1Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man that was his armorbearer, Come, let us go over to the garrison of the Philistines that is on the other side. But he did not tell his father. 2And Saul was sitting at the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. 3Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of Jehovah at Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4Between the passes by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5The one rock was a pillar northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah. 6And Jonathan said to the young man that was his armorbearer, Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that Jehovah will work for us; for nothing restrains Jehovah, to save by many or by few. 7So his armorbearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart. Turn then; behold, I am with you according to your heart. 8And Jonathan said, Behold, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9If they say thus to us, Wait until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. 10But if they say thus, Come up to us; then we will go up, for Jehovah has delivered them into our hand; and this will be a sign to us. 11So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden. 12And the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will teach you something. And Jonathan said to his armorbearer, Come up after me, for Jehovah has delivered them into the hand of Israel. 13And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And his armorbearer followed, killing them. 14That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within an area of land half the size that a yoke of oxen might plow in a day. 15And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. 16And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold the multitude had melted away; and they went, striking down one another. 17Then Saul said to the people who were with him, Number and see who has gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. 18And Saul said to Ahijah, Bring the ark of God here (for the ark of God was with the sons of Israel that day). 19And it happened, while Saul spoke to the priest, that the roar in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hand. 20And Saul and all the people with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and behold every man's sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion. 21Moreover the Hebrews who had previously retreated from the Philistines into the surrounding areas, they also joined the camp of the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines had fled, they also pursued closely after them in the battle. 23So Jehovah saved Israel that day, and the battle passed over to Beth Aven. 24And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, Cursed is the man who eats food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies. So none of the people tasted food. 25Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground. 26And when the people had come into the forest, there was the flowing honey; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened. 28Then one of the people said, Your father adjured the people with an oath, saying, Cursed is the man who eats food this day. And the people were faint. 29And Jonathan said, My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I have tasted a little of this honey. 30How much better if the people had eaten to feed themselves today of the spoils of their enemies which they have found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines? 31And they drove back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon; and the people were very faint. 32And the people rushed upon the spoils, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate with the blood. 33And they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people are sinning against Jehovah to eat with the blood! So he said, You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this moment. 34And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, Bring me here each man his ox and his sheep, slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against Jehovah to eat with the blood. So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there. 35And Saul built an altar unto Jehovah. This was the first altar that he built unto Jehovah. 36And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatever is good in your eyes. And the priest said, Let us draw near to God here. 37And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel? But He did not answer him that day. 38And Saul said, Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. 39For as Jehovah lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall be executed to death. But not one of all the people answered him. 40Then he said to all Israel, You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side. And the people said to Saul, Do what is good in your eyes. 41Therefore Saul said to Jehovah the God of Israel, Give a perfect lot. And Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. 42And Saul said, Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me. And Jonathan was taken. 43Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Jonathan confessed to him, and said, I have tasted to eat a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Behold, I must die! 44And Saul answered, God do so and more also; for you shall be executed to death, Jonathan. 45But the people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Let it not be! As Jehovah lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die. 46Then Saul withdrew from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place. 47So when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies all around: against Moab, against the sons of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he condemned them. 48And he dealt with might and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them. 49The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Jishui and Malchishua. And the names of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal. 50The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. 51Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel. 52And war with the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant youth, he gathered them to himself.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 JONATHAN MIRACULOUSLY SMITES THE PHILISTINES' GARRISON. (
1Sam 14:1-14)
the Philistines' garrison--"the standing camp" (
1Sam 13:23, Margin) "in the passage of Michmash" (
1Sam 13:16), now Wady Es-Suweinit. "It begins in the neighborhood of Betin (Beth-el) and El-Bireh (Beetroth), and as it breaks through the ridge below these places, its sides form precipitous walls. On the right, about a quarter of an acre below, it again breaks off, and passes between high perpendicular precipices" [ROBINSON].
2 Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah--Hebrew, "Geba"; entrenched, along with Samuel and Ahiah the high priest, on the top of one of the conical or spherical hills which abound in the Benjamite territory, and favorable for an encampment, called Migron ("a precipice").
4 between the passages--that is, the deep and great ravine of Suweinit.
Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison--a distance of about three miles running between two jagged points; Hebrew, "teeth of the cliff."
there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side . . . Bozez--("shining") from the aspect of the chalky rock.
Seneh--("the thorn") probably from a solitary acacia on its top. They are the only rocks of the kind in this vicinity; and the top of the crag towards Michmash was occupied as the post of the Philistines. The two camps were in sight of each other; and it was up the steep rocky sides of this isolated eminence that Jonathan and his armorbearer (
1Sam 14:6) made their adventurous approach. This enterprise is one of the most gallant that history or romance records. The action, viewed in itself, was rash and contrary to all established rules of military discipline, which do not permit soldiers to fight or to undertake any enterprise that may involve important consequences without the order of the generals.
6 it may be that the Lord will work for us--This expression did not imply a doubt; it signified simply that the object he aimed at was not in his own power--but it depended upon God--and that he expected success neither from his own strength nor his own merit.
9 if they say, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the Lord hath delivered them into our hand--When Jonathan appears here to prescribe a sign or token of God's will, we may infer that the same spirit which inspired this enterprise suggested the means of its execution, and put into his heart what to ask of God. (See on
Gen 24:12).
11 Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes--As it could not occur to the sentries that two men had come with hostile designs, it was a natural conclusion that they were Israelite deserters. And hence no attempt was made to hinder their ascent, or stone them.
14 that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armour-bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow--This was a very ancient mode of measurement, and it still subsists in the East. The men who saw them scrambling up the rock had been surprised and killed, and the spectacle of twenty corpses would suggest to others that they were attacked by a numerous force. The success of the adventure was aided by a panic that struck the enemy, produced both by the sudden surprise and the shock of an earthquake. The feat was begun and achieved by the faith of Jonathan, and the issue was of God.
16 the watchmen of Saul . . . looked--The wild disorder in the enemies' camp was described and the noise of dismay heard on the heights of Gibeah.
17 Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us--The idea occurred to him that it might be some daring adventurer belonging to his own little troop, and it would be easy to discover him.
18 Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God--There is no evidence that the ark had been brought from Kirjath-jearim. The Septuagint version is preferable; which, by a slight variation of the text, reads, "the ephod"; that is, the priestly cape, which the high priest put on when consulting the oracle. That this should be at hand is natural, from the presence of Ahiah himself, as well as the nearness of Nob, where the tabernacle was then situated.
19 Withdraw thine hand--The priest, invested with the ephod, prayed with raised and extended hands. Saul perceiving that the opportunity was inviting, and that God appeared to have sufficiently declared in favor of His people, requested the priest to cease, that they might immediately join in the contest. The season for consultation was past--the time for prompt action was come.
20 Saul and all the people--All the warriors in the garrison at Gibeah, the Israelite deserters in the camp of the Philistines, and the fugitives among the mountains of Ephraim, now all rushed to the pursuit, which was hot and sanguinary.
23 So the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Beth-aven--that is, "Beth-el." It passed over the forest, now destroyed, on the central ridge of Palestine, then over to the other side from the eastern pass of Michmash (
1Sam 14:31), to the western pass of Aijalon, through which they escaped into their own plains.
24 Saul had adjured the people--Afraid lest so precious an opportunity of effectually humbling the Philistine power might be lost, the impetuous king laid an anathema on any one who should taste food until the evening. This rash and foolish denunciation distressed the people, by preventing them taking such refreshments as they might get on the march, and materially hindered the successful attainment of his own patriotic object.
25 all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey--The honey is described as "upon the ground," "dropping" from the trees, and in honeycombs--indicating it to be bees' honey. "Bees in the East are not, as in England, kept in hives; they are all in a wild state. The forests literally flow with honey; large combs may be seen hanging on the trees as you pass along, full of honey" [ROBERTS].
31 the people were very faint. And the people flew upon the spoil--at evening, when the time fixed by Saul had expired. Faint and famishing, the pursuers fell voraciously upon the cattle they had taken, and threw them on the ground to cut off their flesh and eat them raw, so that the army, by Saul's rashness, were defiled by eating blood, or living animals; probably, as the Abyssinians do, who cut a part of the animal's rump, but close the hide upon it, and nothing mortal follows from that wound. They were painfully conscientious in keeping the king's order for fear of the curse, but had no scruple in transgressing God's command. To prevent this violation of the law, Saul ordered a large stone to be rolled, and those that slaughtered the oxen to cut their throats on that stone. By laying the animal's head on the high stone, the blood oozed out on the ground, and sufficient evidence was afforded that the ox or sheep was dead before it was attempted to eat it.
45 the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not--When Saul became aware of Jonathan's transgression in regard to the honey, albeit it was done in ignorance and involved no guilt, he was, like Jephthah [
Judg 11:31,
Judg 11:35], about to put his son to death, in conformity with his vow [
1Sam 14:44]. But the more enlightened conscience of the army prevented the tarnishing the glory of the day by the blood of the young hero, to whose faith and valor it was chiefly due.
47 So Saul . . . fought against all his enemies on every side--This signal triumph over the Philistines was followed, not only by their expulsion from the land of Israel, but by successful incursions against various hostile neighbors, whom he harassed though he did not subdue them.
