|
|
| Display: [references|view all] | | | Problem | How many men did Joab count? How many men did Joab count?
2 Sam 24:9
Israel: 800,000
Judah: 500,000
1 Chron 21:5
Israel: 1,100,000
Judah: 470,000 | Date: Mar 3, 2007 By: Adam Engesath 31 Problems29 Solutions | References | | 1 Chronicles 21:5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword. | | 2 Samuel 24:9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men. | | User Solutions/Comments | | Date: Jun 19, 2007 | Posted By: Preacherman | The answer lays in the translation. The first passage states that Joab gave the census to David and the number was 800,000 while the second passage says that their were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword. The word VALIANT is the key. There were a total of 1,100,000 men however only 800,000 were valiant. The other 300,000 were reserves. There is a classification between one who draws the sword and a valiant man who draws the sword. An example would be a military ranking such as a sergeant vs. a general. Both would be in their respects services but have significantly different rankings.
As for the 500,000 vs. 6 states that Joab had not finished the census because of David’s conviction of sin. He did not include Levi or Benjamin. So the 470,000 would have been and accurate number at that time.
| | Post a solution! |
|
