CONTEXT: The word elef usually means 1,000.
In war stories the term refers to a military unit most likely far fewer
than 1,000, though the narrator could be exaggerating for effect. An empire like Assyria or
Babylonia could field an army of thousands but in the days of the kings of
Israel, 300 was probably a force that could be raised and armed, provisioned,
and sent against a town or another army.
Having
no more than a reading acquaintance with armies, I went looking for a
comprehensible set of military terms to use in these stories, I came across the
following:
Squad
/Section 9-10
soldiers
Platoon 16-44
soldiers
Company/Battery/Troop 62-190
soldiers
Battalion/Squadron 300-1000
soldiers
Brigade/Regiment/Group 3000-5000
soldiers
This
is not to suggest a similarity between twentieth century US Army and forces
raised in the eighth century BCE.
Rather, I am thinking that an ancient narrator who spoke of an elef or multiples thereof, probably had
in mind what a present day writer would call “battalion.”
2
Kings 14
Amatsyahu
ben Yoash ben Achazyah, ben Y’horam and Ataliah, in the line of King
David, began his reign in Jerusalem when Yoash
ben Yoachaz ben Yehu, king of Israel, was in his second year. That was
about 800 BCE. He was twenty-five when he became king and his mother
was Y’hoadan of Jerusalem. He did
right in the eyes of Yah, only not as much as his ancestor David. He behaved like his father, Yoash: he
did not put away the bamot altars, so
the people still brought offerings and incense there. When his hand grew strong enough he killed those courtiers
who had assassinated his father.
But he did not kill their children for it is written in the Book of the
Torah of Moshe as commanded by Yah: “Fathers shall not be executed for their
sons nor sons for their fathers. A
man can be executed only for his own sin.”(Deuteronomy 24:16)
Insert
2 Chronicles 25:5-16
Amatsyahu
assembled the nation, Y’hudah, by families, with battalion commanders and
company commanders. From all
Y’hudah and Binyamin, aged twenty and above, he found three hundred battalions
fit to fight with spear and shield.
He also hired from Ephraim in Yisrael a hundred battalions of seasoned
warriors. He paid a hundred loaves
of silver.
Then
a man of the god came to warn him: “The King! Let not this Yisrael host join
you, for Yah is not with them–all these B’nei Efrayim. For even if you go mighty to battle the
god can make you stumble before the enemy. For there is power in the god to support
or to make stumble.”
“And
what’s to be done about the hundred loaves I gave for the Yisrael army?”
“Yah
has it to give you much more than this.”
So
Amatsyahu separated the army that had come from Ephraim. They were furious at Y’hudah when he
sent them home. Anger burned in
their noses as they returned.
Gathering
his strength, Amatsyahu led his people towards the Valley of Salt and there
struck down ten battalions of B’nei S’ir.
The B’nei Y’hudah captured another ten battalions live, took them to a
rocky cliff where they threw them off.
They were all dashed to pieces.
Meanwhile,
the army that Amatsyahu had released from accompanying him in battle raided the
cities of Y’hudah, from Shomron to Beit Choron, killing three thousand and
taking a lot of spoil.
After
returning from striking the Edomim, Amatsyahu brought the b’neiSeir’s gods and
set them up for himself as gods.
He worshipped before than and made smoke. Yah
was furious with him and sent a prophet: “Why have you sought of that people’s
gods? They did not save them from
your hand.”
“Have
we appointed you royal counselor?” Amatsyahu interrupted. “Hold off if you don’t want to be
killed.”
So
the prophet held off but said, “I know God has counseled to destroy you for
doing this and not obeying my counsel.”
Back
to 2 Kings 14
Then,
Amatsyahu of Y’hudah, sent messengers to Y’hoash of Yisrael: “Let’s
faceoff! Eye to eye!” Y’hoash sent back: “The brier sends to
the cedar of Lebanon saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son as woman?’ Along comes a beast of the field and
tramples that briar! So you beat
Edom and now you’re feeling high.
Do yourself a favor. Stay
home. Why stir up trouble and
fall, you and Y’hudah along with you?”
Amatsyahu
paid no attention. Y’hoash came up
and they faced off at Bet Shemesh in Y’hudah, twenty miles by road west
of Y’rushalayim. Y’hudah was beaten by Yisrael and every man, as they
say, fled to his tent. Y’hoash captured Amatsyahu and then
proceeded to Y’rushalayim. There
he smashed down 400 amah -- 600 feet --
of the city wall, from the Efrayim Gate to the Corner Gate. He took all the gold and the silver and
all the vessels found in the House of Yah and in the palace treasury. And he took hostages before returning
to Shomron.
The
rest of the deeds done by Y’hoash, his heroic acts, his fighting with
Amatsyahu, king of Y’hudah, are to be found written in the scroll of chronicles
of the kings of Yisrael.
Y’hoash lay with his ancestors, buried in Shomron with the kings of
Yisrael. Y’rov’am his son reigned
in his place.
Amatsyahu
benYoash, king of Y’hudah, lived fifteen years past the death of Y’hoash.
As
for Amatsyahu, they conspired against him in Jerusalem so he fled to Lachish, 35
miles to the southwest. They sent after him to Lachish and killed
him there. His body they brought
back on the horses and buried in Y’rushalayin with his ancestors in the City of
David.
Then
the people of Y’hudah united to place the sixteen year old Azaryah on the
throne in place of his father, Amatsyahu.
Azaryah built Eilat and returned the area to Y’hudah.
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