. The rain fell on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. That same day Noah went into the boat with his wife, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives.
Genesis 7:15
All these animals went into the boat with Noah. They came in groups of two from every kind of animal that had the breath of life.
Genesis 7:19
The water rose so much that even the highest mountains were covered by the water.
Genesis 7:21
Every living thing on earth died—every man and woman, every bird, and every kind of animal. All the many kinds of animals and all the things that crawl on the ground died. Every living, breathing thing on dry land died.
Genesis 8:20
Then Noah built an altar to honor the Lord . Noah took some of all the clean birds and some of all the clean animals and burned them on the altar as a gift to God.
Leviticus 10:10
You must be able to clearly tell the difference between what is holy and what is not holy, between what is clean and what is unclean.
Ezekiel 44:23
"Also, the priests must teach my people the difference between things that are holy and things that are not holy. They must help my people know what is clean and what is unclean.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord said unto Gideon, the people that are with thee are too many,.... It appears, by what follows, that there were 32,000 of them, which was but a small army to engage with one of 100,000 more than they; for such was the army of the Midianites and their associates, see Judges 8:10 but the people were too many, says the Lord,

for me to give the Midianites into their hands; who would be apt to ascribe the victory to themselves, and not to the Lord; to their number, strength, and valour, and not to the hand of the Lord:

lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, mine own hand hath saved me; or glory over me, take the glory from me, and ascribe it to themselves, boasting that by their power and prowess they had obtained the victory.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Judges 7:2. The people that are with thee are too many — Had he led up a numerous host against his enemies, the excellence of the power by which they were discomfited might have appeared to be of man and not of God. By the manner in which this whole transaction was conducted, both the Israelites and Midianites must see that the thing was of God. This would inspire the Israelites with confidence, and the Midianites with fear.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile