1 Samuel 13:3

3 Yonatan struck the garrison of the Pelishtim that was in Geva: and the Pelishtim heard of it. Sha'ul blew the shofar throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

1 Samuel 13:3 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 13:3

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in
Geba
Not the same with Gibeah of Benjamin, as Jarchi; for it can hardly be thought that Jonathan should place himself with his thousand men where the Philistines had a garrison; or that if this was the same with that in the preceding verse, that it should be called by another name in this; but Gibeah and Geba were two places, as Kimchi observes, both indeed in the tribe of Benjamin, and it is very probable not far from one another; see ( Joshua 18:24 Joshua 18:28 ) . This seems to be the same with the hill of God, where was a garrison of the Philistines, ( 1 Samuel 10:5 ) , who after their defeat by Samuel contented themselves with some strong holds and garrisons in some parts of the land to keep Israel in awe; the Targum understands this of a single person, a governor of the Philistines in this place, whom Jonathan slew, and so Jarchi; and according to R. Isaiah he was one that was appointed to gather the tax for them:

and the Philistines heard of it,
which alarmed them, and made them prepare for war:

and Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land;
not he in person, for he was at Gilgal, as the next verse shows; but he ordered it to be blown, being aware of the preparations the Philistines were making to attack him:

saying, let the Hebrews hear;
both what his son had done, and what the Philistines were doing.

1 Samuel 13:3 In-Context

1 Sha'ul was [forty] years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Yisra'el,

2 Sha'ul chose him three thousand men of Yisra'el, whereof two thousand were with Sha'ul in Mikhmash and in the Mount of Beit-El, and one thousand were with Yonatan in Gevah of Binyamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

3 Yonatan struck the garrison of the Pelishtim that was in Geva: and the Pelishtim heard of it. Sha'ul blew the shofar throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

4 All Yisra'el heard say that Sha'ul had struck the garrison of the Pelishtim, and also that Yisra'el was had in abomination with the Pelishtim. The people were gathered together after Sha'ul to Gilgal.

5 The Pelishtim assembled themselves together to fight with Yisra'el, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Mikhmash, eastward of Beit-Aven.