Lapping

Lapping refers to the manner by which God selected 300 men from Gideon's army at the spring of Harod (Judg. 7:5–7). God instructed Gideon to separate those who lapped water with their tongues "as a dog laps" from those who knelt down to drink. The 300 who lapped were retained for battle; the 9,700 who knelt were dismissed. The episode underscores the divine principle that Israel's deliverance would rest on God's power, not human numbers or skill, so that no one could claim the victory for themselves (Judg. 7:2).