שופטים, פרק ז׳, פסוק ג׳

Preparing for a miraculous battle requires more than just a large army; it demands spiritual and mental readiness from the fighters. For God to grant supernatural success, the soldiers must be truly worthy of the mission. To achieve this, the army undergoes a careful sorting process to ensure only the most suitable men remain on the battlefield. The first step in this purification focuses on courage. God directs the removal of the faint-hearted who lack the necessary bravery for the coming conflict. Only after these fearful individuals are sent away will a second test occur, designed to filter out those who lack spiritual holiness, such as men who previously knelt to idols [מלבי״ם].

The specific instructions given to the fearful soldiers about how to leave carry deep significance. The primary approach among commentators suggests that the command directs the men to wait for the morning. They are told to wake up early at dawn to return home, allowing them to slip away before others can see them, thereby sparing them the deep shame of publicly abandoning the ranks [מצודת דוד].

Another perspective explains that the men must wait until morning and spend the night at Mount Gilead because the divine salvation is destined to take place during the night. Although these men are too afraid to start the battle, they will eventually join the fight by chasing after the retreating army. The instruction given to them subtly hints that they will eventually swoop down like birds in pursuit of the enemy from the mountain. This stands in sharp contrast to the idol worshippers, who will later be sent straight back to their tents without participating in the victory at all [מלבי״ם].

Alongside the connection to the morning, the instruction is also understood as a simple command to turn around and head back, evoking the image of something circling or wrapping around, much like a turban on a person's head [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Additionally, the directive is explained as a call for the men to stand watch and wait patiently for the events to unfold [ביאור שטיינזלץ].