The Meaning of Judges 7:2 Explained

Judges 7:2

KJV: And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

YLT: And Jehovah saith unto Gideon, 'Too many are the people who are with thee for My giving Midian into their hand, lest Israel beautify itself against Me, saying, My hand hath given salvation to me;

Darby: The LORD said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for me to give the Mid'ianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, 'My own hand has delivered me.'

ASV: And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the LORD  said  unto Gideon,  The people  that [are] with thee [are] too many  for me to give  the Midianites  into their hands,  lest Israel  vaunt  themselves against me, saying,  Mine own hand  hath saved  me. 

What does Judges 7:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Judges 7:1-8 - Quantity Versus Quality
"No king is saved by the multitude of an host," Psalms 33:16. God does not need multitudes. It is false to say that He is "on the side of the heaviest battalions." Read 2 Chronicles 14:1-15; 2 Chronicles 23:1-21. Those that are fearful and trembling, because they look at the might of their enemies rather than to the eternal God, had better depart to their homes; they are an impediment and hindrance, and may, by an evil telepathy, slacken the faith of others. Those also who forget that they are soldiers, who put the ease of the body before the strenuous attitude of the soul, who think most and first of their physical indulgence, are of no use to God for great exploits. Send them to their tents; they can assist in the secondary work of pursuit.
It was a very little act-the attitude in drinking-but how much it meant! The 300 who caught up the water in the hollow of their hands, showed that they could not forget the foe; that they were resolved to subordinate bodily appetite to the spirit and dared not relax their girded loins. These are the men that God can use! But 300 of these are enough to rout 135,000, Judges 7:8-10. Live in the Spirit; walk in the Spirit; be always in touch with the Spirit, and make no provision for the flesh, Romans 13:14; Galatians 5:16. And be faithful, also, in very little actions. [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 7:2 mean?

And said Yahweh to Gideon [are] too many the people who [are] with you for Me to give - the Midianites into their hands lest claim glory for itself against Me Israel saying My own hand has saved me
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־ גִּדְע֔וֹן רַ֗ב הָעָם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתָּ֔ךְ מִתִּתִּ֥י אֶת־ מִדְיָ֖ן בְּיָדָ֑ם פֶּן־ יִתְפָּאֵ֨ר עָלַ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יָדִ֖י הוֹשִׁ֥יעָה לִּֽי

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
גִּדְע֔וֹן  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.
רַ֗ב  [are]  too  many 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
הָעָם֙  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  who  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
אִתָּ֔ךְ  with  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
מִתִּתִּ֥י  for  Me  to  give 
Parse: Preposition-m, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
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.
מִדְיָ֖ן  the  Midianites 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְיָן  
Sense: son of Abraham by Keturah and progenitor of the tribe of Midianites or Arabians.
בְּיָדָ֑ם  into  their  hands 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
פֶּן־  lest 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: פֶּן  
Sense: lest, not, beware lest adv.
יִתְפָּאֵ֨ר  claim  glory  for  itself 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּאַר 
Sense: to glorify, beautify, adorn.
עָלַ֤י  against  Me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יָדִ֖י  My  own  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
הוֹשִׁ֥יעָה  has  saved 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָשַׁע 
Sense: to save, be saved, be delivered.
לִּֽי  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular