1 Samuel 13:21

21 El precio era dos tercios de siclo por las rejas de arado, las azuelas, las horquillas, las hachas, y para arreglar las aguijadas.

1 Samuel 13:21 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 13:21

Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters,
and for the forks, and for the axes
Those that would not go to the Philistines, or were not able, or thought it too much trouble, these kept files by them to sharpen those several instruments with upon occasion; though the words are by some rendered in connection with the preceding, to this sense, that they went to the Philistines to sharpen them, when the mouths, or edges, of the mattocks, coulters were dull; or "blunt" ^F9; and so needed sharpening; and even

to sharpen the goads;
with which they pricked and pushed on the oxen in ploughing, when sluggish and remiss.

(The word for "file" in the verse is (Myp) "pim", and occurs only here in the Hebrew scriptures. It is not used elsewhere in other Hebrew writings. Therefore the translators of the 1611 Authorised Version had only the root derivation to deduce what the word meant. Literally, it means "a file with mouths". However, recently archaeologists have found a stone inscribed with this word. Also they found a stone inscribed with the word "shekel". Hence they deduced that the word was really a weight of measure equal to about one third of a shekel. Newer translations usually translate this as "the charge was a third of a shekel ...", hence removing the obvious contradiction between this verse and the preceding one. Editor.)

---

FOOTNOTES:

F9 (Myp hryuph htyhw) "retusae itaque erant acies vomerum", V. L. "quandoquidem acies cultrorum aratri" "obtusae erant", Tigurine version.

1 Samuel 13:21 In-Context

19 En toda la tierra de Israel no podía hallarse ningún herrero, pues los filisteos decían: No sea que los hebreos hagan espadas o lanzas.

20 Y todo Israel tenía que descender a los filisteos, cada cual para afilar la reja de su arado, su azuela, su hacha o su aguijada.

21 El precio era dos tercios de siclo por las rejas de arado, las azuelas, las horquillas, las hachas, y para arreglar las aguijadas.

22 Y sucedió que en el día de la batalla, no había espada ni lanza en mano de ninguna de la gente que estaba con Saúl y Jonatán, pero sí las había en mano de Saúl y de su hijo Jonatán.

23 Y la guarnición de los filisteos salió hacia el paso de Micmas.