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Then Gideon and the three hundred men who were with him came to the Jordan and crossed over, exhausted yet still pursuing.
Judges 8:4 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Gideon came to the Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men who were with him, faint, yet pursuing.
  • KJV And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.
  • BSB Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit.
  • NKJV When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.
  • NLT Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Gideon and his 300 cross the Jordan, exhausted but still pursuing the enemy.

Overview

'Faint, yet pursuing' captures the persevering faith that presses on despite weariness. The phrase has long encouraged believers to endure in the Lord's work even when strength fails. Their relentless pursuit completes the rout of Midian and pictures the steadfastness God works in his servants.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • 2 Cor 4:16Therefore we don’t faint, but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.
  • Gal 6:9Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we don’t give up.
  • 1 Sam 30:10But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn’t go over the brook Besor.
  • Heb 12:1–4Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
  • 1 Sam 14:28–29Then one of the people answered, and said, “Your father directly commanded the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’” The people were faint.
  • 2 Cor 4:8–9We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair;
  • Judg 7:25They took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at Oreb’s rock, and Zeeb they killed at Zeeb’s wine press; and pursued Midian. Then they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.
  • 1 Sam 14:31–32They struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Judges videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Judges 8:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JudgesMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Israel's cycle of sin and rescue through flawed deliverers cries out for a Savior who never fails — the true and final Judge and Deliverer who saves his people not for a season but forever.

How Judges 8:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.