Bible Strands
Leviticus 26:8
Five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God speaks to Israel within the covenant blessing block (Lev 26:3–13), conditional on their obedience to His statutes and commandments.
The words — רָדַף (radaf), "to pursue," appears twice as the active verb; the hyperbolic ratios (5:100, 100:10,000) make clear the pursuit is not proportional to human strength.
The thread — The same motif recurs in Deuteronomy 28:7 (enemies defeated before you), Joshua 23:10 (one puts a thousand to flight), and Deuteronomy 32:30 (one pursuing a thousand, two putting ten thousand to flight).
Why it lands — The verse is a covenant promise, not a general assurance; it asks the reader to see that the guarantee rests on God's faithfulness to the covenant, not on Israel's military capacity.
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 five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
Cross-references
- Joshua 23:10 One of you can put a thousand to flight, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as He promised.
- Deuteronomy 28:7 The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.
- Deuteronomy 32:30 How could one man pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
- Numbers 14:9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not be afraid of the people of the land, for they will be like bread for us. Their protection has been removed, and the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them!”
- Judges 7:19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the changing of the guard. They blew their horns and broke the jars that were in their hands.
- 1 Chronicles 11:20 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Three, and he wielded his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three.
- 1 Samuel 14:6 Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
- 1 Chronicles 11:11 This is the list of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the officers; he wielded his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed at one time.
- Psalms 81:14 how soon I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes!
- 1 Samuel 17:45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.