Wesley Corpus

Such as these God chuses to employ, that are not only well affected, but zealously affected to his work. Their trumpets - That is the trumpets belonging to the whole army, which he retained for the use following. The same night - After he had dismissed all but the three hundred. The Lord said - In a dream or vision of the night. Thine hand strengthened - Thou wilt be encourage to proceed, notwithstanding the smallness of thy number. A cake - A weak and contemptible thing; and in itself as unable to overthrow a tent, as to remove a mountain; but being thrown by a divine hand, it bore down all before it. His fellow answered, &c. - As there are many examples of significant dreams, given by God to Heathens, so some of them had the gift of interpreting dreams; which they sometimes did by divine direction as in this case. He worshipped - He praised God for this special encouragement. Three companies - To make a shew of a vast army. Within the pitchers - Partly to preserve the flame from the wind and weather; and partly to conceal it, and surprise their enemy with sudden flashes of light. Look on me - For though two hundred of his men were placed on other sides of the camp; yet they were so disposed, that some persons, set as watchmen, might see what was done, and give notice to the rest to follow the example. Of Gideon - He mentions his own name, together with God's, not out of arrogance, as if he would equal himself with God; but from prudent policy, because his name was grown formidable to them, and so was likely to further his design. See ver.14. Middle watch - That is, of the second watch; for though afterward the night was divided into four watches by the Romans, Matt 14:25, yet in more ancient times, and in the eastern parts, it was divided into three: he chose the dark and dead of the night, to increase their terror by the trumpets, whose sound would then be loudest, and the lamps, whose light would then shine most brightly, to surprise them, and conceal the smallness of their numbers. They stood - As if they had been torch - bearers to the several companies.