שופטים, פרק ז׳, פסוק י״ט

A nighttime surprise attack relies heavily on precise timing and psychological warfare. Gideon and his men approach the enemy camp at a highly strategic moment, using the cover of darkness, deafening noise, and sudden bursts of light to create absolute terror and confusion. The night is divided into three equal parts, known as watches [רד״ק, מצודת ציון]. Gideon chooses to strike at the very beginning of the middle watch [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This timing is deliberate. During the first watch, many soldiers are still awake, and by the third watch, some are already rising for the morning. The middle watch is the only time when the entire camp is in a deep sleep [אברבנאל, מלבי״ם].

Beyond the deep sleep of the camp, Gideon times his arrival for the exact moment of the changing of the guard. Like all organized armies, the Midianites rotate their sentries for each watch [רש״י, מצודת דוד]. Gideon strikes just as the guards of the first watch finish their duty and go to sleep, while the new guards have only just been woken up to replace them [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. This creates a double vulnerability in the enemy camp. The incoming sentries are still drowsy [מלבי״ם], and during the actual transition, the posts are left essentially unmanned, with no one properly keeping watch over the area [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

At this critical moment of maximum vulnerability, Gideon and his hundred men launch their assault. They begin by sounding loud blasts on their horns [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. Immediately afterward, they shatter the clay pitchers they are holding in their hands [רש״י, מצודת ציון]. The purpose of smashing the clay is to suddenly expose the burning torches that had been hidden inside [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. The overwhelming combination of the blaring horns, the sudden crash of shattering pottery, and the instant appearance of hundreds of flaming torches in the pitch black creates sheer panic. Waking up abruptly to this chaotic scene, the enemy soldiers believe a massive army has already infiltrated their camp, causing them to flee for their lives and turn their weapons against each other in the confusion [רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ].