There were 300 men that used their hands to bring water to their mouth and lapped it like a dog does. All the other people bent down and drank the water.
So Gideon led the men down to the water. At the water the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate the men like this: The men who drink the water by using their tongue to lap it up like a dog will be in one group. And the men who bend down to drink will be in the other group.”
The Lord said to Gideon, “I will use the 300 men who lapped the water like a dog. I will use those men to save you, and I will allow you to defeat the people of Midian. Let the other men go to their homes.”