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

25Bring together enough men to make an army as big as the one that lost the battle. There must be the same number of horses and chariots. Then we will fight the Israelites on the low ground. If we do that, we will surely be stronger than them.’ Ben-Hadad agreed with them. He did what they had suggested. 26The next spring, King Ben-Hadad brought together the men for his army. The Syrian army marched to Aphek to fight against the Israelites. King Ahab brought together the Israelite army and he gave them food and weapons. Then they marched out to fight against the Syrian army. The Israelite soldiers stood there in two groups. They looked like two small groups of goats! The Syrian soldiers were so many that they covered all the land around. 28God's servant, the prophet, went to the king of Israel. He said to the king, ‘This is what the Lord says: “The Syrians think that the Lord is a god who lives only in the hills. They think that he has no authority in the valleys. But I will give you power over all their great army. Then you will know that I am the Lord” ’ 29For seven days, the two armies stayed in their camps where they could see each other. On the seventh day, the battle started. The Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian soldiers on that 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 6:15On the seventh day, they got up at dawn again. They marched round the city as they had done before. But this time they did it seven times.
• 1 Samuel 17:16For 40 days, Goliath would stand up and insult the Israelite army every morning and every evening.
• Psalms 10:16The Lord will rule as king for ever! The nations who do not serve him will not remain in his land.
• 2 Samuel 10:18the Syrians ran away from the Israelites. David and his army killed 700 Syrians who drove chariots. They killed 40,000 other Syrian soldiers. David also knocked down Shobach, the captain of the Syrian army. Shobach died there.
• 2 Chronicles 13:17Abijah and his army killed many of the Israel soldiers. 500,000 of Israel's best soldiers died.
• 2 Chronicles 20:23The soldiers from Ammon and Moab started to attack the soldiers from Edom. They destroyed Edom's army. When they had done that, they started to fight against each other. So they all destroyed one another.
• 2 Chronicles 28:6In one day, King Pekah of Israel, Remaliah's son, killed 120,000 of Judah's best soldiers. God punished the people of Judah because they had turned away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
• Isaiah 37:36Then the Lord's angel went to the camp of the Assyrian army. He killed 185,000 of their soldiers. When people got up in the morning, they saw all those 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