“And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.”
My Notes
What Does Judges 7:13 Mean?
Gideon, approaching the Midianite camp at night as God instructed, overhears a soldier telling his companion a dream: a barley cake tumbled into the camp and destroyed a tent. The companion immediately interprets: "This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon... God hath delivered Midian and all the host into his hand." The enemy is dreaming about their own defeat—and interpreting their own dreams correctly.
The barley cake is deliberately humble: barley was the poorest person's grain. The dream says the Midianite army will be defeated by the equivalent of a poor man's bread roll. Not a sword. Not a chariot. A barley cake. The humblest possible weapon bringing down the mightiest possible army. The imagery matches Gideon's own self-assessment: he's from the weakest clan of the weakest tribe. He's a barley cake. And he's about to flatten the Midianite camp.
God arranged this overheard conversation as confirmation for Gideon: the enemy already knows they're going to lose. The fear that paralyzed Israel is now paralyzing Midian. The psychological warfare has reversed. The army that was impossible to face is dreaming about being defeated by baked goods. God's encouragement to Gideon comes through the enemy's nightmares.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Do you feel like a barley cake—humble, unimpressive, seemingly harmless? What if the enemy is already dreaming about your impact?
- 2.God confirmed Gideon through the enemy's nightmare. What unexpected source has God used to confirm your calling?
- 3.The weapon was deliberately humble. How does God's use of unimpressive instruments for devastating impact apply to your life?
- 4.The fear reversed: the enemy is now afraid. What if the thing you fear is already afraid of you?
Devotional
A barley cake. Rolling into the Midianite camp. Flattening a tent. That's the dream a soldier has the night before Gideon attacks—and his companion interprets it immediately: this is Gideon's sword. God has given us into his hand. The enemy is dreaming about their own defeat. And they know what the dream means.
The barley cake is the perfect symbol for Gideon: humble, cheap, made from the poorest grain, the kind of bread nobody respects. And it flattens the tent of the mightiest army in the region. The dream says: what's coming for you isn't impressive. It's a bread roll. And it's going to destroy you. The weapon doesn't have to look dangerous to be lethal. God's instruments are deliberately humble so the credit goes to the God behind them.
God arranged for Gideon to overhear this dream at exactly the moment Gideon needed encouragement. The enemy's nightmare is Gideon's confirmation. The soldiers who terrified Israel are lying in their tents dreaming about barley cakes and waking up afraid. The fear has reversed. The grasshoppers are having nightmares about the giants now.
If you feel like a barley cake—humble, unimpressive, the kind of person nobody takes seriously—this dream is your encouragement. The enemy is already dreaming about your victory. The people who seemed unbeatable are having nightmares about the humble instrument God is sending. You don't have to look like a sword to function like one. The barley cake that flattens the tent doesn't need to be impressive. It just needs to be rolling in the right direction, propelled by the God who makes humble things devastate proud ones.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And when Gideon was come,.... With his servant, near and within hearing the talk and conversation of the outer guards or…
A cake of barley bread - i. e. such a cake as could hardly be eaten by men, it was so vile: a term expressive of the…
Gideon's army being diminished as we have found it was, he must either fight by faith or not at all; God therefore here…
Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo The phraseology recalls Gen 37:6 f., Gen 40:9 E. No doubt the two Midianites were…
Cross References
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