Leviticus 26:8

8 Five of you will chase a hundred men; a hundred of you will chase ten thousand men. You will defeat your enemies and kill them with your sword.

Leviticus 26:8 Meaning and Commentary

Leviticus 26:8

And five of you shall chase an hundred
One man chase twenty; and an hundred of you put ten thousand to flight;
which, had it been in proportion to the other number, should have been two thousand, as in ( Deuteronomy 32:30 ) ; where there is a proportion observed; and Abendana observes, there are some that give the sense of it thus, an hundred of you, an hundred times five, that is, five hundred, and so it comes up to a right computation; but here it seems to be a certain number for an uncertain, and only a proverbial expression, signifying that a very few, under the blessing of divine Providence, should get the advantage over a large number, and oblige them to retire, and pursue them closely: instances we have of large bodies of the enemy being defeated by a small number of Israelites, ( Judges 7:21 Judges 7:22 ) ; and even many by a single person or two, ( 1 Samuel 14:13 1 Samuel 14:14 ) ( 2 Samuel 23:8-16 ) ; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword;
(See Gill on Leviticus 26:7).

Leviticus 26:8 In-Context

6 I will give peace to your country; you will lie down in peace, and no one will make you afraid. I will keep harmful animals out of your country, and armies will not pass through it.
7 "'You will chase your enemies and defeat them, killing them with your sword.
8 Five of you will chase a hundred men; a hundred of you will chase ten thousand men. You will defeat your enemies and kill them with your sword.
9 "'Then I will show kindness to you and let you have many children; I will keep my agreement with you.
10 You will have enough crops to last for more than a year. When you harvest the new crops, you will have to throw out the old ones to make room for them.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.