1 Samuel 11:8

8 And Saul numbered them in Bezek; and three hundred thousand were there of the sons of Israel; and of the men of Judah were thirty thousand. (And Saul counted, or registered, them in Bezek; and there were three hundred thousand of the sons of Israel; and thirty thousand of the men of Judah.)

1 Samuel 11:8 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 11:8

And when he numbered them at Bezek
Which was the place appointed to meet at, the same with that in ( Judges 1:4 ) , (See Gill on Judges 1:4) 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 ^F21; so Bizakion signifies little stones ^F23 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 ^F24:

and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand men;
who came together on this occasion; these were of the eight tribes and a half on this side Jordan:

and the men of Judah thirty thousand;
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

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 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.

F21 Vid. T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 22. 2. & Gloss. in ib.
F23 Suidas in voce (bizakiwn)
F24 Vid. Sheringham. in Misn. Yoma, c. 2. sect. 1. p. 14.
F25 Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 5.) sect. 3.

1 Samuel 11:8 In-Context

6 And the Spirit of the Lord fell at once into Saul, when he had heard these words, and his fierce wrath was greatly stirred.

7 And he took ever either ox, and he cut them into gobbets, and he sent those into all the coasts of Israel, by the hands of messengers; and he said, Whoever goeth not out, and followeth not Saul and Samuel, so it shall be done to his oxen. Therefore the dread of the Lord went into the people (And so the fear of the Lord went into the people), and they went out as one man.

8 And Saul numbered them in Bezek; and three hundred thousand were there of the sons of Israel; and of the men of Judah were thirty thousand. (And Saul counted, or registered, them in Bezek; and there were three hundred thousand of the sons of Israel; and thirty thousand of the men of Judah.)

9 And they said to the messengers that came, Thus ye shall say to the men that be in Jabesh of Gilead, Tomorrow shall be health to you, when the sun is hot (Tomorrow, help shall come to you, when the sun is hot). Then the messengers came, and told to the men of Jabesh; the which were glad,

10 and said to Ammon, Early we shall go out to you, and ye shall do to us all that pleaseth to you. (and they said to the Ammonites, Early in the morning, we shall come out to you, and then ye can do to us all that pleaseth you.)