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.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 5. Chariots. This number seems almost incredible, as the Philistines were but a contemptible nation, compared with various others which never brought so many chariots into the field. Zara, king of Ethiopia, in his army of a million men, had only 300. 2 Chronicles 14:9. Adarezer had 1000, and Sesac 12000 chariots, while Solomon could only boast of 1400. Hence the Syr. and Arab. read “3000;” and it is supposed that the Hebrew has im, at the end of shelosh, redundant. Bochart, Capel, and so forth The number of horsemen would otherwise bear no proportion with the chariots. We must also observe, that under this name the Scripture denotes those who upon the chariots. They were drawn by two horses, and one man guided the horses, while another stood on the chariot; and in battle, eight other soldiers attended it. These remarks will tend to explain many difficult passages, in which we read of chariots being slain and hamstrung, which may be understood of the men and horses, 2 Kennicott. 8:4 and 10:18. In one place we read 700, and in another 7000 chariot were slain, (1 Chronicles 19:18,) the latter number comprising the 10 attendants; so here, the Philistines might have 3000 chariots, which being each accompanied with ten men, might be counted as 30,000. Calmet.—Others think that there were 30,000 men fighting on chariots. Lyran. Salien.—The Tyrians might have come to the assistance of their old friends, as Calmet. 7:10. See 3 Kennicott. 4:26. Menochius.—Number. Josephus specifies “300,000 infantry.” Bible.—Bethaven. Many copies of the Septuagint read, “Bethoron,” more probably, as Bethel must have been on the east of Machmas, which lay north of Gabaa, chap 14:5. ( Calmet.) “over-against Bethoron on the south.” Grabe. Bible.—Hebrew also, “having Bethaven on the east.” Bethel was called Bethaven after the schism of Jeroboam, so that this name seems to have been substituted by a later writer, ( Calmet.) unless it might have had both names long before. Joshua 18:12. Bible.—this is not contrary to Calmet. 7:13, as the Philistines had been quiet for a long time. Hebrew alom, properly denotes the term of a jubilee or 50 years. D.