Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” New Living Translation Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” English Standard Version Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” Berean Standard Bible The three companies blew their horns and shattered their jars. Holding the torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” King James Bible And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. New King James Version Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!” New American Standard Bible When the three units blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” NASB 1995 When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” NASB 1977 When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” Legacy Standard Bible Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, and they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing and called out, “A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon!” Amplified Bible When three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow, and they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” Christian Standard Bible The three companies blew their ram’s horns and shattered their pitchers. They held their torches in their left hands and their ram’s horns to blow in their right hands, and they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon! ” Holman Christian Standard Bible The three companies blew their trumpets and shattered their pitchers. They held their torches in their left hands, their trumpets in their right hands, and shouted, “A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon!” American Standard Version And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands wherewith to blow; and they cried, The sword of Jehovah and of Gideon. Contemporary English Version The rest of Gideon's soldiers blew the trumpets they were holding in their right hands. Then they smashed the jars and held the burning torches in their left hands. Everyone shouted, "Fight with your swords for the LORD and for Gideon!" English Revised Version And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD and of Gideon. GOD'S WORD® Translation The three companies also blew their rams' horns and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the rams' horns in their right hands so that they could blow them. They shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" Good News Translation and the other two groups did the same. They all held the torches in their left hands, the trumpets in their right, and shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" International Standard Version When the three companies sounded their trumpets and broke the jars, they held the torches in their left hands and sounded their trumpets with their right hands. Then they cried out, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" Majority Standard Bible The three companies blew their horns and shattered their jars. Holding the torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, they shouted, ?A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!? NET Bible All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. Then they yelled, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" New Heart English Bible The three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands with which to blow; and they called out, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon.'" Webster's Bible Translation And the three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow with: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. World English Bible The three companies blew the trumpets, broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands with which to blow; and they shouted, “The sword of Yahweh and of Gideon!” Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand the three detachments blow with horns, and break the pitchers, and keep hold with their left hand on the lamps, and with their right hand on the horns to blow, and they cry, “The sword of YHWH and of Gideon!” Young's Literal Translation and the three detachments blow with trumpets, and break the pitchers, and keep hold with their left hand on the lamps, and with their right hand on the trumpets to blow, and they cry, 'The sword of Jehovah and of Gideon.' Smith's Literal Translation And the three heads will strike upon the trumpets, and will break the buckets, and they will hold fast in their left hand upon the torches, and in their right hand the trumpets to strike: and they will call the sword for Jehovah and for Gideon. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd when they sounded their trumpets in three places round about the camp, and had broken their pitchers, they held their lamps in their left hands, and with their right hands the trumpets which they blew, and they cried out: The sword of the Lord and of Gedeon; Catholic Public Domain Version And when they had sounded their trumpets in three places around the camp, and had broken their water pitchers, they held the lamps in their left hands, and sounded the trumpets in their right hands. And they cried out, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” New American Bible When the three companies had blown their horns and broken their jars, they took the torches in their left hands, and in their right the horns they had been blowing, and cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” New Revised Standard Version So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd the three companies blew their trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands; and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And the three hundred Leaders sounded with the trumpets and they broke the pitchers and they seized the lamps with their left hands, and horns to sound in their right hands and they called out, “The sword for LORD JEHOVAH and for Gedun!” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And the three companies blew the horns, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the horns in their right hands wherewith to blow; and they cried: 'The sword for the LORD and for Gideon!' Brenton Septuagint Translation and the three companies sounded with the horns, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and in their right hands their horns to sound with; and they cried out, A sword for the Lord and for Gedeon. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Gideon Defeats Midian…19Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the changing of the guard. They blew their horns and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20The three companies blew their horns and shattered their jars. Holding the torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” 21Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army fled, crying out as they ran.… Cross References Exodus 14:16 And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. Joshua 6:16 After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! 1 Samuel 14:12 So the men of the outpost called out to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come on up, and we will teach you a lesson!” “Follow me,” Jonathan told his armor-bearer, “for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” 2 Chronicles 20:17 You need not fight this battle. Take up your positions, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out and face them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you.’” Isaiah 9:4 For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor. Isaiah 41:15-16 Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. / You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away; a gale will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the LORD; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel. Jeremiah 51:20 “You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin. Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts. Zechariah 9:13 For I will bend Judah as My bow and fit it with Ephraim. I will rouse your sons, O Zion, against the sons of Greece. I will make you like the sword of a mighty man. Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. / Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. / In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 26:52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Luke 9:1-2 Then Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and power to cure diseases. / And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. John 1:5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 8:12 Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.” Acts 2:3-4 They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. / And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Treasury of Scripture And the three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow with: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. blew. Numbers 10:1-10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, … Joshua 6:4,16,20 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets… Isaiah 27:13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem. brake 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. 2 Peter 1:15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. Jump to Previous Bands Blew Blow Blowing Brake Break Broke Broken Companies Cried Cry Detachments Hand Hands Held Hold Holding Horns Jars Lamps Note Pitchers Ready Right Shouted Smashed Sword Three Torches Trumpets Vessels Wherewith WithalJump to Next Bands Blew Blow Blowing Brake Break Broke Broken Companies Cried Cry Detachments Hand Hands Held Hold Holding Horns Jars Lamps Note Pitchers Ready Right Shouted Smashed Sword Three Torches Trumpets Vessels Wherewith WithalJudges 7 1. Gideon's army of thirty-two thousand is brought to three hundred9. He is encouraged by the dream and interpretation of the burley cake 16. His plan of trumpets and lamps in pitchers 24. The Ephraimites take Oreb and Zeeb The three companies blew their horns The use of trumpets or horns in ancient Israel often signified a call to battle or a divine announcement (Joshua 6:4-5). In Judges 7, Gideon's army is divided into three companies, a strategic move that reflects military tactics of the time, allowing for surprise and confusion among the enemy. The number three can also symbolize completeness or divine perfection in biblical numerology. and shattered their jars Holding the torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” Persons / Places / Events 1. GideonA judge of Israel chosen by God to deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the Midianites. He is a central figure in this account, demonstrating faith and obedience to God's unconventional battle plan. 2. Midianites The oppressors of Israel during this period. They were a nomadic people who had been raiding and impoverishing the Israelites. 3. The Three Companies Refers to the 300 men divided into three groups by Gideon. This small force was used by God to achieve a great victory, emphasizing His power and the importance of faith. 4. Trumpets and Jars Instruments used in the battle strategy. The trumpets were used to create noise and confusion, while the jars, when broken, revealed the torches, symbolizing the light of God's deliverance. 5. Torches Represent the light and presence of God, which brought fear and confusion to the Midianites, leading to their defeat. Teaching Points God's Power in WeaknessGod often uses the weak and the few to accomplish His purposes, demonstrating that victory comes from Him, not human strength. Obedience to God's Plan Gideon's obedience to God's unconventional strategy teaches us the importance of trusting God's wisdom over our own understanding. The Light of God's Presence The torches symbolize God's presence, reminding us that His light dispels darkness and brings victory over our spiritual battles. Faith in Action The actions of Gideon's men show that faith requires action, even when the plan seems illogical by human standards. Proclaiming God's Victory The shout, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon," emphasizes the importance of acknowledging God's role in our victories and giving Him the glory.(20) The trumpets in their right hands . . .--Thus they were comparatively defenceless, though, if they had any armour at all, doubtless they could still hold the shield on the left arm, while the sword was girded on the thigh. The effect of the sudden crash and glare and shout upon the vast unwieldy host of the Bedouins may be imagined. Startled from sleep in a camp which, like Oriental camps, must have been most imperfectly protected and disciplined, they would see on every side blazing torches, and hear on every side the rams' horns and the terrible shout of the Israelites. (Comp. Tac. Ann. i. 68.) The instant result was a wild panic, such as that which seized the camp of the Persians at Plataee. The first thought which would rise in their minds would be that there was some treachery at work among the motley elements of the camp itself. Even a well-disciplined camp is liable to these outbursts of panic. One such occurred among the Greeks in the camp of the Ten Thousand during their retreat. To shame these groundless alarms, Klearchus next morning caused a reward to be proclaimed for any one who would give information "who had let the ass loose;" and this seems to have been a standing joke to shame Greek soldiers from such panics (Xen. Anab. ii. 2, 20). Several stratagems similar to that of Gideon are recorded in history. Polyaenus, in his book on the "Art of War," tells us that Di?tas, when attacking Heraea, "ordered the trumpeters to stand apart, and sound a charge opposite to many quarters of the city; and that the Heraeans, hearing the blasts of many trumpets from many directions, thinking that the whole region was crowded with enemies, abandoned the city." Frontinus also tells us that the Tarquinians and Faliscans tried to frighten the Romans with torches, and Minucius Rufus terrified the Scordisci by trumpets blown among the rocks (Strateg. ii. 3). Hannibal on one occasion escaped from Fabius Maximus by tying torches to the heads of cattle, and having them driven about the hills. The Druids waved torches to repel the attack of Suetonius Paulinus on the island of Mona (Tac. Ann. xiv. 30). An Arab chief (Bel-Arab) in the eighteenth century used trumpets in exactly the same manner as Gideon did on this occasion, and with the same success (Niebuhr, Beschr. von Arabien, p. 304). Ewald alludes to similar stratagems in Neapolitan and Hungarian wars, the latter so recently as 1849 (Gesch. ii. 503). Hebrew The threeשְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת (šə·lō·šeṯ) Number - masculine singular construct Strong's 7969: Three, third, thrice companies הָרָאשִׁ֥ים (hā·rā·šîm) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 7218: The head blew וַֽ֠יִּתְקְעוּ (way·yiṯ·qə·‘ū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 8628: To clatter, slap, clang, to drive, to become bondsman their trumpets בַּשּֽׁוֹפָרוֹת֮ (baš·šō·w·p̄ā·rō·wṯ) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 7782: A cornet, curved horn and shattered וַיִּשְׁבְּר֣וּ (way·yiš·bə·rū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 7665: To break, break in pieces their jars. הַכַּדִּים֒ (hak·kad·dîm) Article | Noun - feminine plural Strong's 3537: A pail, earthenware, a jar Holding וַיַּחֲזִ֤יקוּ (way·ya·ḥă·zî·qū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 2388: To fasten upon, to seize, be strong, obstinate, to bind, restrain, conquer the torches בַּלַּפִּדִ֔ים (bal·lap·pi·ḏîm) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 3940: A flambeau, lamp, flame in their left שְׂמאוֹלָם֙ (śə·m·’ō·w·lām) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 8040: Dark, the north, the left hand hands בְיַד־ (ḇə·yaḏ-) Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 3027: A hand and the trumpets הַשּׁוֹפָר֖וֹת (haš·šō·w·p̄ā·rō·wṯ) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 7782: A cornet, curved horn in their right יְמִינָ֔ם (yə·mî·nām) Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural Strong's 3225: The right hand, side, the south hands, וּבְיַ֨ד־ (ū·ḇə·yaḏ-) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 3027: A hand they shouted, וַֽיִּקְרְא֔וּ (way·yiq·rə·’ū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read “A sword חֶ֥רֶב (ḥe·reḇ) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 2719: Drought, a cutting instrument, as a, knife, sword for the LORD לַֽיהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh) Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel and for Gideon!” וּלְגִדְעֽוֹן׃ (ū·lə·ḡiḏ·‘ō·wn) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 1439: Gideon -- a judge of Israel Links Judges 7:20 NIVJudges 7:20 NLT Judges 7:20 ESV Judges 7:20 NASB Judges 7:20 KJV Judges 7:20 BibleApps.com Judges 7:20 Biblia Paralela Judges 7:20 Chinese Bible Judges 7:20 French Bible Judges 7:20 Catholic Bible OT History: Judges 7:20 The three companies blew the trumpets (Jd Judg. 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