What Does Judges 20:17 Mean in the King James?
And the men of Israel, beside Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men that drew sword: all these were men of war.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
“Numbered” comes from a Hebrew root that can also mean mustering or appointing, so this count gathers people into an organized force.
THE MEANING
The verse places 400,000 sword-bearing men on one side of Benjamin and names them as warriors. The Hebrew verb for “numbered” also carries the sense of mustering, making the tally a picture of people assembled for war.
THE ROOT
הִתְפָּקְדוּ
hitpaqdu
GROWS FROM
פקד
p-q-d
to attend to, muster, appoint, or count
“numbered” in this verse is hitpaqdu. The verb comes from פקד, whose meanings include attending to people and mustering or counting them. Its branches מִפְקָד (mifqad, muster or numbering) and פָּקִיד (paqīd, appointed officer or overseer) show that this count can carry the sense of organizing people for a charge.
ALSO GROWS
mifqad: muster, numbering, or place of mustering
מִפְקָד
This branch makes the count sound like an assembled force, not merely a figure on a page.
paqīd: appointed officer or overseer
פָּקִיד
This branch shows the root’s connection to assigning people roles and responsibility.
THE PATTERN
Conflict becomes a visible human force when people are counted, mustered, or measured against one another.
From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?THE THREAD
From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.“Number them” translates the same root, פקד, that appears as “numbered” here. Numbers makes the military purpose explicit: the count is organized by armies, and Judges shows the assembled force ready with swords.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us