Judges 7:8

‘So the people took victuals in their hand, and their ram's horns, and he sent all the men of Israel, every man to his tent, but retained the three hundred men. And the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.'

This may mean that the people handed their ram's horns over to Gideon i.e. ‘took them' to Gideon (he would need three hundred ram's horns), or that the remainder now took their victuals and ram's horns with them to their tents. These troops were not needed immediately, although they would be called on when the battle was won (Judges 7:23 with Judges 6:35). They retired to their tents to await further instructions.

“Victuals”. LXX has ‘they took the pitchers of the people' which would require a slight change in the Hebrew. The texts behind LXX may have read like this. It makes sense that they should hand over pitchers and ram's horns to the three hundred to ensure that they had enough.

“Returned to their tents” could mean that they went home (‘tents' being metaphorical), but it is more likely in view of what followed that they were there ready in their camp when the call came.

“And the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.” There, stretched out before him in the Valley of Jezreel, were the countless camels and their riders, fierce warriors who feared nothing. Or so it seemed. One hundred and thirty five military units of them, filling the valley. And he with less than three units and with only three men to deal with each large camel unit.