1 Samuel 14:30-40

30 how much more if the people had eaten (some) of the prey of their enemies, that they found; whether not greater vengeance had been made in [the] Philistines? (would not a greater slaughter have been done to the Philistines?)
31 Therefore they smote [the] Philistines in that day from Michmash into Aijalon. And the people was made full weary; (And so they struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. But the people were made faint;)
32 and (so) the people turned to [the] prey, and took sheep and oxen, and calves; and they killed these beasts upon the earth (and they killed these beasts on the ground); and (then) the people ate the flesh with (the) blood (still in it).
33 And they told to Saul, and said, that the people eating with blood had sinned to the Lord. And Saul said, Ye have trespassed; wallow ye anon to me a great stone. (And they told Saul, and said, The people have sinned against the Lord, eating the flesh with the blood! And Saul said, Ye have all trespassed; roll ye a great stone over to me at once.)
34 And Saul said, Go ye forth abroad into the common people, and say ye to them, that each man (should) bring to me his ox and his wether, (or his ram); and slay ye those upon this stone, and (then) eat ye them, and (so) ye shall not do sin to the Lord, (by) eating them with (the) blood. And so all the people brought each man an ox in his hand unto the night, and they killed them there (And so into the night each man brought forth an ox, and they killed them there).
35 And Saul builded there an altar to the Lord; and then first he began to build an altar to the Lord. (And Saul built an altar there to the Lord; and this was the first altar that he built to the Lord.)
36 And Saul said, Fall we upon the Philistines in the night, and waste we/destroy we them till the morrowtide shine; and leave we not of them a man (alive). And the people said, Do thou all thing that seemeth good to thee in thine eyes. And the priest said, Nigh we hither to God.
37 And Saul counselled with the Lord, and said, Whether I shall pursue the Philistines? whether thou shalt betake them into the hands of Israel? And the Lord answered not to him in that day. (And Saul counselled with the Lord, and asked, Shall I pursue the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hands of Israel? But the Lord did not answer him that day.)
38 And Saul said, Bring ye hither all the corners, or the uttermost parties, of the people (Bring ye here all the chieftains, or the chief men, of the people), and know ye, and see ye, by whom this sin hath fallen today.
39 The Lord the saviour of Israel liveth; for (even) if it is done by Jonathan my son, he shall die without again-drawing. At which oath no man of all the people against-said him. (As the Lord liveth, yea, the saviour, or the deliverer, of Israel; for even if it is done by my son Jonathan, he shall die without any drawing back, or without delay. At which oath no one of all the people answered anything back to him.)
40 And he said to all Israel, Be ye separated into one part, and I with my son Jonathan shall be in the tother part. And the people answered to Saul, Do thou that, that seemeth good to thine eyes (Do thou what seemeth good in thine eyes).

1 Samuel 14:30-40 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.

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