Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Chris Watts <dekruidnootjes AT eircom.net>]

Well No not really.  The slight issue here is that we think of Kings  
and nations as vast countries with armiea numbering in their hundreds  
of thousands.  But in those days a King could be incharge of just 2  
or 5 cities and have an army of 5000 and the little town an army of  
500 hidden behind well defended walls for example.  Now I know all  
this is speculation, but it is based on common logic drawn from  
accounts and historical episodes that I have read down through the  
years.  I am remided of the account in Genesis where Abraham, for  
example, sets of with just 500 of his servants and defeats 5 Kings,  
not one, but 5. That should really sum it all up for an apetizer.
Chris Watts
Ireland



On 12 Jul 2013, at 06:56, Pere Porta wrote:

Then, Chris, you do not think that our "great king" in Ecc 9:14 comes at
the head of a great army (= many men)... to attack the little town?
If so....  how could he build up the big works of war?



Pere Porta

2013/7/11 Chris Watts <dekruidnootjes AT eircom.net>

> Pere, my immediate reacion to tis verse is Yes it could be real.  By
> virtue of a number of conclusions that I draw:
> 1.   A great King it says, not a great army; meaning a well known and
> feared leader
> 2.  I am reminded of historical moments in history in Europe where the
> army outnumbered the occupants of a small town and had to besiege  
> it for
> months.  Especially during the wars between the English and French in
> France during the early medieval period.
> 3.  Even small towns could have had very inaccessible points of  
> entry for
> a would be attacker, and maybe the 'great king' did not want to waste
> valuable men in a straight forward frontal approach, even though he  
> could
> have been successful he might then have become resented by his  
> troops for
> such an enormous sacrifice for such a little town where this little  
> town
> was no threat to him strategically, maybe the twon had just  
> insulted this
> king and the king was more concerned about his pride than with  
> obtaining
> any strategic value from such a move.
>
>
> Chris Watts
> Ireland
>
>
>
>
> On 11 Jul 2013, at 12:06, Pere Porta wrote:
>
> Dear b-hebrew listers,
>
> concerning Ecc 9:14.
> I think that the scenary descripton the author offers us in this  
> verse is
> something imagined...  not real.
> Namely,
> 1. Is it logical that a GREAT king makes an attack on a LITTLE town?
> 2. Is it logical that this king builds BIG works of war round about al
> LITTLE town?
>
>  Is this a good reason to think that it is an imagined scenario and  
> not a
> real one?
>
> Pere Porta


--
Pere Porta