But if you fear to go down, go you with Purah your servant down to the camp:
And so of the thirty-two thousand that came to fight with Gideon, twenty-two thousand were afraid to fight so they went home. Now there was a reason that God wanted to get rid of the fearful. It's not good to have men who are really frightened in the battle lines with you, for they're apt to panic in a time of crises and to flee and leave that flank exposed.So, God first got rid of the fearful.