Judges 7:6
4 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go. But if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
5 So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and the LORD said to him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel to drink.”
And the number of those who lapped the water with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men; all the others knelt to drink.
7 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped the water I will save you and deliver the Midianites into your hand. But all the others are to go home.”
8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred men, who took charge of the provisions and rams’ horns of the others. And the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- And the number of those who lapped the water with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men; all the others knelt to drink.
- KJV
- And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
- WEB
- The number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water.
- ASV
- And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
- DARBY
- And the number of them that lapped, with their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men; and all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water.
- BLB
- And the number of those lapping with their hand to their mouth was three hundred men; and all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.
- ÅB
- Og tallet på dem som lepjet med hånden til munnen, var tre hundre; men hele resten av folket la seg på kne og drakk av vannet.
- OTB
- Antallet av dem som lepjet, ved å føre hånden til munnen, var tre hundre menn; men alle de andre knelte ned for å drikke vann.
- B1930
- Og tallet på dem som lepjet med hånden til munnen, var tre hundre; men hele resten av folket la sig på kne og drakk av vannet.