1 Samuel 14:44

44 "May God deal harshly with me and worse still if you don't die today!" Saul swore.

1 Samuel 14:44 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 14:44

And Saul answered, God do so and more also
A form of an oath imprecating evils upon him more and greater than he chose to mention, see the like form in ( Ruth 1:17 ) , though Abarbinel thinks this is not the form of an oath, but an asseveration of a curse that would befall him; as that God would not answer him when he inquired of him, and that he would add to do so again and again, if he died not:

for thou shall surely die, Jonathan;
such words from a father must be very striking to a son, and argue a want of paternal affection in Saul, that could call his son by his name, and deliver such a speech unto him in so strong a manner.

1 Samuel 14:44 In-Context

42 Then Saul said, "Decide between me and my son Jonathan." And Jonathan was selected.
43 "Tell me what you've done," Saul said to Jonathan. So Jonathan told him. "I only took a very small taste of honey on the end of my staff," he said. "And now I'm supposed to die?"
44 "May God deal harshly with me and worse still if you don't die today!" Saul swore.
45 But the troops said to Saul, "Why should Jonathan die when he has won this great victory for Israel? No way! As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair off his head will fall to the ground, because he did this today with God's help." So the troops rescued Jonathan, and he wasn't executed.
46 Then Saul stopped chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines went back to their own country.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. LXX; MT if you don’t die, Jonathan
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible