Bible Strands
1 Samuel 15:4
So Saul summoned the troops and numbered them at Telaim—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Saul acts immediately after receiving the command to destroy the Amalekites, mobilizing the Israelite army at Telaim. He musters the troops to prepare for the military campaign that follows in the surrounding narrative.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיְשַׁמַּע (va-yəšammā‘) literally means “and he summoned,” while וַיִּפְקֹדֵם (va-yippəqōḏêm) translates to “and he mustered them.” These terms mark the transition from divine instruction to organized military execution.
The thread — This muster echoes earlier royal musters like the 300,000 troops numbered at Bezek in 1 Samuel 11:8 and the troop count in 1 Samuel 13:15. The location Telaim also appears in the territorial lists of Joshua 15:24.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition of how royal authority mobilizes national resources for a divinely mandated campaign. It requires the reader to observe the scale of obedience required before the subsequent narrative evaluates whether that obedience is carried out correctly.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
Cross-references
- Joshua 15:24 Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
- 1 Samuel 11:8 And when Saul numbered them at Bezek, there were 300,000 Israelites and 30,000 men of Judah.
- 1 Samuel 13:15 Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin. And Saul numbered the troops who were with him, about six hundred men.