And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.
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George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Chariots. This number seems almost incredible, as the Philistines were but a contemptible nation, compared with various others which never brought so many chariots into the field. Zara, king of Ethiopia, in his army of a million men, had only 300, 2 Paralipomenon xiv. 9. Adarezer had 1000, and Sesac 1200 chariots, while Solomon could only boast of 1400. Hence the Syriac and Arabic read "3000 "and it is supposed that the Hebrew has im, at the end of shelosh, redundant. (Bo chart, Capel) The number of horsemen would otherwise bear no proportion with the chariots. We must also observe, that under this name the Scripture denotes those who upon the chariots. They were drawn by two horses, and one man guided the horses, while another stood on the chariot; and in battle, eight other soldiers attended it. These remarks will tend to explain many difficult passages, in which we read of chariots being slain and hamstrung, which may be understood of the men and horses, 2 Kings viii. 4., and x. 18. In one place we read 700, and in another 7000 chariot were slain, (1 Paralipomenon xix. 18,) the latter number comprising the 10 attendants; so here, the Philistines might have 3000 chariots, which being each accompanied with ten men, might be counted as 30,000. (Calmet)
Others think that there were 30,000 men fighting on chariots. (Lyranus; Salien)
The Tyrians might have come to the assistance of their old friends, as chap. vii. 10. See 3 Kings iv. 26. (Menochius)
Number. Josephus specifies "300,000 infantry. "(Haydock)
Bet haven. Many copies of the Septuagint read, "Be thoron "more probably, as Bethel must have been on the east of Machmas, which lay north of Gabaa, chap xiv. 5. (Calmet) "over-against Be thoron on the south. "(Grabe) (Haydock)
Hebrew also, "having Bet haven on the east. "Bethel was called Bet haven after the schism of Jeroboam, so that this name seems to have been substituted by a later writer, (Calmet) unless it might have had both names long before, Josue xviii. 12. (Haydock)
This is not contrary to chap. vii. 13, as the Philistines had been quiet for a long time. Hebrew álom, properly denotes the term of a jubilee or 50 years. (Du Hamel)
