The Meaning of Judges 7:13 Explained

Judges 7:13

KJV: And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

YLT: And Gideon cometh in, and lo, a man is recounting to his companion a dream, and saith, 'Lo, a dream I have dreamed, and lo, a cake of barley-bread is turning itself over into the camp of Midian, and it cometh in unto the tent, and smiteth it, and it falleth, and turneth it upwards, and the tent hath fallen.'

Darby: When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade; and he said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream; and lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Mid'ian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat."

ASV: And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man telling a dream unto his fellow; and he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream; and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came unto the tent, and smote it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when Gideon  was come,  behold, [there was] a man  that told  a dream  unto his fellow,  and said,  Behold, I dreamed  a dream,  and, lo, a cake  of barley  bread  tumbled  into the host  of Midian,  and came  unto a tent,  and smote  it that it fell,  and overturned  it, that the tent  lay along. 

What does Judges 7:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 7:9-23 - The Sword Of Jehovah And Of Gideon
Gideon asked for the sign of the fleece, but God, without his asking, gave him that of the barley-cake. It was only barley-bread, the cheapest and commonest kind of food, but it overthrew a tent. Gideon was quick to recognize the symbol of his weakness and helplessness, but he recognized also the presage of victory. Lying there in the moonless night, with his head toward that tent, he worshiped and hastened back to his camp. We remember what Jesus made of barley-loaves. See John 6:9; John 6:13.
The blare of the trumpets, the breaking of the pitchers, the flashing of the lights, and the shouting from three sides of the camp startled the sleeping host into panic. Surely this scene was in Paul's thought when he said that God's light had shone forth on the midnight darkness of that age; and then confessed that the light was contained in the earthen vessel of mortality, "that the excellency of the power might be of God." Let us not be too greatly disturbed when the sorrows and persecutions of earth break up our peace and strength-this is the breaking of the earthen vessel. Our business must be to see that the torch burns within, 2 Corinthians 4:6, etc. [source]

Chapter Summary: Judges 7

1  Gideon's army of thirty-two thousand is brought to three hundred
9  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

What do the individual words in Judges 7:13 mean?

And when had come Gideon and there was a man telling to his companion a dream and He said behold a dream I have had and [To my] surprise - a loaf of bread barley tumbled into the camp of Midian and it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned upside and collapsed the tent
וַיָּבֹ֣א גִדְע֔וֹן וְהִ֨נֵּה־ אִ֔ישׁ מְסַפֵּ֥ר לְרֵעֵ֖הוּ חֲל֑וֹם וַיֹּ֜אמֶר הִנֵּ֧ה חֲל֣וֹם חָלַ֗מְתִּי וְהִנֵּ֨ה [צלול] (צְלִ֜יל) לֶ֤חֶם שְׂעֹרִים֙ מִתְהַפֵּךְ֙ בְּמַחֲנֵ֣ה מִדְיָ֔ן וַיָּבֹ֣א עַד־ הָ֠אֹהֶל וַיַּכֵּ֧הוּ וַיִּפֹּ֛ל וַיַּהַפְכֵ֥הוּ לְמַ֖עְלָה וְנָפַ֥ל הָאֹֽהֶל

וַיָּבֹ֣א  And  when  had  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
גִדְע֔וֹן  Gideon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גִּדְעֹון  
Sense: youngest son of Joash of the Abiezrites, fifth judge of Israel who led the Israelites against the Midianites.
וְהִ֨נֵּה־  and  there  was 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
אִ֔ישׁ  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מְסַפֵּ֥ר  telling 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: סָפַר 
Sense: to count, recount, relate.
לְרֵעֵ֖הוּ  to  his  companion 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רֵעַ  
Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
חֲל֑וֹם  a  dream 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֲלֹום  
Sense: dream.
וַיֹּ֜אמֶר  and  He  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הִנֵּ֧ה  behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
חֲל֣וֹם  a  dream 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֲלֹום  
Sense: dream.
חָלַ֗מְתִּי  I  have  had 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: חָלַם 
Sense: to dream.
וְהִנֵּ֨ה  and  [To  my]  surprise 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
[צלול]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
(צְלִ֜יל)  a  loaf  of 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צְלוּל 
Sense: cake, round loaf, round, rolling.
לֶ֤חֶם  bread 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
שְׂעֹרִים֙  barley 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: שְׂעֹרָה  
Sense: barley.
מִתְהַפֵּךְ֙  tumbled 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Participle, masculine singular
Root: הָפַךְ  
Sense: to turn, overthrow, overturn.
בְּמַחֲנֵ֣ה  into  the  camp 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common singular construct
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
מִדְיָ֔ן  of  Midian 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְיָן  
Sense: son of Abraham by Keturah and progenitor of the tribe of Midianites or Arabians.
וַיָּבֹ֣א  and  it  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
הָ֠אֹהֶל  a  tent 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֹהֶל  
Sense: tent.
וַיַּכֵּ֧הוּ  and  struck  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
וַיִּפֹּ֛ל  so  that  it  fell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
וַיַּהַפְכֵ֥הוּ  and  overturned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: הָפַךְ  
Sense: to turn, overthrow, overturn.
לְמַ֖עְלָה  upside 
Parse: Preposition-l, Adverb, third person feminine singular
Root: מַעַל 
Sense: higher part, upper part adv.
וְנָפַ֥ל  and  collapsed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
הָאֹֽהֶל  the  tent 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֹהֶל  
Sense: tent.