1 Kings 20:27

1 Kings 20:27 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.
• New International Version (NIV)When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside.

Context of 1 Kings 20:27

25Raise another army for yourself like the army you lost — horse for horse, chariot for chariot — and let’s fight with them on the plain; and we will certainly be stronger than they are.” The king listened to them and did it. 26In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle Israel. The Israelites mobilized, gathered supplies, and went to fight them. The Israelites camped in front of them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the landscape. 28Then the man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans have said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” I will hand over all this whole huge army to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 29They camped opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day, the battle took place, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans — one hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

1 Kings 20:27 word by word

וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל הָתְפָּקְדוּ֙ וְכָלְכְּל֔וּ וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ לִקְרָאתָ֑ם וַיַּחֲנ֨וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל נֶגְדָּ֗ם כִּשְׁנֵי֙ חֲשִׂפֵ֣י עִזִּ֔ים וַאֲרָ֖ם מִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• were numberedפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: listH6485
• and were all presentכּוּלkûl · to sustainH3557
• and wentיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• againstקִרְאָהqir'âh · befallH7125
• pitchedחָנָהchânâh · to campH2583
• before them like twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• little flocksחָשִׂףchâώiph · little flockH2835
• of kidsעֵז‛êz · goatH5795
• but the Syriansאֲרָם'ărâm · SyriaH758
• filledמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
• the countryאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776

Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:27

• Joshua 6:15Early on the seventh day, they started at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same way. That was the only day they marched around the city seven times.
• 1 Samuel 17:16Every morning and evening for forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand.
• Psalms 10:16The Lord is King forever and ever; the nations will perish from his land.
• 2 Samuel 10:18But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach commander of their army, who died there.
• 2 Chronicles 13:17Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and five hundred thousand fit young men of Israel were killed.
• 2 Chronicles 20:23The Ammonites and Moabites turned against the inhabitants of Mount Seir and completely annihilated them. When they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped destroy each other.
• 2 Chronicles 28:6Pekah son of Remaliah killed one hundred twenty thousand in Judah in one day — all brave men — because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors.
• Isaiah 37:36Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!

Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:27

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27Were all present - The marginal rendering is adopted by almost all critics. Like two little flocks of kids - The word translated “little flocks” does not occur elsewhere in Scripture. It seems to mean simply “flocks.” Compare the Septuagint, who render ̔́ ́ ́ ̓͂ hōsei duo poimnia aigōn f0.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-30Verses 22-30 Those about Benhadad advised him to change his ground. They take it for granted that it was not Israel, but Israel's gods, that beat them; but they speak very ignorantly of Jehovah. They supposed that Israel had many gods, to whom they ascribed limited power within a certain district; thus vain were the Gentiles in their imaginations concerning God. The greatest wisdom in worldly concerns is often united with the most contemptible folly in…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27-30Even though the Arameans had more soldiers, Israel won a great victory with God's help. Everyone learned that "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37; see Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). When God supports you, the enemy will retreat (Psalm 56:9) and suffer heavy losses (Deuteronomy 32:30–31; 2 Kings 19:32–36). Israel could face their enemies without fear (Psalms 3:6; 27:1–3). God's promise to Israel through the prophet showed that this battle was for both…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 27-3127-31. like two little flocks of kids--Goats are never seen in large flocks, or scattered, like sheep; and hence the two small but compact divisions of the Israelite force are compared to goats, not sheep. Humanly speaking, that little handful of men would have been overpowered by numbers. But a prophet was sent to the small Israelite army to announce the victory, in order to convince the Syrians that the God of Israel was omnipotent everywhere, in the…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 20:27

• Aphek
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Prophecy
• Self-Delusion

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Children of Israel
• Ahab
• Mark
• Benhadad
• Cattle
• Goat
• Israel, Kingdom of
• Joash

Commentaries on 1 Kings 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary