What Does Judges 7:1 Mean in the King James?
Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The camp stands beside Harod, a well whose name carries trembling, with the opposing force already positioned across the valley.
THE MEANING
You stand in a clearly arranged field of threat: your camp beside Harod faces Midian across the valley, with the enemy’s position already marked. The place-name carries trembling, so fear is woven into the scene before anyone names it aloud.
THE ROOT
חֲרֹד
ḥărōḏ
GROWS FROM
חרד
To tremble, quake, or be afraid.
Harod is commonly connected to חרד, the root for trembling and fear. The well’s name voices the condition that the scene will soon name among the people: trembling is already present in the landscape.
ALSO GROWS
ḥārēḏ: Trembling or afraid.
חָרֵד
This is the same root heard in Judges 7:3, where some of the people are described as afraid.
ḥărādāh: Trembling, terror, or alarm.
חֲרָדָה
The noun makes the root’s movement into a named state of alarm, echoing the fear carried by the setting.
גִּדְעוֹן
gidʿōn
GROWS FROM
גדע
To cut down or fell.
Gideon’s name is commonly linked to גדע, “to cut down.” The verse gives him both names, Jerubbaal and Gideon, just before the story begins reducing the size of his gathered force.
ALSO GROWS
gādaʿ: To cut down or fell.
גָּדַע
The verb gives Gideon’s name its cutting-down association, which resonates with the coming reduction of the army.
gidʿōn: Gideon; commonly understood as “hewer” or “cutter.”
גִּדְעוֹן
The name itself carries the cutting image into the scene before the force is diminished.
יְרֻבַּעַל
yĕru-baʿal
GROWS FROM
ריב
To contend, dispute, or plead a case.
Jerubbaal’s name carries the sense “let Baal contend.” The verse places that name beside Gideon’s, holding contention and cutting down together in the identity of the man facing Midian.
ALSO GROWS
rîḇ: A dispute, contention, or legal case.
רִיב
The noun shows contention as a matter brought into the open, which is already contained in Jerubbaal’s name.
yārîḇ: He contends or pleads.
יָרִיב
The verbal form gives the name its active sense of a challenge to contend.
THE PATTERN
When fear and apparent weakness define the scene, the story tests whether strength depends on numbers.
Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.THE THREAD
Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.Harod (חרד) carries the root “tremble” or “be afraid”; that same root appears in “afraid” (חָרֵד) here. The place-name in verse 1 voices the condition the people soon reveal, making the well’s name an opening note for the reduction that follows.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us