Scholars explain that the figure of "thirty and two thousand chariots" should not be taken literally, as this would be an impossibly large number for any ancient army. Instead, they suggest it either refers to the total number of hired troops (charioteers and horsemen combined) or is a stylistic way to emphasize that the enemy's main strength was its chariotry. This resolves a potential textual difficulty and aligns the account with its parallel in 2 Samuel.