The Meaning of Judges 7:19 Explained

Judges 7:19

KJV: So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

YLT: And Gideon cometh -- and the hundred men who are with him -- into the extremity of the camp, at the beginning of the middle watch (it hath only just confirmed the watchmen), and they blow with trumpets -- dashing in pieces also the pitchers which are in their hand;

Darby: So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.

ASV: So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

So Gideon,  and the hundred  men  that [were] with him, came  unto the outside  of the camp  in the beginning  of the middle  watch;  and they had but  newly  set  the watch:  and they blew  the trumpets,  and brake  the pitchers  that [were] in their hands. 

What does Judges 7:19 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 7:19 mean?

So came Gideon and hundred the men who [were] with him to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the watch middle just as newly they had posted - the watch and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that [were] in their hands
וַיָּבֹ֣א גִ֠דְעוֹן וּמֵאָה־ אִ֨ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־ אִתּ֜וֹ בִּקְצֵ֣ה הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֗ה רֹ֚אשׁ הָאַשְׁמֹ֣רֶת הַתִּֽיכוֹנָ֔ה אַ֛ךְ הָקֵ֥ם הֵקִ֖ימוּ אֶת־ הַשֹּֽׁמְרִ֑ים וַֽיִּתְקְעוּ֙ בַּשּׁ֣וֹפָר֔וֹת וְנָפ֥וֹץ הַכַּדִּ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּיָדָֽם

וַיָּבֹ֣א  So  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
גִ֠דְעוֹן  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.
וּמֵאָה־  and  hundred 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Number, feminine singular
Root: מֵאָה 
Sense: hundred.
אִ֨ישׁ  the  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
אֲשֶׁר־  who  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
אִתּ֜וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
בִּקְצֵ֣ה  to  the  outpost 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קָצֶה 
Sense: end, extremity.
הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֗ה  of  the  camp 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
רֹ֚אשׁ  at  the  beginning 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
הָאַשְׁמֹ֣רֶת  of  the  watch 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אַשְׁמוּרָה  
Sense: watch (a period of time), night-watch.
הַתִּֽיכוֹנָ֔ה  middle 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: תִּיכֹון  
Sense: middle.
אַ֛ךְ  just  as 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַךְ  
Sense: indeed, surely (emphatic).
הָקֵ֥ם  newly 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Infinitive absolute
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
הֵקִ֖ימוּ  they  had  posted 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַשֹּֽׁמְרִ֑ים  the  watch 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַר  
Sense: to keep, guard, observe, give heed.
וַֽיִּתְקְעוּ֙  and  they  blew 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: תֹּוקְעִים 
Sense: to blow, clap, strike, sound, thrust, give a blow, blast.
בַּשּׁ֣וֹפָר֔וֹת  the  trumpets 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שֹׁופָר  
Sense: horn, ram’s horn.
וְנָפ֥וֹץ  and  broke 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: נָפַץ 
Sense: to shatter, break, dash, beat in pieces.
הַכַּדִּ֖ים  the  pitchers 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: כַּד  
Sense: jar, large jar (portable).
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that  [were] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בְּיָדָֽם  in  their  hands 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.