2835. chasiph
Lexical Summary
chasiph: Leaf, foliage

Original Word: חָשִׂף
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chasiph
Pronunciation: khaw-SEEF
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-seef')
KJV: little flock
NASB: little flocks
Word Origin: [from H2834 (חָשַׂף - bared)]

1. (properly) drawn off, i.e. separated
2. (hence) a small company (as divided from the rest)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
little flock

From chasaph; properly, drawn off, i.e. Separated; hence, a small company (as divided from the rest) -- little flock.

see HEBREW chasaph

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from chasaph
Definition
little flock
NASB Translation
little flocks (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[חָשִׂיף] noun masculine only plural construct כִּשְׁנֵי חֲשִׂפֵי עִזִּים 1 Kings 20:27 ᵐ5 ᵑ9 ᵑ7 and most, two little flocks of goats (חשׂיף = segregatum, strictly what is stripped off), but this without other evidence than authority of the Vrss; Klo proposes בַּשְּׁפִי מִשְׁמַּט עִזִּים on the bare height, after the manner of goats.

Topical Lexicon
Semantic Overview

The Hebrew verb חָשִׂף carries the idea of stripping off, laying bare, or drawing up for action. In military contexts it pictures troops who have removed encumbrances so they can stand ready for engagement. While the root can describe literal bareness, its lone biblical appearance uses the term figuratively for a force that has been “stripped down” to fighting readiness.

Scriptural Occurrence (1 Kings 20:27)

“And the sons of Israel were mustered, equipped, and went out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.” (Berean Standard Bible)

The clause “were mustered, equipped” translates חָשִׂף in the reflexive stem. Israel’s soldiers presented themselves free of non-essential baggage, able to respond instantly to the Lord’s call. The contrast is deliberate: a lean, purified band of covenant warriors against a vast Syrian host that “covered the countryside.”

Historical Setting

Ben-hadad of Aram had already invaded once and suffered a humiliating setback (1 Kings 20:13–21). He returns with “all” his army, reinforced by thirty-two vassal kings. Israel, reduced in number and resources after years of apostasy under Ahab, gathers at Aphek. The use of חָשִׂף highlights how completely their survival rests on God, not on numerical strength or elaborate provisioning. Their stripped-down formation becomes a living testimony that “the battle is the LORD’s” (1 Samuel 17:47).

Spiritual and Theological Implications

1. Readiness through removal. Scripture frequently couples divine victory with the stripping away of human reliance—Gideon’s three hundred (Judges 7), Asa’s confession (2 Chronicles 14:11), the disciples told to carry no purse (Luke 10:4). חָשִׂף accents that theme: God often trims His people to essentials so His glory will be unmistakable.
2. Holiness as exposure. To be uncovered before God is to be honest and undefended (Hebrews 4:13). Israel’s “bare” ranks hint at the deeper call to spiritual transparency—a community unclothed from idols, ready for obedient service.
3. Typological echo of the Church. New-covenant believers are likewise summoned to lay aside weights (Hebrews 12:1), put off the old self (Ephesians 4:22), and arm themselves only with what the Lord supplies (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Practical Applications for Ministry

• Mobilization: Leadership today must discern when programs, debt, or traditions hinder rapid obedience. A congregation “stripped” to prayer, Scripture, and sacrificial love may appear small beside worldly empires, yet history proves such bodies have outsized impact.
• Spiritual disciplines: Fasting, simplicity, and confession enact the heart of חָשִׂף—deliberately removing comforts so the soul stands alert before God.
• Mission strategy: Frontier workers often serve with minimal resources. The lone biblical use of חָשִׂף legitimizes lean, mobile teams that depend on divine provision rather than logistical abundance.

Intertextual Connections

Exodus 14:14 – “The LORD will fight for you, while you remain still.” Israel in 1 Kings 20 embodies this principle by standing exposed yet victorious.
Psalm 33:16–17 – “No king is saved by his vast army.” The psalmist’s warning materializes when Aram’s crowd fills the valley while Israel’s two “little flocks” prevail.
Zechariah 4:6 – “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” חָשִׂף anticipates this prophetic maxim.

Reflection for Personal Walk

The solitary light of חָשִׂף asks every believer: What layers of self-reliance need to be stripped away so that Christ’s sufficiency shines? As Israel learned at Aphek, vulnerability under God’s command is a position of incomparable strength.

Forms and Transliterations
חֲשִׂפֵ֣י חשפי chasiFei ḥă·śi·p̄ê ḥăśip̄ê
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Englishman's Concordance
1 Kings 20:27
HEB: נֶגְדָּ֗ם כִּשְׁנֵי֙ חֲשִׂפֵ֣י עִזִּ֔ים וַאֲרָ֖ם
NAS: them like two little flocks of goats,
KJV: before them like two little flocks of kids;
INT: before two little of goats the Arameans

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 2835
1 Occurrence


ḥă·śi·p̄ê — 1 Occ.

2834
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