The Philistines sent a modern army that had many men.1 It was much bigger and better equipped than the troops who were originally with Saul and Jonathan.2 The description of the Philistine army is reminiscent of the Canaanite coalition that attacked Joshua (Joshua 11:4) and the Midianite horde that opposed Gideon (Judges 7:12). In both cases the Lord gave Israel a complete victory (Joshua 11:8; Judges 7:22).3
5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.