Judges 7:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Under cover of night, Gideon approached the numerous Midianite host with only three hundred chosen soldiers. Following God's command, he stealthily entered the Midianite camp with just one servant and listened intently. There, he overheard a soldier recounting a dream to his companion: "I saw a loaf of barley bread tumble into our Midianite camp, strike a tent, and topple it." His comrade replied, "This is no ordinary loaf; it symbolizes Gideon's sword. God will hand over Midian and our entire army into his hands." Upon hearing this, Gideon worshipped the Lord, returned to his men, made preparations for battle, and successfully defeated and scattered the Midianites.

Now, let me ask why it was barley dough that rolled to the Midian tent to cause its collapse, rather than meat, and why it was barley instead of wheat? According to interpreters, that barley dough represented Gideon's dedication to fasting; as he prepared for battle, he diligently abstained from rich foods, instead consuming simple barley bread. Through this, God granted him victory. Woe to you, Bacchus and Luther, who claim that soldiers will weaken through abstaining from meat. Consider the emperor Theodosius the Great who, while combating Eugenius, devoted himself to fasting and prayer in preparation for battle—did he falter for lack of meat? Heraclius displayed similar restraint during his battles against the Persians. You, Bacchus, the glutton, lie; you are unacquainted with the feast of Christ. Yet here, holy temperance finds her rightful place at the gathering of her Bridegroom.

Let us regard this barley bread as a symbol of self-denial, fasting, and a rigorous lifestyle, akin to the sharpness of barley’s ears; for nothing equips the follower of Christ to resist the unseen foe like the sustenance of barley bread, which represents holy fasting and abstinence. We recall the biblical narrative of Gideon's confrontation with the Midianites and ponder the profound significance of his dream. The barley dough served as a weapon against the adversaries, representing a life of discipline. The unbaked dough of barley signifies holy abstinence, devoid of indulgence, for it is the unleavened barley bread that toppled the Midian tent—whereas baked bread boasts flavor, unbaked dough does not. Even baked barley bread lacks the richness found in rye or wheat varieties, and the raw dough offers even less. This dough symbolizes fasting, as even those who dwell in the wilderness subsisted on such fare. Saint Hilarion the Great, for instance, admonished his body, proclaiming, "I will not nourish you, stubborn beast, with barley but with drought." Thus, this dough—representing fasting—may lack taste but becomes a formidable spear against the enemy, enabling us to assert that it is no mere dough but a powerful weapon. Fast and abstain, for your fasting will pierce your adversary like a fierce spear.

A petty heart often claims sole credit for its achievements, fearing that acknowledging any outside influence might reveal its own insignificance; conversely, those of greater character tend to recognize how much of their successes derive from divine assistance and providence rather than their own efforts.

Consider the monumental act of Gideon, who, with only three hundred unarmed men, scattered and defeated the Midianites and Amalekites, described as a multitude so vast that their camels were uncountable. Yet the outcome of this remarkable feat relied on something so slight—simply the dream of a soldier from the enemy camp. "And it came to pass that Gideon heard the account of the dream, and the reasoning thereof, and worshipped the Lord, and returned unto the army of Israel, and said, Arise, for the Lord hath delivered into our hands the army of Midian." (Judges 7:12-15). This seemingly minor detail was ordained by the Almighty, for without it, Gideon’s great accomplishment would not have taken place.