Judges 7:22

In this verse, Gideon (who served as a judge over Israel in the late 12th century BC, during a time when the nation was struggling under Midianite oppression) and his men have just blown their trumpets and broken their pitchers to startle the Midianite camp. We read: *“When they blew 300 trumpets, the LORD set the sword of one against another even throughout the entire army; and the army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.” (v.22)* These few words paint an image of sudden confusion. Instead of Israel needing to rely on their own strength, God intervenes by turning the Midianites against themselves, causing a commotion and opening the way for Gideon’s vastly outnumbered force to claim victory (compare this idea of divine intervention with 2 Chronicles 20:23, NASB-95).

The geographical references enrich our understanding of the event. Beth-shittah and Zererah are thought to be in the Jezreel Valley region northeast of the central mountains of Israel, though their exact locations are not definitively known. Abel-meholah is noted to be near the Jordan Valley, where Elisha the prophet would later come from (1 Kings 19:16, NASB-95). Tabbath’s precise location is lost to modern scholarship, but in the original narrative it likely marked a key waypoint on the fleeing Midianite army’s path. The mention of these sites underscores how the enemy’s flight stretched across a broad swath of terrain, reflecting the completeness of God’s deliverance for His people.

Within the larger narrative of Judges, this verse reveals a pattern repeated in Scripture—that God demonstrates His strength through the apparent weakness of His followers. In the New Testament, we see a similar theme when the apostle Paul declares that God chooses what seems foolish to the world to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27, NASB-95). Here, Gideon’s small band of 300 men triumphs because the LORD intervenes, turning the enemy’s own swords against them. Their faith, paired with God’s power, ensures deliverance and victory.

God’s deliverance can incite confusion among those who oppose His plans.