שופטים, פרק ז׳, פסוק כ״ב

A sudden blast of horns in the dead of night shatters the silence, triggering a brilliant psychological collapse within an unsuspecting enemy camp. Rather than falling to the swords of their attackers, the invaders destroy themselves in a storm of confusion and panic.

The blaring of three hundred horns creates overwhelming terror, leading the Midianites to mistakenly believe a massive army is descending upon them [אברבנאל, מצודת דוד]. This deep disorientation turns deadly. The Midianite camp is not a highly organized military force prepared for combat, but rather a loose mob of bandits who have come to plunder the crops of the land. Jolted awake in total darkness, they scramble for their weapons and rush about wildly, completely unable to distinguish friend from foe [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

As the chaos unfolds, some Midianites attempt to stand their ground and shout battle cries, while others turn to run. In the pitch black, the fighters assume the fleeing men are the attacking Israelites and begin striking them down [מלבי"ם]. The panic spreads rapidly through the entire camp. Through the direct intervention of God, He turns their swords against one another, causing the invaders to destroy their own ranks [מצודת דוד].

Because Gideon's small force only approaches from certain directions rather than forming a complete circle, an open path remains for the survivors [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. The remaining enemies scatter and flee toward various locations, including Zererath and Tabbath [מלבי"ם, מצודת ציון]. This desperate retreat is what ultimately draws the rest of the Israelite tribes into the conflict, as they rally to chase down the fleeing remnants of the Midianite camp [אברבנאל].