EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Samuel 13:5
5The Philistines' army came together to fight against the Israelites. The Philistines had 3,000 chariots. They had 6,000 soldiers who rode on horses. Their whole army had more soldiers than the sand on the shore of the sea! The Philistine army went to make their camp at Michmash, which was east of Beth Aven.
1 Samuel 13:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Beth–aven.
- New International Version (NIV)The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven.
Context of 1 Samuel 13:5
3Some Philistine soldiers had a camp at Geba. Jonathan attacked them there and all the Philistines heard about it. Saul sent a message through all Israel to warn people of the danger. He said, ‘Listen, all you Hebrew people!’ 4Everyone in Israel heard this message: ‘Saul has attacked the Philistines' camp. Now the Philistines hate the Israelites even more than they did before.’ So all the soldiers in Israel came to join Saul at Gilgal. The Philistines' army came together to fight against the Israelites. The Philistines had 3,000 chariots. They had 6,000 soldiers who rode on horses. Their whole army had more soldiers than the sand on the shore of the sea! The Philistine army went to make their camp at Michmash, which was east of Beth Aven. 6The Israelites realized that they would be in big trouble if the Philistines attacked them. Some of them went and hid in caves or among the bushes. Others hid among the rocks, in holes in the ground or in wells. 7Some of the Israelite soldiers crossed the Jordan River. They escaped to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul himself stayed at Gilgal. All the soldiers that were still with him were shaking with fear.
Read all of 1 Samuel 131 Samuel 13:5 word by word
וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֞ים נֶאֶסְפ֣וּ׀ לְהִלָּחֵ֣ם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל שְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים אֶ֤לֶף רֶ֙כֶב֙ וְשֵׁ֤שֶׁת אֲלָפִים֙ פָּרָשִׁ֔ים וְעָ֕ם כַּח֛וֹל אֲשֶׁ֥ר עַל־שְׂפַֽת־הַיָּ֖ם לָרֹ֑ב וַֽיַּעֲלוּ֙ וַיַּחֲנ֣וּ בְמִכְמָ֔שׂ קִדְמַ֖ת בֵּ֥ית אָֽוֶן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the Philistinesפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
- gathered themselves togetherאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
- to fightלָחַםlâcham · to fightH3898
- with Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- thirtyשְׁלֹשִׁיםshelôshîym shelôshîym · thirtyH7970
- thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
- chariotsרֶ֫כֶבrekeb · chariotH7393
- and sixשֵׁשׁshêsh shishshâh · sixH8337
- horsemenפָּרָשׁpârâsh · horsemanH6571
- and peopleעַם‛am · people: soldiersH5971
- as the sandחוֹלchôl · sandH2344
- on the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
- shoreשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lip: shoreH8193
- in multitudeרֹבrôb · abundanceH7230
- and they came upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- and pitchedחָנָהchânâh · to campH2583
- in Michmashמִכְמָס, מִכְמָשׂmikmâs mikmâsh mikmash · MichmashH4363
- eastwardקִדְמָהqidmâh · eastH6926
- from Beth–avenבֵּית אָ֫וֶןbêyth 'âven · Beth-avenH1007
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 13:5
- Genesis 22:17Because you have done this, I will bless you. I will make your descendants become so many that people cannot count them. They will be as many as the stars that are in the sky. They will be as many as the pieces of sand on the shore by the sea. Your descendants will win against their enemies and their enemies' cities.
- Joshua 11:4All these kings came with their big armies. They had many horses and chariots. The soldiers were too many to count.
- Judges 7:12The valley was full of Midianites, Amalekites and all the people from the east. They covered the ground like locusts. There were too many men to count. Their camels also were more than the sand on the shore of the sea.
- 2 Chronicles 1:9Now, Lord God, please do as you promised to my father David. You have chosen me to rule as king over a great nation with as many people as the dust on the ground.
- Isaiah 48:19You would have had many descendants, as much as the sand on the shore of the sea. I would not need to destroy them. Their family name would continue for ever.’
- Jeremiah 15:8There will be more widows in Judah, than there is sand on the shore of the sea. At midday I will send an enemy to destroy the young men. Their mothers will weep for them. It will happen very suddenly. Fear and terror will come!
- Romans 9:27Also, Isaiah, God's prophet, said this about Israel's people: ‘There are so many of Israel's people, nobody can count them. They are as many as the bits of sand on the shore of the sea. But God will save only a few of them.
- 1 Samuel 14:23In that way, the Lord saved Israel's people on that day. The battle moved all the way to Beth Aven and beyond it.
- Joshua 7:2Joshua sent some men to go from Jericho to Ai. That is a city near to Beth Aven, and east of Bethel. He said to the men, ‘Go up and look at the land near there secretly.’ So the men went to Ai to see what they could discover.
- Joshua 18:12The north border of their land began at the Jordan River, and it went up the hills to the north of Jericho. From there it went west into the hills, to the desert of Beth Aven.
- Hosea 4:15You people of Israel are not faithful to the Lord. But do not let the people of Judah become guilty of the same sins. Do not travel to Gilgal to worship! Do not go to Beth Aven! Do not say, ‘I promise this is true, as surely as the Lord lives’.
- Hosea 5:8‘Make a noise with your horns in Gibeah! Make a noise with your trumpets in Ramah! Warn the people in Beth Aven of danger! Men of Benjamin's tribe, prepare to fight!
- Hosea 10:5The people who live in Samaria will be afraid. They will worry about their image of a calf at Beth Aven. They will weep because it will go away from them. The priests who serve the idol will cry too. They know that an enemy will take away their great and beautiful idol.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 13:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen - There is no proportion here between the chariots and the cavalry. The largest armies ever brought into the field, even by mighty emperors, never were furnished with thirty thousand chariots. I think שלשים sheloshim, Thirty, is a false reading for שלש shalosh, Three. The Syriac has telotho alpin, and the Arabic thalathato alf, both signifying Three thousand; and this was a fair proportion to the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Thirty thousand chariots - Probably a copyist‘s mistake for 300. (Compare, for a similar numerical variation, 1 Chronicles 18:4 with 2 Samuel 8:4.) Eastward from Bethaven - Or more simply “to the east of Bethaven,” which Joshua 7:2 lay “on the east side of Bethel.” Bethaven (thought to be the same as Deir Diwan) lay between Bethel and Michmash, which had been evacuated by Saul.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5The Israelites were greatly outnumbered, which made them afraid. The Philistine army had 3,000 chariots and 6,000 charioteers, showing Israel's weaker position. In 1 Samuel, it never mentions Israel having any chariots (see study note on 1 Samuel 13:19–22).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. The Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen--Either this number must include chariots of every kind--or the word "chariots" must mean the men fighting in them (2Sa 10:18; 1Ki 20:21; 1Ch 19:18); or, as some eminent critics maintain, Sheloshim ("thirty"), has crept into the text, instead of Shelosh ("three"). The gathering of the chariots and horsemen must be understood to be on…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 13:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 13
- 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
- John Wesley’s Notes
- 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
- EGW Writings
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