1 Kings 20:27
New International Version
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.

New Living Translation
Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, and marched out for battle. But the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats in comparison to the vast Aramean forces that filled the countryside!

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

King James Bible
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 King James Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
And the sons of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped opposite them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the country.

NASB 1995
The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country.

NASB 1977
And the sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the country.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the sons of Israel were mustered and were provided for and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Arameans filled the land.

Amplified Bible
The sons of Israel were counted and given provisions, and they went to meet them. The Israelites camped before the enemy like two little flocks of goats [with everything against them, except God], and the Arameans filled the country.

Christian Standard Bible
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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
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.

American Standard Version
And the children of Israel were mustered, and were victualled, and went against them: and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the sons of Israel were numbered and were arrayed, and they stood against them as two flocks of kids of goats, and the Edomites filled the land.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the children of Israel were numbered, and came to meet them: and Israel encamped before them as two little flocks of goats, but Syria filled the land.

Contemporary English Version
The Israelites also prepared to fight. They marched out to meet the Syrians, and the two armies camped across from each other. The Syrians covered the whole area, but the Israelites looked like two little flocks of goats.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the children of Israel were mustered, and taking victuals went out on the other side, and camped over against them, like two little hocks of goats: but the Syrians filled the land.

English Revised Version
And the children of Israel were mustered, and were victualled, and went against them: and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When the Israelite [troops] had been organized and given provisions, they went to meet the enemy. The Israelites, while camped opposite the Arameans who filled the country, seemed like two newborn goats.

Good News Translation
The Israelites were called up and equipped; they marched out and camped in two groups facing the Syrians. The Israelites looked like two small flocks of goats compared to the Syrians, who spread out over the countryside.

International Standard Version
The Israelis were mustered, equipped with provisions, and sent out to fight. The Israeli encampment looked like two little flocks of goats compared to how the Aramean encampments filled the countryside!

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the children of Israel were mustered, and were victualled, and went against them; and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Arameans filled the country.

Literal Standard Version
and the sons of Israel have been inspected, and supported, and go to meet them, and the sons of Israel encamp before them, like two flocks of goats, and the Arameans have filled the land.

Majority Standard Bible
The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

New American Bible
The Israelites, too, were mustered and supplied with provisions; then they went out to meet the enemy. The Israelites, encamped opposite, looked like little flocks of goats, while Aram covered the land.

NET Bible
When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies, they marched out to face them in battle. When the Israelites deployed opposite them, they were like two small flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the land.

New Revised Standard Version
After the Israelites had been mustered and provisioned, they went out to engage them; the people of Israel encamped opposite them like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans filled the country.

New Heart English Bible
The children of Israel were mustered, and were provisioned, and went against them. The children of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of young goats; but the Arameans filled the country.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

World English Bible
The children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and went against them. The children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of young goats, but the Syrians filled the country.

Young's Literal Translation
and the sons of Israel have been inspected, and supported, and go to meet them, and the sons of Israel encamp before them, like two flocks of goats, and the Aramaeans have filled the land.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Another War with Ben-hadad
26In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside. 28Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”…

Cross References
Judges 6:3
Whenever the Israelites would plant their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them,

1 Samuel 13:5
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.


Treasury of Scripture

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.

seven days

Joshua 6:15
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times.

1 Samuel 17:16
And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

Psalm 10:16
The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.

an hundred thousand

2 Samuel 10:18
And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.

2 Chronicles 13:17
And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.

2 Chronicles 20:23-25
For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another…

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Aramaeans Arameans Camped Children Country Countryside Covered Encamped Filled Flocks Food Full Goats Israel Israelites Kids Little Marched Meet Mustered Numbered Opposite Pitched Present Provisions Ready Small Syrians Tents Themselves Together
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Aramaeans Arameans Camped Children Country Countryside Covered Encamped Filled Flocks Food Full Goats Israel Israelites Kids Little Marched Meet Mustered Numbered Opposite Pitched Present Provisions Ready Small Syrians Tents Themselves Together
1 Kings 20
1. Ben-Hadad, not content with Ahab's homage, besieges Samaria
13. By the direction of a prophet, the Syrians are slain
22. As the prophet forewarned Ahab, the Syrians come against him in Aphek
28. By the word of the prophet, and God's judgment, the Syrians are smitten again
31. The Syrians submit; Ahab sends Ben-Hadad away with a covenant
35. The prophet, under the parable of a prisoner,
39. making Ahab judge himself, denounces God's judgment against him














(27) Were all present.--The marginal reading "were victualled," or, perhaps, more generally, "were supplied," with all things necessary for war, seems correct. The comparatively small number of the Israelite forces, even after the great victory of the year before, appears to show that, previous to the siege of Samaria, Ahab had suffered some great defeats, which had broken the strength of Israel.

Verse 27. - And the children of Israel were numbered [lit., numbered themselves. Hith-pael], and were all present [Rather, and were provided with food, כּוּל = to nourish. The Alex. LXX. inserts καὶ διοικήθησαν. Vulgate accepetis cibariis. Marg. were victualled. This word of itself suggests that they were at a distance from their capital or other city], and went against them [Heb. to meet them]: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks חֲשִׂיפstrictly means separate& It is rightly translated "little flocks" (not "flocks," Rawlinson ), because the idea is that of two bands of stragglers separated from the main body of the flock. So the Vulgate, duo parvi greges caprarum; but LXX., δύο ποίμνια άγὧν. Ewald thinks the "two flocks" points to an an auxiliary fores furnished by Jehoshaphat, fighting with Israel. He also thinks goats are mentioned to convey the exalted position of the camp upon the hills. Flocks of goats as a rule are smaller than those of sheep, the former being more given to straying] of kids [lit., she-goats. "These flocks pasture mostly on the cliffs, and are smaller than the flocks of sheep" (Bahr)]; but the Syrians filled the country. [The whole plain swarmed with their legions in striking contrast to the two insignificant Bodies of Israelites.]

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The Israelites
וּבְנֵ֣י (ū·ḇə·nê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

also mobilized,
הָתְפָּקְדוּ֙ (hā·ṯə·pā·qə·ḏū)
Verb - Hitpael - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6485: To visit, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit

gathered supplies,
וְכָלְכְּל֔וּ (wə·ḵā·lə·kə·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Pual - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3557: To keep in, to measure, to maintain

and marched out
וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ (way·yê·lə·ḵū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

to meet them.
לִקְרָאתָ֑ם (liq·rā·ṯām)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7125: Against he come, help, meet, seek, to, in the way

The Israelites
בְנֵֽי־ (ḇə·nê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

camped
וַיַּחֲנ֨וּ (way·ya·ḥă·nū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2583: To incline, to decline, to pitch a, tent, gen, to encamp

before them
נֶגְדָּ֗ם (neḡ·dām)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5048: A front, part opposite, a counterpart, mate, over against, before

like two
כִּשְׁנֵי֙ (kiš·nê)
Preposition-k | Number - mdc
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

small flocks
חֲשִׂפֵ֣י (ḥă·śi·p̄ê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2835: Drawn off, separated, a small company

of goats,
עִזִּ֔ים (‘iz·zîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5795: Female goat

while the Arameans
וַאֲרָ֖ם (wa·’ă·rām)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 758: Aram -- Syria

covered
מִלְא֥וּ (mil·’ū)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 4390: To fill, be full of

the countryside.
הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (hā·’ā·reṣ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land


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OT History: 1 Kings 20:27 The children of Israel were mustered (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 20:26
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