SEV Biblia, Chapter 7:5
Entonces llevó el pueblo a las aguas; y el SEÑOR dijo a Gedeón: Cualquiera que lamiere las aguas con su lengua como lame el perro, aquél pondrás aparte; asimismo cualquiera que se doblare sobre sus rodillas para beber.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Judges 7:5
Verse 5. Every one that lappeth of the water-as a dog] The original word qly yalok is precisely the sound which a dog makes when he is drinking.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. So he brought them down to the water , etc.]] His whole army of 10,000 men: and the Lord said unto Gideon, everyone that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shall thou set by himself ; this has led some, as particularly Grotius, to think of the Egyptian dogs; of whom Aelianus relates f145 , that they do not drink at once freely, and to satiety, being afraid of the crocodiles in the river; but run about the bank, and by stealth snatch a little here and a little there, and so satisfy themselves: but the allusion here is to dogs in common, whose usual way it is not to sup in, and drink a drought, but by putting out their tongues to lick and lap water with them, as Aristotle says all creatures do that have teeth like saws; and the likeness between the drinking of these men, to be observed lay not in anything else but in the single action of lapping; for they first took the water in the hollow of their hands, out of the stream, and then lapped it, as in ( Judges 7:6) whereas a dog does not and cannot take water that way; and this lapping was standing upright, whereas dogs in common, as Aelianus in the same place suggests, bow themselves, and lap as much water as will satisfy their thirst; and by this these men were distinguished from those that bowed on their knees to drink; for had they not taken up water in their hands, they must have bowed down on their knees to have lapped, as well as those did, to sup it, or take in a large draught of it; now all those that thus lapped were to be set apart by themselves; but whether they were to go with Gideon or not, as yet he knew not: likewise everyone that boweth down on his knee to drink; were to be set by themselves also, but which of those were to go with him is after related.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-8 - God provides that the praise of victory may be wholly to himself, by appointing only three hundred men to be employed. Activity and prudenc go with dependence upon God for help in our lawful undertakings. When the Lord sees that men would overlook him, and through unbelief, woul shrink from perilous services, or that through pride they would vaun themselves against him, he will set them aside, and do his work by other instruments. Pretences will be found by many, for deserting the cause and escaping the cross. But though a religious society may thu be made fewer in numbers, yet it will gain as to purity, and may expec an increased blessing from the Lord. God chooses to employ such as ar not only well affected, but zealously affected in a good thing. The grudged not at the liberty of the others who were dismissed. In doin the duties required by God, we must not regard the forwardness of backwardness of others, nor what they do, but what God looks for at ou hands. He is a rare person who can endure that others should excel him in gifts or blessings, or in liberty; so that we may say, it is by the special grace of God that we regard what God says to us, and not loo to men what they do.
Original Hebrew
ויורד 3381 את 853 העם 5971 אל 413 המים 4325 ויאמר 559 יהוה 3068 אל 413 גדעון 1439 כל 3605 אשׁר 834 ילק 3952 בלשׁונו 3956 מן 4480 המים 4325 כאשׁר 834 ילק 3952 הכלב 3611 תציג 3322 אותו 853 לבד 905 וכל 3605 אשׁר 834 יכרע 3766 על 5921 ברכיו 1290 לשׁתות׃ 8354
