KJV ORIGINAL
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.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
The LORD said to Gideon, 'You have too many people with you for me to hand the Midianites over to you. If I do, Israel will boast and take credit, saying, We saved ourselves by our own strength.'
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
God is telling Gideon that his army is too large because God wants to make it clear that the victory comes from Him, not from human strength or numbers.
📚 Historical Context
The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites, who would raid their crops and livestock. Gideon had gathered an army of 32,000 men to fight against the much larger Midianite forces. God was about to demonstrate His power by giving Israel victory through a drastically smaller army.
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