1 Kings 20:27
“And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Israel musters its forces, vastly outnumbered, and takes position before the Syrians.
Context
The Israelite army is mobilized and stands ready to meet the Syrian advance. Though numbered and ready, Israel appears tiny beside the Syrian multitude—described as two small flocks of sheep beside a landscape filled with enemies.
What Does 1 Kings 20:27 Mean?
Picture the moment: the Israelites are gathered, they are all present, every man ready. Yet as they look across the valley, the ground seems to move with Syrians. Horses, chariots, foot soldiers without number. Israel is two little flocks of kids—small, vulnerable, watched over by a shepherd. The Syrians fill the whole country. Every human calculation screams that Israel is about to be destroyed. Any general who saw this disparity would despair.
But Israel is not relying on generals' calculations. Israel has heard the word of the Lord through the prophet. Israel is about to learn, in the most visceral way, that the size of the enemy is irrelevant when God is on your side. We, too, face moments when the odds are overwhelming, when the threats are many, when the way forward seems impossible. In those moments, we are being invited to believe that God is larger than our circumstances, and that His word is more real than our eyes can measure.
In the Original Language
gaydim (גדיים) - kids, young goats; a term of endearment but also of vulnerability. Israel's position is humbling, its need for God absolute.
Application
When you face a challenge that seems to dwarf your resources, can you rest in the fact that God is not moved by the size of the opposition? What would it mean to pitch your tent before the enemy, knowing that your strength is not your own?