In the first verse of this chapter, both names of the man we know primarily as Gideon are mentioned. The name Jerub-Baal means “Baal contends with him,” and he received it after overthrowing the altar of Baal. The name Gideon means “(wood)cutter” or “feller” and refers to the same thing, specifically the felling of the Asherah pole.
The True Gideon
Perhaps Gideon had this name from birth; if so, it was “prophetic” and foreshadowed who he would become. Both names and their corresponding actions direct our attention to the true Gideon, the One who rose early in the morning (Judg. 6:28,38; John 20:1).
Judges 7
1 Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) rose early, and all the people with him, and they encamped by the well of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of him, from the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
trembling
Gideon gathered his army at the well of Harod, which means “trembling.” It is a spring of water at the foot of Mount Gilboa, where Gideon and his men stayed and where he would select his army in the following verses for the battle against Midian. We encounter the word for “trembling” there again (7:3).
Moreh
The name Moreh reminds us of the place where Abraham settled. Abraham went to live by the oak of Moreh (Gen. 12:6). The oak is an emblem of God’s promises: the Hebrew word for oath (alah) is closely related to the word for oak (elah). Moreh means to learn or teach. The oak and Moreh teach us about God’s promises.
God’s Promises
The Midianite army settled in the valley, so that the Midianites were north of Gideon and his army, “from the hill of Moreh” (Dutch Statenvertaling: beyond the hill of Moreh). This means that the hill of Moreh was between Gideon and the Midianites. God had promised Gideon that he would deliver Israel (6:14) and had confirmed this with a sign (6:38). Gideon had a view of the hill of Moreh, which spoke of God’s promises and stood between him and the enemy.