“Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.”
Therefore proclaim this, saying, "Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home." " And Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained. — The dismissal of 'fearful and trembling' soldiers reduces the force from 32,000 to 10,000. The expression 'fearful and trembling' (יָרֵא וְחָרֵד) employs covenantal fear language, yet here it denotes natural fear of battle rather than reverent awe. The loss of two-thirds of the force emphasizes the depth of reduction.
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