(ח) וַֽיִּפְקְדֵ֖ם בְּבָ֑זֶק וַיִּהְי֤וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ שְׁלֹ֣שׁ מֵא֣וֹת אֶ֔לֶף וְאִ֥ישׁ יְהוּדָ֖ה שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים אָֽלֶף׃

[Saul] mustered them in Bezek: the Israelites numbered 300,000, and Judah’s contingent 30,000.

(The above rendering comes from the RJPS translation, an adaptation of the NJPS translation. Before accounting for this rendering, I will analyze the plain sense of the Hebrew term containing אִישׁ.)


On the “collective” usage of the singular אִישׁ in the context of hostilities, see my comment to Judg 7:23. Here, this usage profiles the referent more precisely as a distinct entity within a larger military force. On such usages, see my comment at Judg 7:24.


As for rendering into English, the NJPS ‘the men of Judah’ nowadays places undue emphasis on masculinity. Furthermore, it relies upon an archaic sense of men as participants. Worst of all, it misses the situational nuance described above. On more properly rendering the Hebrew term into idiomatic English, see my comment at Josh 10:24. Meanwhile, the fact that women are not in view can go without saying, because it is self-evident from the military context.