2 Kings 13:7 Jehoahaz had no army left, except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

◄ 2 Kings 13:7 ►

New International Version
Nothing had been left of the army of Jehoahaz except fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had destroyed the rest and made them like the dust at threshing time.

New Living Translation
Finally, Jehoahaz’s army was reduced to 50 charioteers, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Aram had killed the others, trampling them like dust under his feet.

English Standard Version
For there was not left to Jehoahaz an army of more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

Berean Standard Bible
Jehoahaz had no army left, except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

King James Bible
Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

New King James Version
For He left of the army of Jehoahaz only fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers; for the king of Syria had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

New American Standard Bible
For he left to Jehoahaz no more of the army than fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry, because the king of Aram had eliminated them and made them like the dust at threshing.

NASB 1995
For he left to Jehoahaz of the army not more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and 10,000 footmen, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

NASB 1977
For he left to Jehoahaz of the army not more than fifty horsemen and ten chariots and 10,000 footmen, for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

Legacy Standard Bible
For he did not leave to Jehoahaz any people for the army except 50 horsemen and 10 chariots and 10,000 foot soldiers, for the king of Aram had caused them to perish and made them like the dust at threshing.

Amplified Bible
For he left to Jehoahaz [king of Israel] an army of no more than fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 footmen, for the king of Aram (Ben-hadad) had destroyed them and made them like dust to be trampled.

Christian Standard Bible
Jehoahaz did not have an army left, except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them, making them like dust at threshing.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Jehoahaz did not have an army left, except for 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them, making them like dust at threshing.

American Standard Version
For he left not to Jehoahaz of the people save fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria destroyed them, and made them like the dust in threshing.

English Revised Version
For he left not to Jehoahaz of the people save fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria destroyed them, and made them like the dust in threshing.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jehoahaz had no army left except for 50 horses, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers because the king of Aram had destroyed the rest. He had made them like dust that people trample.

Good News Translation
Jehoahaz had no armed forces left except fifty cavalry troops, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Syria had destroyed the rest, trampling them down like dust.

International Standard Version
For the Aramean king had left only 50 cavalry, ten chariots, and 10,000 soldiers out of the army belonging to Jehoahaz, because the king of Aram had destroyed the others, making them like chaff left over after threshing.

Majority Standard Bible
Jehoahaz had no army left, except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

NET Bible
Jehoahaz had no army left except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers. The king of Syria had destroyed his troops and trampled on them like dust.

New Heart English Bible
For he did not leave to Jehoahaz of the people any more than fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Aram destroyed them, and made them like the dust in threshing.

Webster's Bible Translation
Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

World English Bible
For he didn’t leave to Jehoahaz of the people any more than fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria destroyed them and made them like the dust in threshing.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
for he did not leave to Jehoahaz of the people except fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Aram has destroyed them, and makes them as dust for threshing.

Young's Literal Translation
for he left not to Jehoahaz of the people except fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, for the king of Aram hath destroyed them, and maketh them as dust for threshing.

Smith's Literal Translation
For he left not to Jehoahaz of the people but fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Aram destroyed them, and he will set them as dust to trample upon.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Joachaz had no more left of the people than fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen: for the king of Syria had slain them, and had brought them low as dust by thrashing in the barnfloor.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And there was left to Jehoahaz from the people nothing but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers. For the king of Syria had killed them, and he had reduced them to become like dust on a threshing floor.

New American Bible
No army was left to Jehoahaz, except fifty horses with ten chariots and ten thousand foot soldiers, since the king of Aram had destroyed them and trampled them like dust.

New Revised Standard Version
So Jehoahaz was left with an army of not more than fifty horsemen, ten chariots and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
There was not left much of an army to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen and ten chariots and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Aram had destroyed them and had made them like the dust under his feet.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And a people was not left to Yahuakhaz but only fifty horsemen and twenty chariots and ten thousand Foot Soldiers, because the King of Edom destroyed them and made them as dust to tread on.

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
For there was not left to Jehoahaz of the people save fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Aram destroyed them, and made them like the dust in threshing.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Whereas there was not left any army to Joachaz, except fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand infantry: for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and they made them as dust for trampling.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Jehoahaz Reigns in Israel
…6Nevertheless, they did not turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit, but they continued to walk in them. The Asherah pole even remained standing in Samaria. 7Jehoahaz had no army left, except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Aram had destroyed them and made them like the dust at threshing. 8As for the rest of the acts of Jehoahaz, along with all his accomplishments and his might, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

2 Kings 10:32-33
In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory / from the Jordan eastward through all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh), and from Aroer by the Arnon Valley through Gilead to Bashan.

2 Kings 14:26-27
For the LORD saw that the affliction of the Israelites, both slave and free, was very bitter. There was no one to help Israel, / and since the LORD had said that He would not blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

2 Kings 8:12
“Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.”

2 Kings 10:32
In those days the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael defeated the Israelites throughout their territory

2 Kings 13:3
So the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He delivered them continually into the hands of Hazael king of Aram and his son Ben-hadad.

2 Kings 13:22-23
And Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. / But the LORD was gracious to Israel and had compassion on them, and He turned toward them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And to this day, the LORD has been unwilling to destroy them or cast them from His presence.

2 Kings 14:25
This Jeroboam restored the boundary of Israel from Lebo-hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word that the LORD, the God of Israel, had spoken through His servant Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.

2 Kings 15:29
In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.

2 Kings 17:20
So the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His presence.

2 Kings 18:9-12
In the fourth year of Hezekiah’s reign, which was the seventh year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah over Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria marched against Samaria and besieged it. / And at the end of three years, the Assyrians captured it. So Samaria was captured in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel. / The king of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes. ...

2 Kings 19:32-34
So this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria: ‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow into it. He will not come before it with a shield or build up a siege ramp against it. / He will go back the way he came, and he will not enter this city, declares the LORD. / I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”

Isaiah 7:8
For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin. Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered as a people.

Isaiah 9:12
Aram from the east and Philistia from the west have devoured Israel with open mouths. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

Hosea 13:16
Samaria will bear her guilt because she has rebelled against her God. They will fall by the sword; their little ones will be dashed to pieces, and their pregnant women ripped open.

Amos 1:3-5
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Damascus, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they threshed Gilead with sledges of iron. / So I will send fire upon the house of Hazael to consume the citadels of Ben-hadad. / I will break down the gates of Damascus; I will cut off the ruler from the Valley of Aven and the one who wields the scepter in Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,” says the LORD.

Treasury of Scripture

Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing.

fifty horsemen

1 Samuel 13:6,7,15,19-23
When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits…

1 Kings 20:15,27
Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand…

Isaiah 36:8
Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

the king

2 Kings 8:12
And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.

2 Kings 10:32
In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel;

like the dust

Psalm 18:42
Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

Isaiah 41:2,15,16
Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow…

Joel 3:14
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

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2 Kings 13

1. Jehoahaz's wicked reign
3. Jehoahaz, oppressed by Hazael, is relieved by prayer
8. Joash succeeds him
10. His wicked reign
12. Jeroboam succeeds him
14. Elisha dying, prophesies to Joash three victories over the Syrians
20. The Moabites invading the land, Elisha's bones raise a dead man.
22. Joash gets three victories over Ben-hadad

Berean Study Bible

Nothing had been left
This phrase underscores the totality of the devastation experienced by the army of Jehoahaz. In the Hebrew text, the word "nothing" (אַיִן, 'ayin) conveys a sense of absolute absence, emphasizing the complete depletion of military resources. This reflects the dire consequences of Israel's disobedience to God, as they faced the repercussions of their actions through the loss of their military strength.

the army of Jehoahaz
Jehoahaz was the king of Israel, and his reign was marked by spiritual decline and military defeat. The term "army" (חַיִל, chayil) in Hebrew often denotes not just military might but also valor and strength. The depletion of Jehoahaz's army signifies the weakening of Israel's national power and the loss of divine favor due to their idolatry and sin.

except fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers
This enumeration of the remaining forces highlights the meager remnants of what was once a formidable army. The numbers are symbolic of a drastically reduced military capability. In ancient Near Eastern warfare, horsemen and chariots were crucial for battle, and their scarcity here indicates a significant strategic disadvantage. The mention of "ten thousand foot soldiers" might seem substantial, but in the context of ancient armies, it was insufficient for effective defense or offense.

for the king of Aram had destroyed them
The king of Aram, likely Hazael or his son Ben-Hadad, was a persistent adversary of Israel. The Hebrew verb "destroyed" (שָׁחַת, shachat) implies a thorough and deliberate act of devastation. This reflects the historical context of Aram's military campaigns against Israel, which were allowed by God as a form of judgment against Israel's unfaithfulness.

and made them like the dust at threshing
This simile vividly illustrates the extent of the destruction. In ancient agricultural practices, threshing involved separating grain from chaff, with the chaff being blown away like dust. The imagery of being reduced to "dust" (עָפָר, afar) conveys utter defeat and insignificance. It serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of turning away from God, as Israel's strength was scattered and rendered inconsequential.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(7) Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz.--Rather, For he had not left to Jehoahaz (any) people (i.e., war folk; 1Kings 16:15). The subject appears to be Jehovah. The narrative returns, after the long parenthesis, to the statement of 2Kings 13:4, "and Jehoahaz besought Jehovah (for he had not left, &c.)." Or we might render, "one had not left," i.e., "there was not left."

Fifty horsemen, and ten chariots.--The mention of so small a number appears to indicate the result of the Israelite losses in some great battle, or in successive engagements. The destruction of these particular kinds of forces was equivalent to complete disarmament, and rendered further resistance hopeless, as the Syrians were especially strong in chariots and horsemen. (See Note on 2Kings 2:12.)

Had made them like the dust by threshing.--Rather, and set them like the dust to trample on or tread underfoot. Israel was down-trodden by the conqueror. (Comp. 2Samuel 22:43; Isaiah 10:6.) . . .

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 7. - Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen. This verse seems to be an exegetical note on ver. 4, which perhaps it once followed immediately, the parenthetic section (vers. 5 and 6) having been added later, as an afterthought, either by the original writer, or perhaps by a later hand. The meaning seems to be that Hazael limited the standing army of Jehoahaz to fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen, not that he slew the entire military population except this small remnant. The policy of limiting the forces to be maintained by a subject-king was one known to the Romans, and has often been adopted in the East. It is still a part of our own policy in the government of India. The limitation left the country at the mercy of all its neighbors (see ver. 20). For the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing. Possibly this means no more than an utter destruction - a trampling in the dust, as we phrase it (see Jeremiah 51:33; Micah 4:12, 13; and perhaps Isaiah 21:10). But it may be an allusion to that destruction of prisoners by means of a threshing instrument, which was certainly sometimes practiced (2 Samuel 12:31; Proverbs 20:26), and which is made a special charge against Damascus (Amos 1:3. See Pusey's 'Minor Prophets,' p. 158).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Jehoahaz
לִיהוֹאָחָ֜ז (lî·hō·w·’ā·ḥāz)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3059: Jehoahaz -- 'Yah has grasped', the name of several Israelites

had no
לֹא֩ (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

army
עָ֗ם (‘ām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

left,
הִשְׁאִ֨יר (hiš·’îr)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7604: To swell up, be, redundant

except
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

fifty
חֲמִשִּׁ֤ים (ḥă·miš·šîm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 2572: Fifty

horsemen,
פָּֽרָשִׁים֙ (pā·rā·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6571: A steed, a driver, cavalry

ten
וַעֲשָׂ֣רָה (wa·‘ă·śā·rāh)
Conjunctive waw | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 6235: Ten

chariots,
רֶ֔כֶב (re·ḵeḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7393: A vehicle, a team, cavalry, a rider, the upper millstone

and ten
וַעֲשֶׂ֥רֶת (wa·‘ă·śe·reṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Number - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6235: Ten

thousand
אֲלָפִ֖ים (’ă·lā·p̄îm)
Number - masculine plural
Strong's 505: A thousand

foot soldiers,
רַגְלִ֑י (raḡ·lî)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7273: A footman

because
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the king
מֶ֣לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Aram
אֲרָ֔ם (’ă·rām)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 758: Aram -- Syria

had destroyed them
אִבְּדָם֙ (’ib·bə·ḏām)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6: To wander away, lose oneself, to perish

and made them
וַיְשִׂמֵ֥ם (way·śi·mêm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

like the dust
כֶּֽעָפָ֖ר (ke·‘ā·p̄ār)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

at threshing.
לָדֻֽשׁ׃ (lā·ḏuš)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1758: To trample, thresh

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OT History: 2 Kings 13:7 For he didn't leave to Jehoahaz (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)