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Saturday, July 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 Samuel 11:8

Saul gathered the men together at Bezek. There were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Bezek;   Jabesh-Gilead;   Judah;   Nahash;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Jews, the;   Judah, the Tribe of;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Bezek;   Jabesh;   Nahash;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ammon;   Judah, tribe and kingdom;   Samuel, books of;   War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Samuel, First and Second, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Prophet;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Bezek;   Nahash;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bezek;   Israel;   Saul;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Archaeology and Biblical Study;   Bezek;   Jabesh-Gilead;   Nahash;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Adoni-Bezek;   Ammon, Ammonites;   Bezek;   Israel;   Jabesh, Jabesh-Gilead;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ammon, Ammonites, Children of Ammon;   Bezek ;   Jabesh, Jabeshgilead ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Bezek;   Israel;   Jabesh;   Saul;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Be'zek;   Is'rael;   Ja'besh;   Na'hash;   Saul;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - War;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ammon;   Arimathaea;   Bezek;   Jonathan (2);   Judah, Kingdom of;   Nahash;   Nahath;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Siege;   Zebah and Zalmunna;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Bezek;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Army;   Bezek;   Jabesh;   Judah, Tribe of;   War;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Saul counted them at Bezek. There were three hundred thousand Israelites and thirty thousand men from Judah.
Hebrew Names Version
He numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Yisra'el were three hundred thousand, and the men of Yehudah thirty thousand.
King James Version
And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Lexham English Bible
He mustered them at Bezek; the Israelites were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah were thirty thousand.
English Standard Version
When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
New Century Version
Saul gathered the people together at Bezek. There were three hundred thousand men from Israel and thirty thousand men from Judah.
New English Translation
When Saul counted them at Bezek, the Israelites were 300,000 strong and the men of Judah numbered 30,000.
Amplified Bible
He assembled and counted them at Bezek; and the sons of Israel numbered 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.
New American Standard Bible
He counted them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah, thirty thousand.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when he nombred them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundreth thousande men: and the men of Iudah thirtie thousand.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he numbered them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.
Contemporary English Version
at Bezek. Saul had them organized and counted. There were three hundred thousand from Israel and thirty thousand from Judah.
Complete Jewish Bible
He reviewed them in Bezek; there were 300,000 from the people of Isra'el; the men of Y'hudah numbered 30,000.
Darby Translation
And he numbered them in Bezek, and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
George Lamsa Translation
And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Good News Translation
Saul gathered them at Bezek: there were 300,000 from Israel and 30,000 from Judah.
Literal Translation
And he mustered them in Bezek, and the sons of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah, thirty thousand.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and they were tolde at Basek, and of the childre of Israel there were thre hundreth thousande men, and thirtie thousande of the children of Iuda.
American Standard Version
And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Bible in Basic English
And he had them numbered in Bezek: the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And whe he numbred them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand men, and the men of Iuda thirtie thousande.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
King James Version (1611)
And when he numbred them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Iudah thirty thousand.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he reviews them at Bezec in Bama, every man of Israel six hundred thousand, and the men of Juda seventy thousand.
English Revised Version
And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Berean Standard Bible
And when Saul numbered them at Bezek, there were 300,000 Israelites and 30,000 men of Judah.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he noumbride hem in Besech; and thre hundrid thousynd weren of the sones of Israel; forsothe of the men of Juda weren thretti thousynde.
Young's Literal Translation
And he inspecteth them in Bezek, and the sons of Israel are three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Update Bible Version
And he numbered them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Webster's Bible Translation
And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
World English Bible
He numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
New King James Version
When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
New Living Translation
When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.
New Life Bible
Saul numbered them at Bezek. There were 300,000 men of Israel, and 30,000 men of Judah.
New Revised Standard
When he mustered them at Bezek, those from Israel were three hundred thousand, and those from Judah seventy thousand.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when he numbered them in Bezek, the sons of Israel were found to be - three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he numbered them in Bezec: and there were of the children of Israel three hundred thousand: and of the men of Juda thirty thousand.
Revised Standard Version
When he mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
THE MESSAGE
So Nahash went after them and prepared to go to war against Jabesh Gilead. The men of Jabesh petitioned Nahash: "Make a treaty with us and we'll serve you." Nahash said, "I'll make a treaty with you on one condition: that every right eye among you be gouged out! I'll humiliate every last man and woman in Israel before I'm done!" The town leaders of Jabesh said, "Give us time to send messengers around Israel—seven days should do it. If no one shows up to help us, we'll accept your terms." The messengers came to Saul's place at Gibeah and told the people what was going on. As the people broke out in loud wails, Saul showed up. He was coming back from the field with his oxen. Saul asked, "What happened? Why is everyone crying?" And they repeated the message that had come from Jabesh. The Spirit of God came on Saul when he heard the report and he flew into a rage. He grabbed the yoke of oxen and butchered them on the spot. He sent the messengers throughout Israel distributing the bloody pieces with this message: "Anyone who refuses to join up with Saul and Samuel, let this be the fate of his oxen!" The terror of God seized the people, and they came out, one and all, not a laggard among them. Saul took command of the people at Bezek. There were 300,000 men from Israel, another 30,000 from Judah.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He numbered them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.

Contextual Overview

5 Saul had been out in the field with his oxen. When he came in from the field he heard the people crying and asked, "What's wrong with the people? Why are they crying?" Then the people told Saul what the messengers from Jabesh said. 6 Saul listened to their story. Then God's Spirit came on him with great power. Saul became very angry. 7 He took a pair of oxen and cut them in pieces. Then he gave the pieces of the oxen to messengers. He ordered the messengers to carry the pieces throughout the land of Israel. He told them to give this message to the Israelites: "Come follow Saul and Samuel. If anyone doesn't come and help them, this same thing will happen to his oxen." A great fear from the Lord came on the people. They all came together like one person. 8 Saul gathered the men together at Bezek. There were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah. 9 Saul and his army told the messengers from Jabesh, "Tell the people at Jabesh in Gilead that by noon tomorrow, you will be saved." The messengers told Saul's message to the people at Jabesh, and they were very happy. 10 Then the people of Jabesh said to Nahash the Ammonite, "Tomorrow we will come to you, and you can do whatever you want to us." 11 The next morning Saul separated his soldiers into three groups. At sunrise, Saul and his soldiers entered the Ammonite camp. Saul attacked while they were changing guards that morning. He and his soldiers defeated the Ammonites before noon. The Ammonite soldiers all ran away in different directions—no two soldiers stayed together.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Bezek: Judges 1:4, Judges 1:5

the children: 1 Samuel 13:15, 1 Samuel 15:4, 2 Samuel 24:9, 2 Chronicles 17:12-19

Reciprocal: Judges 20:1 - as one man Judges 20:17 - four hundred 2 Kings 3:6 - numbered

Cross-References

Genesis 10:25
Eber was the father of two sons. One son was named Peleg. He was given this name because the earth was divided during his life. The other son was named Joktan.
Genesis 10:32
This is the list of the families from Noah's sons. They are arranged according to their nations. From these families came all the people who spread across the earth after the flood.
Genesis 11:4
Then the people said, "Let's build ourselves a city and a tower that will reach to the sky. Then we will be famous. This will keep us together so that we will not be scattered all over the earth."
Genesis 11:9
That is the place where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. That is why it is called Babel. And it was from there that the Lord caused the people to spread out to all the other places on earth.
Genesis 49:7
Their anger is so strong that it is a curse. They are too cruel when they are angry. They will not get their own land in the land of Jacob. They will be spread throughout Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:8
God Most High separated the people on earth and gave each nation its land. He set up borders for all people. He made as many nations as there are angels.
Luke 1:51
He reached out his arm and showed his power. He scattered those who are proud and think great things about themselves.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when he numbered them at Bezek,.... Which was the place appointed to meet at, the same with that in Judges 1:4,

Judges 1:4- : though some take the word to be an appellative, and not, the proper name of a place, and render it, "with a stone"; with which he numbered, taking a stone from each, and laying them on a heap, and then telling them u; so Bizakion signifies little stones w with the Greeks: or "with a fragment"; either of an earthen vessel, or of a stone, or of the branch of a tree they carried in their hands, and so the king's servants numbered not the men, but the branches x:

and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand men; who came together on this occasion; these were of the eight tribes and a half on this side Jordan:

and the men of Judah thirty thousand; which tribe is mentioned distinctly, because a noble and warlike tribe, which usually first went up to battle; and though the number of them at this time assembled may seem comparatively small, yet this may easily be accounted for; because they bordered upon the Philistines, who watched every opportunity to take an advantage of them, and therefore could not leave their tribe destitute, but reserved a sufficient number to guard their coasts, and yet were desirous to testify their obedience to Saul, though chosen king out of another tribe, when they might have expected from prophecy that the dominion belonged to them. Josephus y has made a gross mistake in the numbers here, he makes the men of Israel to be 700,000, and the men of Judah 70,000, contrary to the text, the Targum, Syriac and Arabic versions; but the Septuagint comes pretty near him, which has 600,000 of the men of Israel, 70,000 of the men of Judah.

u Vid. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 22. 2. & Gloss. in ib. w Suidas in voce βιζακιων x Vid. Sheringham. in Misn. Yoma, c. 2. sect. 1. p. 14. y Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 5.) sect. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He numbered them - This was done to see who was absent (compare Judges 21:9).

Bezek has been conjectured to be the name of a district rather than of a town. Two villages retained the name in the time of Eusebius 17 miles from Nablous, on the way to Beth-shean.

The children of Israel and the men of Judah - This looks like the language of later times, times perhaps subsequent to the establishment of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Israel here (including Benjamin) is as ten to one compared with Judah. This is about the true proportion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 11:8. The children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. — This was a vast army, but the Septuagint make it even more: "All the men of Israel were ἑξακοσιας χιλιαδας, SIX HUNDRED thousand; and the men of Judah ̔βδομηκοντα χιλιαδας, SEVENTY thousand." Josephus goes yet higher with the number of the Israelites: "He found the number of those whom he had gathered together to be ̔βδομηκοντα μυριαδας SEVEN HUNDRED thousand." Those of the tribe of Judah he makes seventy thousand, with the Septuagint. These numbers are not all right; and I suspect even the Hebrew text to be exaggerated, by the mistake or design of some ancient scribe.


 
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