1 Samuel 14:1-11

1 One day Jonathan, the son of Saul, spoke to the young man who was carrying his armor. "Come on," he said. "Let's go over to the Philistine army camp on the other side of the pass." But he didn't tell his father about it.

2 Saul was staying just outside Gibeah. He was under a pomegranate tree in Migron. He had about 600 men with him.

3 Ahijah was one of them. He was wearing a sacred linen apron. He was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub. Ahitub was the son of Eli's son Phinehas. Eli had been the LORD's priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

4 Jonathan planned to go across the pass to reach the Philistine camp. But there was a cliff on each side of the pass. One cliff was called Bozez. The other was called Seneh.

5 One cliff stood on the north side of the pass toward Micmash. The other stood on the south side toward Geba.

6 Jonathan spoke to the young man who was carrying his armor. He said, "Come on. Let's go over to the camp of those fellows who aren't circumcised. Perhaps the LORD will help us. If he does, it won't matter how many or how few of us there are. That won't keep the LORD from saving us."

7 "Go ahead," the young man said. "Do everything you have in mind. I'm with you all the way."

8 Jonathan said, "Come on, then. We'll go across the pass toward the Philistines and let them see us.

9 Suppose they say to us, 'Wait there until we come to you.' Then we'll stay where we are. We won't go up to them.

10 But suppose they say, 'Come up to us.' Then we'll climb up. That will show us that the LORD has handed them over to us."

11 So Jonathan and the young man let the soldiers in the Philistine camp see them. "Look!" said the Philistines. "Some of the Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in."

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1 Samuel 14:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 14

This chapter gives an account of an adventure of Jonathan and his armourbearer smiting a garrison of the Philistines, 1Sa 14:1-14, which with other circumstances struck terror into the whole army; which being observed by Saul's spies, he and his men went out against them, and being joined by others, pursued them, and obtained a complete victory, 1Sa 14:15-23, but what sullied the glory of the day was a rash oath of Saul's, adjuring the people not to eat any food till evening which Jonathan not hearing of ignorantly broke, 1Sa 14:24-31 and which long fasting made the people so ravenous, that they slew their cattle, and ate them with the blood, contrary to the law of God, for which they were reproved by Saul, 1Sa 14:32-34, upon which he built an altar, and inquired of the Lord whether he should pursue the Philistines all that night till morning, but had no answer; which made him conclude sin was committed, and which he inquired after, declaring that if it was his own son Jonathan that had committed it he should surely die, 1Sa 14:35-39, the people being silent, he cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonathan; who had it not been for the resolution of the people that rescued him out of his hands, because of the great salvation he had wrought, must have died, 1Sa 14:40-46 and the chapter is cited with an account of Saul's battles with the neighbouring nations in general, and of his family, 1Sa 14:47-52.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

1 Samuel 14:1-11

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1 Samuel 14:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 14