1 Samuel 13 · Verse 5

1 Samuel 13:5

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.

1 Samuel 13:5, King James Version

1 Samuel 13:5 in other translations

BSB	Now the Philistines assembled to fight against Israel with three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
WEB	The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel: thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven.
ASV	And the Philistines assembled 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 encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth-aven.
YLT	And the Philistines have been gathered to fight with Israel; thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and a people as the sand which is on the sea-shore for multitude; and they come up and encamp in Michmash, east of Beth-Aven.
DARBY	And the Philistines were assembled 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 encamped in Michmash, eastward from Beth-Aven.
BBE	And the Philistines came together to make war on Israel, three thousand war-carriages and six thousand horsemen and an army of people like the sands of the sea in number: they came up and took up their position in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.
Webster	And the Philistines assembled 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 encamped in Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven.

What does 1 Samuel 13:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

5. 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 the Philistine plain, before they ascended the western passes and pitched in the heart of the Benjamite hills, in "Michmash," (now Mukmas), a "steep precipitous valley" [Robinson], eastward from Beth-aven (Beth-el). 1Sa 13:6-8. The Israelites' Distress.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 5 Thirty 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 horsemen. This is most likely to be the true reading.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 13:1-7

Saul reigned one year, and nothing particular happened; but in his second year the events recorded in this chapter took place. For above a year he gave the Philistine time to prepare for war, and to weaken and to disarm the Israelites. When men are lifted up in self-sufficiency, they are often led into folly. The chief advantages of the enemies of the church are derived from the misconduct of its professed friends…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 13:1-7 →

1 Samuel 13:5 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֞יםu.fe.lish.Timand [the] PhilistinesH6430

נֶאֶסְפ֣וּ\׀ne.'es.Futhey gatheredH622

לְהִלָּחֵ֣םle.hi.la.Chemto fightH3898

עִם\־'im-withH5973

יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478

שְׁלֹשִׁ֨יםshe.lo.ShimthirtyH7970

אֶ֤לֶף'E.lefthousandH505

רֶ֙כֶב֙re.khevchariot[s]H7393

וְשֵׁ֤שֶׁתve.She.shetand sixH8337

אֲלָפִים֙'a.la.Fimthousand<s>H505

פָּרָשִׁ֔יםpa.ra.ShimhorsemenH6571

וְעָ֕םve.'Amand a peopleH5971

כַּח֛וֹלka.Chollike the sandH2344

אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834

עַל\־'al-[is] onH5921

שְׂפַֽת\־se.fat-[the] shore ofH8193

הַיָּ֖םhai.Yamthe seaH3220

לָרֹ֑בla.Rofor multitudeH7230

וַֽיַּעֲלוּ֙vai.ya.'a.Luand they came upH5927

וַיַּחֲנ֣וּvai.ya.cha.Nuand they encampedH2583

בְמִכְמָ֔שׂve.mikh.Masat MicmashH4363

קִדְמַ֖תkid.Mat[the] east ofH6926

בֵּ֥יתbeitBethH1007

אָֽוֶן\׃'A.venAvenH1007

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 13:5

1 Samuel 14:23
So the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Beth–aven.
Joshua 11:4
And they went out, they and all their hosts with them, much people, even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude, with horses and chariots very many.
Joshua 18:12
And their border on the north side was from Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north side, and went up through the mountains westward; and the goings out thereof were at the wilderness of Beth–aven.
Hosea 5:8
Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah: cry aloud at Beth–aven, after thee, O Benjamin.
Joshua 7:2
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth–aven, on the east side of Beth–el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.
Isaiah 48:19
Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.
Jeremiah 15:8
Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.
Genesis 22:17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
Judges 7:12
And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
Hosea 4:15
Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth–aven, nor swear, The Lord liveth.
2 Chronicles 1:9
Now, O Lord God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
Hosea 10:5
The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth–aven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

thirty thousand chariots.The Philistines had no doubt collected troops in this emergency, from all the surrounding nation; but the number of chariots is immensely large beyond any example, and wholly disproportioned to the number of their cavalry. It is probable, therefore, that for {sheloshim aileph,} "thirty thousand," we should read {shelosh aileph,} "three thousand," with the Syriac and Arabic.
as the sand.
Ge 22:17; Jos 11:4; Jud 7:12; 2Ch 1:9; Isa 48:19; Jer 15:8; Ro 9:27
Beth-aven.
14:23; Jos 7:2; 18:12; Ho 4:15; 5:8; 10:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 Samuel 13:4
And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.
1 Samuel 13:5
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.
1 Samuel 13:6
When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

Read all of 1 Samuel 13

1 Samuel 13:5 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Entonces los Filisteos se juntaron para pelear con Israel, treinta mil carros, y seis mil caballos, y pueblo como la arena que está á la orilla de la mar en multitud; y subieron, y asentaron campo en Michmas, al oriente de Beth-aven.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et les Philistins s’assemblèrent pour faire la guerre à Israël: 30 000 chars, et 6 000 cavaliers, et un peuple nombreux comme le sable qui est sur le bord de la mer; et ils montèrent et campèrent à Micmash, à l’orient de Beth-Aven.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und die Philister sammelten sich zum Streit mit Israel: 30000 Wagen und sechstausend Reiter, und Fußvolk, wie der Sand, der am Ufer des Meeres ist, an Menge; und sie zogen herauf und lagerten sich zu Mikmas, östlich von Beth-Awen.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et Philisthiim congregati sunt ad præliandum contra Israël, triginta millia curruum, et sex millia equitum, et reliquum vulgus, sicut arena quæ est in littore maris plurima. Et ascendentes castrametati sunt in Machmas ad orientem Bethaven.