8<\/strong>. in Bezek<\/em> ] Probably to be identified with Ibzk<\/em>, about half way between Shechem and Beth-shan, and 7 miles W. of the Jordan. It was within a day’s march of Jabesh.<\/p>\n three hundred thousand<\/em>, &c.] The numbers seem large, but not too large for a general levy of the nation. Cp. Jdg 20:2<\/span>. The separate numbering of Israel and Judah has been taken to mark the date of the book as posterior to the Division of the Kingdom. It may however be only an indication of a tendency on the part of Judah to isolation which was confirmed by the separation in the early part of David’s reign, and prepared the way for the Disruption.<\/p>\n He numbered them – <\/B>This was done to see who was absent (compare Jdg 21:9<\/span>).<\/P> 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.<\/P> The children of Israel and the men of Judah – <\/B>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.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 8<\/span>. The children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and<\/B><\/I> <\/B>the men of Judah thirty thousand.<\/B><\/I>] This was a vast army, but the Septuagint<\/I> make it even more: “All the men of Israel were , SIX HUNDRED thousand<\/I>; and the men of Judah , SEVENTY thousand<\/I>.” Josephus<\/I> goes yet higher with the number of the Israelites: “He found the number of those whom he had gathered together to be SEVEN HUNDRED thousand<\/I>.” Those of the tribe of Judah he makes seventy<\/I> 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.<\/P> <\/p>\n This great terror drew so many forth; which is not so strange to him that knows what none deny, that the land of Canaan contained vast numbers of people in a little compass. <\/P> The men of Judah<\/B> are numbered apart to their honour, to show how readily they, to whom the kingdom was promised, Gen 49:10<\/span>, submitted to their king, though of another and far meaner tribe; and how willing they were to hazard themselves for their brethrens rescue, although they might have excused themselves from the necessity of defending their own country from their dangerous neighbours the Philistines. <\/P> <\/p>\n 8. Bezek<\/B>This place of generalmuster was not far from Shechem, on the road to Beth-shan, and nearlyopposite the ford for crossing to Jabesh-gilead. The great number onthe muster-roll showed the effect of Saul’s wisdom and promptitude.<\/P><\/p>\n And when he numbered them at Bezek<\/strong>,…. Which was the place appointed to meet at, the same with that in Jud 1:4<\/span>,<\/p>\n [See comments on Jud 1:4]<\/span> 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:<\/p>\n and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand men<\/strong>; who came together on this occasion; these were of the eight tribes and a half on this side Jordan:<\/p>\n and the men of Judah thirty thousand<\/strong>; 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.<\/p>\n u Vid. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 22. 2. & Gloss. in ib. w Suidas in voce x Vid. Sheringham. in Misn. Yoma, c. 2. sect. 1. p. 14. y Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 5.) sect. 3.<\/p>\n (8) Bezek.<\/strong>Bezek was in the tribe of Issachar, in the plain of Jezreel, an open district, well adapted for the assembling of the great host which so promptly obeyed the peremptory summons of the war-signal of King Saul.<\/p>\n The children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.<\/strong>It has been suggested that this verse was the addition of some late reviser of the book, who lived in the northern kingdom after the final separation of Israel and Judah, but such a supposition is not necessary to account for the separate mention of Judah and Israel, or for the apparently great disproportion in the numbers supplied by the great southern tribe. The chronicler, with pardonable exultation, specially mentions the splendid result of the young heros first summons to the tribes, adding, with perhaps an undertone of sadness, that the rich and populous Judah to that great host only contributed 30,000. There is no doubt, as Dean Payne Smith well observes, that as a matter of fact Judah always stood apart until there was a king who belonged to itself. Then, in Davids time, it first took an active interest in the national welfare, and it was its vast power and numbers which made the shepherd-king, who sprang from Judah, so powerful. In the reign of King Asa of Judah, the numbers of the men of war of that proud tribe amounted to 300,000. It is, however, to be remembered that in the Old Testament Books, owing to the mistakes of copyists, numbers <\/em>are not always to be strictly relied upon.<\/p>\n 8<\/strong>. <\/strong> Bezek <\/strong> At this place Judah had defeated Adoni-bezek. Jdg 1:4<\/span>. When Saul issued his call to all the tribes he probably designated this place as the rendezvous, where every warrior must report himself without the least delay. No traveller has yet satisfactorily identified Bezek with any modern site. From the next verse we infer that it was within a day’s journey of Jabesh, and therefore a very proper place to muster the army into battle array. <\/p>\n Israel three hundred thousand Judah thirty thousand <\/strong> This distinction between Judah and Israel is considered by many as clear evidence that this narrative was written after the division of the nation into two kingdoms; but it may also indicate that long before that division was completed there were growing rivalries and jealousies that silently prepared the way for it, so that in Saul’s time Judah and Israel began to reckon themselves apart, as if they were two different states. Compare 2Sa 2:10<\/span>; 2Sa 19:41<\/span>; 2Sa 20:1-2<\/span>. Three hundred thousand men was indeed a vast army, but there is no sufficient reason to believe that the number is exaggerated. At the time of the march through the desert all that were able to go forth to war in Israel were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty, (Num 1:46<\/span>,) and it would have been exceedingly strange if now, from all the coasts of Israel, the call of Saul had brought together less than half that number.<\/p>\n (8) And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. (9) And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, Tomorrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and shewed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. (10) Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you. (11) And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The reader will have a better idea of Saul’s enterprizing spirit, when he is informed, that from Bezek, to the scene of action, was near 60 miles, and the army had to cross Jordan also, in the accomplishment of it. Therefore he must not only have levied this army by day, but marched by night, in order to have done what he did. But principally let us behold the hand of the Lord in it. If God be for us, who can be against us? And my brother, amidst all the threats, and besiegings of the enemy, never forget how soon the Captain of our salvation can hasten to our rescue. Day and night he is at hand, and no distance, no Jordan, no fire, or water, can separate us from his love, and his powerful assistance. What a blessed recollection, amidst all the hosts of the believer’s foes?<\/p>\n 1Sa 11:8 And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.<\/p>\n Ver. 8. And the men of Judah thirty thousand.<\/strong> ] All which yielded, now that God had signified his will, to be commanded by Benjamin, the least of the tribes.<\/p>\n children = sons. <\/p>\n men. Hebrew. ‘ish. App-14. <\/p>\n Bezek: Jdg 1:4, Jdg 1:5 <\/p>\n the children: 1Sa 13:15, 1Sa 15:4, 2Sa 24:9, 2Ch 17:12-19 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Jdg 20:1 – as one man Jdg 20:17 – four hundred 2Ki 3:6 – numbered<\/p>\n 1Sa 11:8. The men of Judah thirty thousand They were numbered apart to their honour, to show how readily they, to whom the kingdom was promised, (Gen 49:10,) submitted to their king, though of another tribe, and how willing they were to hazard themselves for their brethren, although they might have excused themselves from the necessity of defending their own country from their dangerous neighbours the Philistines.<\/p>\n And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 8. in Bezek ] Probably to be identified with Ibzk, about half way between Shechem and Beth-shan, and 7 miles W. of the Jordan. It was within a day’s march of Jabesh. three … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 11:8”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7462\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"