1. 1 Samuel 26:2 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

How many men did Saul take with him on the search?

1 Samuel 26:2 (ESV)

2 So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

According to the Hebrew, Saul took three eleph with him. Eleph could refer to a company/unit1 of men or to thousand. Most likely, given what he knew of the men that David had with him (see 1 Samuel 25:13), he took at least two or three times that number to ensure that he had numerical superiority.2