Judges 7:4 kjv
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 7:4 nkjv
But the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go."
Judges 7:4 niv
But the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go."
Judges 7:4 esv
And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' shall not go."
Judges 7:4 nlt
But the LORD told Gideon, "There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not."
Judges 7 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Judges 7:2 | “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast... | God's reason for army reduction. |
| Judges 7:5-7 | So he brought the people down to the water... the LORD said to Gideon... | Execution and outcome of the water test. |
| Psalm 33:16-17 | The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation... | Reliance on God over military might. |
| Proverbs 21:31 | The war horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. | Victory comes from God alone. |
| Isaiah 30:15 | For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” | Trust in God, not human strength. |
| Hosea 1:7 | But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword, by battle or by horses or by horsemen.” | Divine salvation, not human warfare. |
| 1 Samuel 17:47 | And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand. | Battle is the Lord's. |
| Psalm 44:6-7 | For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But you have saved us from our foes and put to rout those who hated us. | Acknowledging God as the source of victory. |
| 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 | But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong... so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. | God chooses weak instruments to glorify Himself. |
| Zechariah 4:6 | Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. | Spiritual power, not physical might. |
| Romans 9:16 | So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. | God's sovereignty in selection and salvation. |
| Philippians 2:13 | for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. | God's working within believers. |
| Deuteronomy 8:2 | And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart... | God's testing to reveal true heart condition. |
| Genesis 22:1 | After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” | God testing His servants. |
| 2 Corinthians 4:7 | But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. | God uses weak vessels to display His power. |
| Jeremiah 9:23-24 | Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast... but let him who boasts boast in the LORD.” | Boasting in the Lord, not oneself. |
| Exodus 14:15-18 | The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward... I will get glory over Pharaoh.” | God directing action and getting glory. |
| Numbers 9:23 | At the mouth of the LORD they encamped, and at the mouth of the LORD they set out. | Total obedience to God's precise command. |
| Isaiah 46:10 | declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ | God's sovereignty over outcomes. |
| Daniel 4:35 | All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand... | God's absolute control over all creation. |
| Romans 8:28 | And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. | God working all things according to His purpose. |
| Genesis 12:4 | So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him... | Obedience to a specific divine command. |
| Hebrews 11:8 | By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. | Faith demonstrated through obedience. |
Judges 7 verses
Judges 7 4 Meaning
This verse signifies the Lord's continuing, meticulous reduction of Gideon's army, reiterating that the assembled forces were still too numerous from God's perspective. It sets the stage for a unique, divinely ordained test at a water source, where God Himself would distinguish and reveal those specifically chosen to go with Gideon for battle, and those who should not. This emphasizes God's absolute sovereignty over the selection process, ensuring that the ultimate victory would be attributed solely to His power, thereby precluding any human boasting in strength or numbers.
Judges 7 4 Context
Judges chapter 7 continues the narrative of God's call to Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianite oppression. Before this verse, Gideon had amassed 32,000 men. Judges 7:2 clearly states God's reasoning for reducing the army: "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.’" Consequently, in verse 3, God instructs Gideon to dismiss those who are fearful, resulting in 22,000 men leaving and 10,000 remaining. Judges 7:4 immediately follows this initial reduction, revealing that even 10,000 men were still "too many" for God's divine purpose. The historical context is a period of widespread apostasy in Israel, leading to cycles of oppression, followed by cries for deliverance and the raising of judges by God. The Midianites were devastating raiders, bringing Israel to severe poverty (Judges 6:6). This desperate situation makes the divine choice to dramatically reduce the army counter-intuitive from a human perspective, thereby heightening the demonstration of God's power.
Judges 7 4 Word analysis
- Again (וַיֹּ֤סֶף, wayyōseph): This Hebrew word means "and he added" or "he continued." It indicates a direct continuation and intensification of the divine instruction given earlier in the chapter, showing God's persistent and precise direction to Gideon.
- the LORD (יְהוָ֣ה, YHWH): The covenant name of God, highlighting His active presence, unchanging faithfulness, and absolute authority as the initiator and orchestrator of Israel's deliverance.
- said (אֶל־גִּדְע֔וֹן, ’el-giḏ‘ōn): Emphasizes direct, personal communication between God and His chosen leader, Gideon. This reinforces the divine origin of the unique military strategy.
- The people (הָעָם, hā‘ām): Refers to the remaining 10,000 Israelite soldiers after the fearful ones had departed, identifying the group still under divine scrutiny.
- are still too many (ע֣וֹד רַ֔ב, ‘ōḏ raḇ): "Still" (‘ōḏ) reinforces the idea that even after the first reduction, the core problem of human reliance on numbers persisted. "Too many" (raḇ) highlights God's unwavering principle from verse 2 – victory belongs solely to Him.
- bring them down (הוֹרֵ֤ד אוֹתָם֙ , hôrēḏ ’ôṯām): This is a hiphil imperative from the verb yārad ("to go down"), conveying a direct and authoritative command to Gideon to physically lead the men to the specified location.
- to the water (אֶל־הַמַּ֔יִם, ’el-hammayim): Specifies the exact location for the next divine test. A mundane, everyday setting is chosen by God to perform an extraordinary sifting.
- and I will test them for you there (וְאֶצְרְפֶנּוּ־לְךָ֣ שָׁ֔ם, wə’eṣrəphennū-ləḵā šām): The verb "test" (ṣārap) often implies refining or purifying, like sifting grain or smelting metal to remove dross. God Himself, not Gideon, performs this crucial separation, revealing the true character and readiness of the soldiers. "For you" emphasizes the divine purpose to provide Gideon with a supernaturally vetted fighting force.
- whoever I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and whoever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.”: This highly precise directive underscores God's complete and unequivocal control over the selection. Gideon's role is solely to be an obedient instrument, hearing and implementing God's clear, binary instructions, removing any human discretion from the choice of who would remain.
- Words-Group Analysis:
- "Again the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many...": This repetition underscores God's determined intent to reduce the army to a symbolic minimum, preventing any future human boast. It also highlights Gideon's continued direct communication and reliance on the divine.
- "...bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there.": God establishes a seemingly simple, yet highly significant, testing ground. The "testing" signifies a divine sifting, not a human assessment of strength, but a revelation of intrinsic qualities important for God's unique plan. This shows God's detailed involvement in military strategy.
- "And it shall be that whoever I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and whoever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.”: This declaration confirms God's absolute sovereignty in the selection. The explicit dual outcome removes all ambiguity and any room for Gideon to second-guess the results. It is a direct command for divine decision-making, ensuring only God's chosen instruments remain.
Judges 7 4 Bonus section
This verse is a prime example of God employing methods contrary to conventional human wisdom. From a military standpoint, reducing an already numerically inferior army against a vast enemy force seems illogical, yet God's rationale is purely theological: to prevent human pride. The "testing" at the water anticipates the specific and practical distinction between those who maintained vigilance while drinking ("lapping like a dog") and those who carelessly knelt, signifying a subtle but crucial difference in their preparedness for covert operations. This speaks to a spiritual discernment – God seeking not the strongest, but the most attentive, disciplined, and uniquely fitted for His specific purpose. This passage serves as a timeless illustration of God choosing to work through apparent weakness to manifest His undeniable strength and to deepen reliance on Him.
Judges 7 4 Commentary
Judges 7:4 is pivotal, marking the second and final stage of God's divinely mandated army reduction for Gideon. Following the dismissal of the fearful, God states that the remaining 10,000 are still "too many," affirming that success is never based on human might. The Lord Himself designs and administers the peculiar "water test," not for human tactical analysis, but for divine discernment and refinement. By personally separating those who would go from those who would not, God ensures His power, not human strength or skill, is unequivocally glorified in the imminent victory against overwhelming odds. This moment underlines the principle that God often operates through paradoxical means, minimizing human resources to magnify His own sufficiency and power, calling for complete dependence and obedience from His chosen servant.