1 Samuel 13:12-22

12 I said, Now (the) Philistines shall come down to me in(to) Gilgal, and I have not pleased the face of the Lord; (and so) I was compelled by need, and I offered (a) burnt sacrifice to the Lord.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done follily, and thou hast not kept the behests of thy Lord God, which he commanded to thee (Thou hast done foolishly, and thou hast not obeyed the command of the Lord thy God, which he commanded to thee); and if thou haddest not done this thing, right now the Lord had made ready thy realm upon Israel [into] without end;
14 but thy realm shall not rise further. The Lord hath sought a man to himself after his heart; and the Lord hath commanded to him, that he should be duke on his people, for thou keptest not those things which the Lord commanded. (but now thy kingdom shall not endure. And the Lord shall seek another man for himself after his own heart; and the Lord shall command him, that he should be the ruler over his people, for thou hast not kept, or obeyed, what the Lord commanded to thee.)
15 And Samuel rose, and went up from Gilgal into Gibeah of Benjamin; and the people that (were) left went up after Saul against the people that fought against them; and they came from Gilgal into Gibeah, in the hill of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people, that were found with him, as six hundred men. (And Samuel rose up, and went away from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin; and the people who were left went up with Saul to fight against their enemies; and they came from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul counted the people who were found with him, and there were about six hundred men.)
16 And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that was found with them, was in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the Philistines sat together in Michmash. (And Saul, and his son Jonathan, and the people who were found with them, were in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the Philistines sat together in Michmash.)
17 And three companies went out of the Philistines? tents to take prey; one company went against the way of Ophrah, to the land of Shual (one group went toward Ophrah, in the land of Shual);
18 and another company entered by the way of Bethhoron; and the third company turned itself to the way of the term in the land of Diba; and that term nigheth to the valley of Zeboim against the desert. (and the second group went by the way of Bethhoron; and the third group turned toward the way of the border at Wadi Abu Diba; and that border overlooketh the Zeboim Valley and the wilderness.)
19 And none ironsmith was found in all the land of Israel; for the Philistines were wary, either eschewed, lest peradventure the Hebrews made sword either spear. (And no ironsmith was found in all the land of Israel; for the Philistines forbade them, lest the Hebrews made for themselves swords or spears.)
20 Therefore all Israel went down to the Philistines, that each man should sharpen his share, and his pickax, and his ax, and his cutting hook; (And so all Israel needed to go down to the Philistines, where each man could sharpen his plowshare, and his pickax, and his ax, and his cutting hook;)
21 for all the edges of their shares were blunt, and of their pickaxes, and of their three-toothed forks, and of axes, unto a prick to be amended. (for all the edges of their plowshares, their pickaxes, their three-toothed forks, and their axes, were blunt, and needed sharpening.)
22 And when the day of battle came, no sword nor spear was found in the hand of all the people that was with Saul and Jonathan, except Saul, and Jonathan his son. (And so when the day of battle came, no sword or spear was found in the hands of all the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, except Saul, and his son Jonathan.)

1 Samuel 13:12-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 13

This chapter relates how Saul disposed of his army, 1Sa 13:1,2 that Jonathan his son smote a garrison of Philistines, which provoked them to come out with a large army against them, to the great terror of the Israelites, many of whom fled to secret places, and to distant parts, 1Sa 13:3-7, that Saul tarried at Gilgal waiting for Samuel, but he not coming so soon as expected, offered sacrifice himself, 1Sa 13:8-10 for which Samuel, when he came, reproved him, and told him the kingdom should not continue with him, but be given to another man, 1Sa 13:11-14 on which Saul departed to Gibeah, where he continued, the Philistines being encamped at Michmash, 1Sa 13:15,16 from whence went out spoilers, in three companies, into the land of Israel, where they met with no opposition; for there were no weapons in the hands of any but Saul and Jonathan, the Philistines having taken care that there should be no smith in the land of Israel to make them any, so that they were defenceless, 1Sa 13:17-23.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.