2 Chronicles 26:13

Under their authority was an army of 307,500 trained for war, a powerful force to support the king against his enemies.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The Chronicler records Uzziah’s administrative organization immediately after listing the 2,600 family leaders who commanded the warriors, preceding the inventory of military supplies.

The words — חֵיל (cheil) denotes an organized military host, and צָבָא (tzaVa) specifies its function as a war force, together forming the phrase “army of war.”

The thread — This census pattern repeats in 2 Chronicles 11:1, 13:3, and 14:8, where successive Judahite kings mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops for national defense.

Why it lands — The text establishes the scale of Uzziah’s military apparatus, requiring the reader to note the structural link between royal leadership, troop enumeration, and material provisioning.

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

וְעַל־ve./'al-and/ [was] on יָדָם֩ya.Da/mhand/ their חֵ֨ילcheilan army of צָבָ֜אtza.Va'war שְׁלֹ֧שׁshe.Loshthree מֵא֣וֹתme.'othundred<s>אֶ֗לֶף'E.lefthousand וְשִׁבְעַ֤תve./shiv.'Atand/ seven אֲלָפִים֙'a.la.Fimthousand<s>וַחֲמֵ֣שׁva./cha.Meshand/ five מֵא֔וֹתme.'othundred<s>עוֹשֵׂ֥יo.Seidoers of מִלְחָמָ֖הmil.cha.Mahbattle בְּכֹ֣חַbe./Kho.achwith/ power of חָ֑יִלCha.yilstrength לַעְזֹ֥רla/'.Zorto/ help לַמֶּ֖לֶךְla./Me.lekh<to> the/ king עַל־'al-on הָאוֹיֵֽב׃ha./'o.Yevthe/ enemy

King James Version

And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy.

Cross-references

2 Chronicles 11:1 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he mobilized the house of Judah and Benjamin—180,000 chosen warriors—to fight against Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.
2 Chronicles 13:3 Abijah went into battle with an army of 400,000 chosen men, while Jeroboam drew up in formation against him with 800,000 chosen and mighty men of valor.
2 Chronicles 14:8 Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah bearing large shields and spears, and 280,000 men from Benjamin bearing small shields and drawing the bow. All these were mighty men of valor.
2 Chronicles 17:14 These are their numbers according to the houses of their fathers: From Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor;
2 Chronicles 25:5 Then Amaziah gathered the people of Judah and assigned them according to their families to commanders of thousands and of hundreds. And he numbered those twenty years of age or older throughout Judah and Benjamin and found 300,000 chosen men able to serve in the army, bearing the spear and shield.