The remnants of a defeated army; large-scale destruction and God's judgment against Israel's enemies
The number 15000 appears in Judges 8:10, where it describes the remaining soldiers of the army of the people of the East under the leaders Zebah and Zalmunna. Of an original force of 135000 sword-wielding men, only 15000 remained – the other 120000 had fallen. In this context, the number illustrates the extent of God's judgment upon Midian and Israel's enemies through Gideon's campaign. Although 15000 does not have an independent, well-established symbolic meaning in biblical numerology, it serves narratively as a testimony to the overwhelming victory God gave Israel, where more than 88 percent of the enemy army had already been destroyed. The number can be broken down into 15 × 1000, where both components carry biblical symbolism, but the product itself, 15000, is not attributed any special mystical meaning in traditional sources. The number 15 holds some significance in Jewish tradition. It is linked to the holiday Tu BiShvat (the 15th day of the month of Shvat) and to the 15 "Songs of Ascents" (Shir HaMa'alot, Psalms 120–134), which, according to the Mishnah (Middot 2:5), were sung on the 15 steps between the Women's Court and the Israelites' Court in the temple. The number 1,000 is often used in the Bible as a large, rounded figure expressing fullness or military strength (cf. 1 Sam 18:7; Ps 50:10). In the combination 15,000, it emphasizes the massive scale of the army. Gideon's victory over Midian is a central example in the Book of Judges of God's intervention through a small force against a superior enemy. The original 135,000 opposing Gideon's 300 men make the numerical contrasts theologically meaningful as an expression of divine power.*