约书亚记 11:4

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

這些王與他們所有的軍隊都一同出來，人數眾多，好像海邊的沙，還有很多馬匹和車輛。

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
这 些 王 和 他 们 的 众 军 都 出 来 ， 人 数 多 如 海 边 的 沙 ， 并 有 许 多 马 匹 车 辆 。

Contextual Overview

¹ When Jabin king of Hazor heard about all that had happened, he sent messages to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, and to the king of Acshaph. ² He sent messages to the kings in the northern mountains and also to the kings in the Jordan Valley south of Lake Galilee and in the western hills. He sent a message to the king of Naphoth Dor in the west ³ and to the kings of the Canaanites in the east and in the west. He sent messages to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the mountains. Jabin also sent one to the Hivites, who lived below Mount Hermon in the area of Mizpah. ⁴ So the armies of all these kings came together with their horses and chariots. There were as many soldiers as grains of sand on the seashore. ⁵ All of these kings met together at the waters of Merom, joined their armies together into one camp, and made plans to fight against the Israelites. ⁶ Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them, because at this time tomorrow I will give them to you. You will cripple their horses and burn all their chariots." ⁷ So Joshua and his whole army surprised the enemy by attacking them at the waters of Merom. ⁸ The Lord handed them over to Israel. They chased them to Greater Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the Valley of Mizpah in the east. Israel fought until none of the enemy was left alive. ⁹ Joshua did what the Lord said to do; he crippled their horses and burned their chariots.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

as the sand: Genesis 22:17, Genesis 32:12, Judges 7:12, 1 Samuel 13:5, 2 Samuel 17:11, 1 Kings 4:20

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 20:1 - horses Joshua 8:27 - the cattle Joshua 17:18 - for thou shalt Psalms 33:16 - no king Hebrews 11:12 - as the sand

Cross-References

Genesis 6:4
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also later. That was when the sons of God had sexual relations with the daughters of human beings. These women gave birth to children, who became famous and were the mighty warriors of long ago.

Genesis 11:8
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

Genesis 11:9
The place is called Babel since that is where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. So the Lord caused them to spread out from there over the whole world.

Genesis 11:11
After that, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:13
After that, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

Deuteronomy 1:28
Where can we go now? The spies we sent have made us afraid, because they said, ‘The people there are stronger and taller than we are. The cities are big, with walls up to the sky. And we saw the Anakites there!'"

Deuteronomy 4:27
The Lord will scatter you among the other nations. Only a few of you will be left alive, and those few will be in other nations where the Lord will send you.

Deuteronomy 9:1
Listen, Israel. You will soon cross the Jordan River to go in and force out nations that are bigger and stronger than you. They have large cities with walls up to the sky.

2 Samuel 8:13
David was famous after he returned from defeating eighteen thousand Arameans in the Valley of Salt.

Psalms 92:9
Lord , surely your enemies, surely your enemies will be destroyed, and all who do evil will be scattered.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they went out,.... The several kings and people sent to; these went out from the places they inhabited:

they and all their hosts with them; the kings of those several places, with their armies:

much people, even as the sand that [is] upon the seashore in multitude; a proverbial expression, to denote an exceeding great number:

with horses and chariots very many; being supplied with horses from Egypt, and their chariots were chariots of iron; see Judges 4:3; Josephus z gives us the number of this great army, and says it consisted of three hundred thousand footmen, ten thousand horse, and thirty thousand chariots; some copies read only twenty thousand; and these chariots were armed with iron hooks or scythes, to cut down men as they drove along, and so were very terrible.

z Antiqu. l. 5. c. 1. sect. 18.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Joshua 11:4. Much people, even as the sand — This form of speech, by some called a hyperbole, conveys simply the idea of a vast or unusual number - a number of which no regular estimate could be easily formed. Josephus, who seldom finds difficulties in such cases, and makes no scruple of often speaking without book, tells us that the allied armies amounted to 300,000 foot 10,000 horse, and 20,000 chariots of war. Antiq. lib. v., c. 1.

That chariots were frequently used in war, all the records of antiquity prove; but it is generally supposed that among the Canaanites they were armed with iron scythes fastened to their poles and to the naves of their wheels. Terrible things are spoken of these, and the havoc made by them when furiously driven among the ranks of infantry. Of what sort the cavalry was, we know not; but from the account here given we may see what great advantages these allies possessed over the Israelites, whose armies consisted of infantry only.