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Contemporary English Version

Joshua 11:4

The kings and their armies went to Merom Pond, where they set up camp, and got ready to fight Israel. It seemed as though there were more soldiers and horses and chariots than there are grains of sand on a beach.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Canaanites;   Chariot;   Confederacies;   Jabin;   Thompson Chain Reference - Chariots;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies;   Protection;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Chariots;   Hazor;   Jabin;   Merom;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Amorites;   Animals;   Chariot;   Joshua the son of nun;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Chariot;   Hazor;   Jabin;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Barak;   Hittites;   Jabin;   Syria;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Amorites;   Conquest of Canaan;   Hazor;   Joshua, the Book of;   Merom;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Israel;   Jabin;   Joshua;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Hazor ;   Jabin ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chariots;   Hazor;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Encampment;   Ja'bin;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Chariots of War;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Horse;   Jabin;   Joshua, Book of;   Palestine;   Sand;   Shore;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Amorites;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Chariot;   Horse;   Judges, Period of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They went out with all their armies—a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore—along with a vast number of horses and chariots.
Hebrew Names Version
They went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
King James Version
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
Lexham English Bible
They came out, they and all their armies with them, as a great army like the sand on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
English Standard Version
And they came out with all their troops, a great horde, in number like the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
New Century Version
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.
New English Translation
These kings came out with their armies; they were as numerous as the sand on the seashore and had a large number of horses and chariots.
Amplified Bible
They went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
New American Standard Bible
Then they came out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they came out & all their hostes with them, many people as the sande that is on the sea shore for multitude, with horses and charets exceeding many.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then they came out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
Complete Jewish Bible
So they set out, they and all their armies, many people, in number like the sand at the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
Darby Translation
And they went out, they and all their armies with them, a people numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
Easy-to-Read Version
So the armies of all these kings came together. There were many fighting men and many horses and chariots. It was a very large army—it looked as if there were as many men as grains of sand on the seashore.
George Lamsa Translation
And they came out with all their hosts, many people, as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with many horses and chariots.
Good News Translation
They came with all their soldiers—an army with as many men as there are grains of sand on the seashore. They also had many horses and chariots.
Literal Translation
And they went out, they and all their camps with them, a people plentiful as the sand on the seashore in number, and very many horses and chariots.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
These wete out with all their armies, a greate people, as many as ye sonde of the see, and exceadinge many horses and charettes.
American Standard Version
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
Bible in Basic English
And they went out, they and all their armies with them, a great people, in number like the sand on the seaside, with horses and war-carriages in great number.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they came out, & all their hoastes with them, a multitude of folke, euen as the sande that is on the sea shore, in a great number, with horses and charettes exceeding many.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
King James Version (1611)
And they went out, they and all their hostes with them, much people, euen as the sand that is vpon the Seashore in multitude, with horses and charets very many.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they and their kings with them went forth, as the sand of the sea in multitude, and horses, and very many chariots.
English Revised Version
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
Berean Standard Bible
So these kings came out with all their armies, a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore, along with a great number of horses and chariots.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And alle yeden out with her cumpanyes, a ful myche puple, as the grauel which is in the `brynk of the see, and horsis, and charis, of greet multitude.
Young's Literal Translation
and they go out, they and all their camps with them, a people numerous, as the sand which [is] on the sea-shore for multitude, and horse and charioteer very many;
Update Bible Version
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, many people, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, many people, even as the sand that [is] upon the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very numerous.
World English Bible
They went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is on the sea-shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
New King James Version
So they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots.
New Living Translation
All these kings came out to fight. Their combined armies formed a vast horde. And with all their horses and chariots, they covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore.
New Life Bible
Then they came out, they and all their armies with them. There were as many people as the sand beside the sea. And they had very many horses and war-wagons.
New Revised Standard
They came out, with all their troops, a great army, in number like the sand on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and they came out - they, and all their hosts with them, much people, like the sand that is upon the seashore for multitude, - with horses and chariots very many.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they all came out with their troops, a people exceeding numerous as the sand that is on the sea shore, their horses also and chariots a very great multitude,
Revised Standard Version
And they came out, with all their troops, a great host, in number like the sand that is upon the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.
THE MESSAGE
They came out in full force, all their troops massed together—a huge army, in number like sand on an ocean beach—to say nothing of all the horses and chariots. All these kings met and set up camp together at the Waters of Merom, ready to fight against Israel.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They came out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore, with very many horses and chariots.

Contextual Overview

1 King Jabin of Hazor heard about Joshua's victories, so he sent messages to many nearby kings and asked them to join him in fighting Israel. He sent these messages to King Jobab of Madon, the kings of Shimron and Achshaph, 2 the kings in the northern hill country and in the Jordan River valley south of Lake Galilee, and the kings in the foothills and in Naphath-Dor to the west. 3 He sent messages to the Canaanite kings in the east and the west, to the Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, and Jebusite kings in the hill country, and to the Hivite kings in the region of Mizpah, near the foot of Mount Hermon. 4The kings and their armies went to Merom Pond, where they set up camp, and got ready to fight Israel. It seemed as though there were more soldiers and horses and chariots than there are grains of sand on a beach. 6 The Lord told Joshua: Don't let them frighten you! I'll help you defeat them, and by this time tomorrow they will be dead. When you attack, the first thing you have to do is to cripple their horses. Then after the battle is over, burn their chariots. 7 Joshua and his army made a surprise attack against the enemy camp at Merom Pond 8and crippled the enemies' horses. Joshua followed the Lord 's instructions, and the Lord helped Israel defeat the enemy. The Israelite army even chased enemy soldiers as far as Misrephoth-Maim to the northwest, the city of Sidon to the north, and Mizpeh Valley to the northeast. None of the enemy soldiers escaped alive. The Israelites came back after the battle and burned the enemy's 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 children of the supernatural beings who had married these women became famous heroes and warriors. They were called Nephilim and lived on the earth at that time and even later.
Genesis 11:8
So the people had to stop building the city, because the Lord confused their language and scattered them all over the earth. That's how the city of Babel got its name.
Genesis 11:13
Arpachshad had more children and died at the age of four hundred thirty-eight.
Deuteronomy 1:28
We are afraid, because the men who explored the land told us that the cities are large, with walls that reach to the sky. The people who live there are taller and stronger than we are, and some of them are Anakim. We have nowhere to go."
Deuteronomy 4:27
Only a few of you will survive, and the Lord will force you to leave the land and will scatter you among the nations.
Deuteronomy 9:1
Moses said: Israel, listen to me! You will soon cross the Jordan River and go into the land to force out the nations that live there. They are more powerful than you are, and the walls around their cities reach to the sky.
2 Samuel 8:13
David fought the Edomite army in Salt Valley and killed eighteen thousand of their soldiers. When he returned, he built a monument.
Psalms 92:9
and your hateful enemies will be scattered and then destroyed.
Proverbs 10:7
Good people are remembered long after they are gone, but the wicked are soon forgotten.
Daniel 4:11
It grew stronger and higher, until it reached to heaven and could be seen from anywhere on earth.

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.


 
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