Gideon commenced his "attack"at the beginning of the middle watch, which was evidently midnight.169Many of the Midianites would have been sound asleep and upon awakening would have felt confused by the sights and sounds of their enemies. The movements of their own men milling around the camp as a result of the recent watch change would have disoriented them further. Perhaps the camels stampeded because of the torch fire and general confusion giving the waking Midianites the impression that mounted soldiers had invaded their camp.
The Midianites felt so bewildered by this "surprise attack"that they slaughtered their fellow soldiers in the confusion and fled for home as fast as they could go (cf. 4:15-16). The towns mentioned (v. 22) were at the southeast end of the Harod (lit. trembling) Valley.170They stood on either side of the Jordan River. Zererah (v. 22) was 10 miles south of Jabesh-Gilead.171
