Earlier, Saul had used 330,000 troops to fight a weaker enemy (1 Samuel 11:8). Choosing 3,000 special troops here likely does not show overconfidence (compare Joshua 7:3–4). Instead, Saul probably saw the need for a smaller, highly trained elite force to handle the troublesome Philistines (see 1 Samuel 14:52).
Michmash was in Benjamin, about 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) northwest of Saul’s home in Gibeah.