1 Samuel 14:14

14 And the first wound was made, which Jonathan and his squire smote, as of twenty men, in the middle part of land, which a pair of oxen was wont to ear in the day. (And so the first attack was made, in which Jonathan and his squire killed about twenty men, in the middle part of a field which a pair of oxen could plow in a day.)

1 Samuel 14:14 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 14:14

And the first slaughter which Jonathan and his armourbearer
made was about twenty men
Or the first blow they struck, as the Targum, they killed about twenty men; that is, they did not stop smiting, but followed their blows so quickly, that in a very little time, as well as in a very small space of ground, so many were killed:

even within as it were an half acre of land,
which a "yoke" of oxen might plough; that is, in one day; the word is used for a furrow, ( Psalms 129:3 ) and is supposed by some ^F16 to be the length of one furrow; but if so, it must be a circular furrow; so much ground was given to Horatius Cocles as could be ploughed round about in one day, for his brave opposition to Porsena, king of the Etruscans, when he endeavoured to restore the family of the Tarquins ^F17. This was a space of ground which the Romans call "actus", a measure of land one hundred and twenty feet square, which being doubled made an acre, called by them "jugerum", being as much as a yoke of oxen could plough in one day, as Pliny says ^F18; so that an acre was two hundred and forty feet long, and one hundred and twenty broad, and contained an area of 28,800 four square Roman feet; and this space here mentioned, which was half an acre, contained 14,400 Roman feet ^F19; and within this space of ground, without going any further, twenty men were killed, which struck a panic into the whole garrison and host, supposing there was a large army of men behind them coming on, as follows. The Septuagint version renders these words as representing the slaughter made "with darts, and the casts of stones, and flints of the field" ^F20.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Vid. David. de Pomis Lexic. fol. 129. 1.
F17 Aurel. Victor. de vir. illustr. c. 14. Liv. Hist. l. 2. c. 10.
F18 Nat. Hist. l. 18. c. 3. Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 2. c. 20.
F19 Vid. Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. p. 487.
F20 See Dr. Kennicett's Dissertat. 1. p. 453.

1 Samuel 14:14 In-Context

12 And men of the station spake to Jonathan and to his squire, and said, Go ye up to us, and we shall show to you a thing. And Jonathan said to his squire, Ascend we, follow thou me; for the Lord hath betaken them into the hands of Israel. (And the men of the station said to Jonathan and his squire, Come ye over to us, and we shall show you a thing or two. And Jonathan said to his squire, Go we up to them, follow thou me; for the Lord hath delivered them into the hands of Israel.)

13 And Jonathan went up, creeping on hands and feet, and his squire after him; and when they had seen the face of Jonathan, some felled down before Jonathan, his squire killed others, and followed him (and when they were face to face with Jonathan, he killed some, and his squire killed some others, following his master).

14 And the first wound was made, which Jonathan and his squire smote, as of twenty men, in the middle part of land, which a pair of oxen was wont to ear in the day. (And so the first attack was made, in which Jonathan and his squire killed about twenty men, in the middle part of a field which a pair of oxen could plow in a day.)

15 And a miracle was done in the Philistines? tents, and by their fields, but also all the people of the Philistines? station that went out to take prey, dreaded, and their tents were troubled; and it befelled as a miracle of God. (And so terror spread across that field, and among the Philistines? host, or army, and all the people at the Philistines? station who went out to take prey were afraid, and the army was greatly troubled; and so it befell as a miracle of God.)

16 And the espyers of Saul beheld this doing, that were in Gibeah of Benjamin, and lo! a multitude of the Philistines was cast down, and fleeing away hither and thither. (And Saul's watchmen, who were in Gibeah of Benjamin, beheld this event, and lo! many Philistines were thrown down, and others fled away here and there.)