King James Version

1 Samuel 4:2

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

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Hebrew

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וַיַּעַרְכ֨וּvayaarkhvand put in arrayעָרַךְconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and put in array”, the next action in the storyH6186to set in a row, i.e. arrange, put in order (in a very wide variety of applications)put (set) (the battle, self) in array, compare, direct, equal, esteem, estimate, expert (in war), furnish, handle, join (battle), ordain, (lay, put, reckon up, set) (in) order, prepare, tax, value.פְלִשְׁתִּ֜יםfelishtimPhilistineפְּלִשְׁתִּיnoun, gentilic, masculine, plural, absolute — “Philistine”, the ordinary formH6430a Pelishtite or inhabitant of PeleshethPhilistine.לִקְרַ֣אתliqratto befallקָרָאpreposition, verb, qal, infinitive construct — “to befall”, the to-form of the verbH7122to encounter, whether accidentally or in a hostile mannerbefall, (by) chance, (cause to) come (upon), fall out, happen, meet.יִשְׂרָאֵ֗לyisraelIsraelיִשְׂרָאֵלnoun, proper name — “Israel”H3478Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterityIsrael.וַתִּטֹּשׁ֙vatitoshand let fallנָטַשׁconjunction, verb, qal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and let fall”, the next action in the storyH5203properly, to pound, i.e. smite; by implication (as if beating out, and thus expanding) to disperse; also, to thrust off, down, out or upon (inclusively, reject, let alone, permit, remit, etc.)cast off, drawn, let fall, forsake, join (battle), leave (off), lie still, loose, spread (self) abroad, stretch out, suffer.הַמִּלְחָמָ֔הhamilchamahthe battleמִלְחָמָהdefinite article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “the battle”, the ordinary formH4421a battle (i.e. the engagement); generally, war (i.e. warfare)battle, fight(-ing), war(-rior).וַיִּנָּ֥גֶףvayinagefand beatנָגַףconjunction, verb, niphal, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and beat”, the next action in the storyH5062to push, gore, defeat, stub (the toe), inflict (a disease)beat, dash, hurt, plague, slay, smite (down), strike, stumble, [idiom] surely, put to the worse.יִשְׂרָאֵ֖לyisraelIsraelיִשְׂרָאֵלnoun, proper name — “Israel”H3478Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterityIsrael.לִפְנֵ֣יlifneto a- foreפָּנִיםpreposition, noun, common, both genders, plural, construct — “to a- fore”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6440the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)[phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-…פְלִשְׁתִּ֑יםfelishtimPhilistineפְּלִשְׁתִּיnoun, gentilic, masculine, plural, absolute — “Philistine”, the ordinary formH6430a Pelishtite or inhabitant of PeleshethPhilistine.וַיַּכּ֤וּvayakvand strikeנָכָהconjunction, verb, hiphil, sequential imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and strike”, the next action in the storyH5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound.בַמַּֽעֲרָכָה֙vamaarakhahin armyמַעֲרָכָהpreposition, with the article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “in army”, the ordinary formH4634an arrangement; concretely, a pile; specifically a military arrayarmy, fight, be set in order, ordered place, rank, row.בַּשָּׂדֶ֔הbasadehin fieldשָׂדֶהpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “in field”, the ordinary formH7704a field (as flat)country, field, ground, land, soil, [idiom] wild.כְּאַרְבַּ֥עַתkearbaatas fourאַרְבַּעpreposition, adjective, cardinal, masculine, singular, construct — “as four”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH702fourfour.אֲלָפִ֖יםalafimthousandאֶלֶףadjective, cardinal, both genders, plural, absolute — “thousand”, the ordinary formH505hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousandthousand.אִֽישׁisha certainאִישׁnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “a certain”, the ordinary formH376a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)also, another, any (man), a certain, [phrase] champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-, husband-) man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree), him (that is), husband, man(-kind), [phrase] none, one, people, person, [phra…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel; and when the battle was spread, Israel was smitten before the Philistines; and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines; and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

Young’s Literal Translation

and the Philistines set themselves in array to meet Israel, and the battle spreadeth itself, and Israel is smitten before the Philistines, and they smite among the ranks in the field about four thousand men.

World English Bible

The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel. When they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field.

Darby Translation

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel; and the battle spread, and Israel was routed before the Philistines; and they slew in battle array in the field about four thousand men.

Douay-Rheims

And put their army in array against Israel. And when they had joined battle, Israel turned their backs to the Philistines, and there was slain in that fight here and there in the fields about four thousand men.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel; and when the battle was spread, Israel was smitten before the Philistines; and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And the Philistines prepare to fight with Israel, and the battle was turned against them; and the men of Israel fell before the Philistines, and there were smitten in the battle in the field four thousand men.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ παρατάσσονται ἀλλόφυλοι εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ ἔκλινεν ὁ πόλεμος, καὶ ἔπταισεν ἀνὴρ Ἰσραὴλ ἐνώπιον ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἐπλήγησαν ἐν τῇ παρατάξει ἐν ἀγρῷ τέσσαρες χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν.