Bible Strands
Judges 7:1
Early in the morning Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the men with him camped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative places Gideon and his men at the spring of Harod early in the morning, with the Midianite camp positioned north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. This geographical setup occurs immediately before the Lord addresses Gideon in Judges 7:2.
The words — וַ/יַּשְׁכֵּ֨ם (va/i.yash.Kem) literally translates as "and he rose early," and יְרֻבַּ֜עַל (ye.ru.Ba.'al) identifies the commander as Jerubbaal.
The thread — The name Jerubbaal references Judges 6:32, where Gideon receives it after tearing down Baal’s altar. The location near the hill of Moreh recalls Genesis 12:6, where Abram first traveled through that same land.
Why it lands — The text records a precise military positioning without commentary, requiring the reader to track the exact timing and geography before divine action begins. It demands attention to how the subsequent reduction of forces will unfold from this specific, unembellished starting point.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Judges 6:32 So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he had torn down Baal’s altar.
- Genesis 12:6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.
- Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
- Genesis 22:3 So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated.
- Deuteronomy 11:30 Are not these mountains across the Jordan, west of the road toward the sunset, in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Arabah opposite Gilgal near the Oak of Moreh?
- Joshua 3:1 Early the next morning Joshua got up and left Shittim with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over.
- Joshua 6:12 Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD.