The LORD said to Gideon: Once again the LORD speaks to Gideon, but this time in the setting of an upcoming battle. In Hebrew this clause begins with the waw conjunction, which Revised Standard Version and most other versions omit. However, New Jerusalem Bible keeps it by rendering this clause as “Yahweh then said to Gideon,” which is a good model to follow. For the rest of this episode, Gideon is referred to by his original name, and not his new name Jerubbaal.
The people with you are too many …: Yahweh considers the number of Israelite soldiers too great. He wants the Israelites to recognize that the victory comes not from their own military strength, but from him. The keyword people (ʿam in Hebrew) reappears here, perhaps again with a touch of irony. Usually referring to the Israelites as a whole, here it refers to Gideon’s soldiers. The pronoun you refers to Gideon. The Hebrew expression for too many is at the beginning of this sentence, so it is in focus. This clause may be rendered “Your army is too big” (similarly Contemporary English Version) or “You and your warriors are too numerous.”
For me to give the Midianites into their hand is literally “[they are] more than I [can] give Midian into their hand.” See the comments on verse 1.2. We might say “for me to allow you to defeat the Midianites.” Good News Translation says “for me to give them victory over the Midianites,” and Contemporary English Version has “I can’t let you win with this many soldiers.”
Lest Israel vaunt themselves against me … indicates Yahweh’s concern. The last half of this verse tells why the LORD does not want to let Israel win with a big army. If they are in the thousands and win the victory, they may think they have defeated the enemy by themselves. The Hebrew particle rendered lest introduces a negative wish, which may be rendered “I am afraid that Israel might…” or “I don’t want Israel to….” Israel here refers to all the Israelites, because if Gideon and his troops win, all the people will claim the victory. The Hebrew verb rendered vaunt means “boast,” “glorify,” or “take pride in.” Against me is against the LORD. To vaunt oneself against someone else means to compare oneself to someone and claim to be superior. Yahweh is concerned that the people will attribute the victory to themselves and consider themselves more powerful than God. This clause may be rendered “I don’t want Israel to boast against me” or “I am afraid that Israel might take the credit for themselves at my expense.”
Saying, “My own hand has delivered me” is the claim that the Israelites would be tempted to make. This is a quote within a quote, since God explains what the Israelites might say if they were allowed to win with a large number of warriors. Translators should decide how to handle this embedded quotation, and use appropriate forms and punctuation. Some may prefer indirect speech here (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible). Saying introduces what the Israelites would say. However, it is also possible this is what they would be “thinking” or “saying to themselves.”
My own hand has delivered me uses the keywords hand and delivered. These words are often associated with the judge-saviors of Israel. The word hand once again refers to power (see verse 1.2), so My own hand may be rendered “my own might” or “my own power.” Since the singular pronoun My refers collectively to the people of Israel, it may be better to say “our own power.” For delivered see the comments on verse 3.9. A model that uses indirect speech here is “They might say that they have delivered/saved/rescued themselves.” Contemporary English Version has “The Israelites would think that they had won the battle all by themselves.”
In some languages it may be necessary to use a condition-consequence construction for the last half of this verse as follows: “If I did it, the people would swell up with pride and claim that they had won the victory themselves without me.” Good News Translation says “They might think that they had won by themselves, and so give me no credit.” Contemporary English Version is similar with “The Israelites would think that they had won the battle all by themselves and that I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Translation models for this verse are:
• Yahweh then said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors. If I let you win over the Midianites, you will claim that the victory is due to your own strength and not mine.
• The LORD said to Gideon, “The warriors you have with you are so many I can’t give you victory over Midian with this number, because if I do, the Israelites will say, ‘Yes, by our strength, we are delivered,’ and they will not acknowledge me.
Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .