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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

1 Samuel 11:8

When Saul counted them at Bezek, the Israelites were 300,000 strong and the men of Judah numbered 30,000.

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.
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.
Easy-to-Read Version
Saul gathered the men together at Bezek. There were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 men from Judah.
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 Now Saul was walking behind the oxen as he came from the field. Saul asked, "What has happened to the people? Why are they weeping?" So they told him about the men of Jabesh. 6 The Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and he became very angry. 7 He took a pair of oxen and cut them up. Then he sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, who said, "Whoever does not go out after Saul and after Samuel should expect this to be done to his oxen!" Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they went out as one army. 8 When Saul counted them at Bezek, the Israelites were 300,000 strong and the men of Judah numbered 30,000. 9 They said to the messengers who had come, "Here's what you should say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow deliverance will come to you when the sun is fully up.'" When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh Gilead, they were happy. 10 The men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you and you can do with us whatever you wish." 11 The next day Saul placed the people in three groups. They went to the Ammonite camp during the morning watch and struck them down until the hottest part of the day. The survivors scattered; no two of them remained 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
Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, and his brother's name was Joktan.
Genesis 10:32
These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread over the earth after the flood.
Genesis 11:4
Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth."
Genesis 11:9
That is why its name was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the entire world, and from there the Lord scattered them across the face of the entire earth.
Genesis 49:7
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce, and their fury, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel!
Deuteronomy 32:8
When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided up humankind, he set the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of the heavenly assembly.
Luke 1:51
He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts.

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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