Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G Message"Instead, I counsel you to rally all Israel to your side — from Dan to Beersheba, as vast as the sand on the seashore — with you leading the charge in person."
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.G"So I counsel this: let all Yisra'el be mustered to you, from Dan to Be'er-Sheva — as countless as the sand on the seashore — and that you yourself go into battle."
KJV
King James VersionTherefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleInstead, I advise that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba—a multitude like the sand on the seashore—be gathered to you, and that you yourself lead them into battle.
Footnotes
The formula 'from Dan to Beersheba' (מִדָּן וְעַד-בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, *mi-Dan ve'ad Be'er Sheva*) is the standard biblical idiom for the full territorial extent of the land, north to south. Hushai's counter-strategy deliberately overawes Absalom with scale: instead of Ahithophel's lean 12,000 elite troops, Hushai envisions an overwhelming national levy — one that would take precious time to assemble. The flattery of placing Absalom personally at the front ('you yourself') appeals to royal vanity and is entirely calculated. FOG preserves the Hebrew geographic names; FOG Message uses standard English equivalents.
