1 Kings 20:27

And the children of Israel were numbred, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them, like two little flockes of kids: but the Syrians filled the countrey. 1 Kings 20:27 (KJV)

In 1 Kings 20, we find the account of a conflict between the Syrian king, Ben-Hadad, and the Israelites under the leadership of King Ahab. After Ben-Hadad’s initial siege of Samaria and subsequent demands, a second battle occurred at Aphek. Ben-Hadad had laid siege to the city of Samaria, demanding a surrender and the surrendering of valuable possessions. A prophet instructed Ahab to fight against the Syrians. Ahab seeks the LORD’s counsel, and the LORD instructs him to go out and fight the Syrians. The verse states: ‘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.’ The verse begins by mentioning that the children of Israel were numbered and all present. This implies unity and preparedness for battle. Counting the people was a way to assess their strength and readiness for warfare. This passage describes the Israelites’ preparation for battle at Aphek. Their positioning as ‘two little flocks of kids’ illustrates their small numbers compared to the vast Syrian forces, yet they obeyed God’s command to engage.

Israel’s positioning: The verse goes on to describe how the Israelites positioned themselves before the Syrians, comparing them to “two little flocks of kids.” This imagery suggests relative weakness compared to the vast Syrian army, yet they gathered obediently to confront their enemy. The Syrians filled the country, highlighting their overwhelming numerical advantage and the daunting odds faced by the Israelites. Despite the Syrians’ overwhelming presence across the land, the Israelites faced them with divine assurance.

The quotation presented at the beginning of the article—”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.”—does not appear in 1 Kings 20 in the King James Version. The biblical account of the conflict between Ben‑Hadad, king of Syria, and the Israelites under King Ahab is recorded without this wording. In 1 Kings 20 the narrative describes Ben‑Hadad laying siege to Samaria and demanding Ahab’s surrender along with valuable possessions. The text does not provide a specific enumeration of the Israelite forces, nor does it liken them to “two little flocks of kids” or claim that the Syrians “filled the country.” These descriptive elements are not supported by the scriptural passage and should be omitted or rephrased to reflect the actual content of 1 Kings 20.