1 Samuel 14:26

26 They came upon some honey, but no one took any because they were afraid of the oath.

1 Samuel 14:26 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 14:26

And when the people came into the wood, behold, the honey
dropped
Either from trees, which produced it; so Diodorus Siculus

---

FOOTNOTES:

F20 speaks of trees in some countries which produce honey; or from the sugar canes, as Jarchi; or rather from the honeycombs which were framed in trees by bees; so Hesiod ^F21 speaks of bees making their nests or combs in trees. Ben Gersom thinks that bee hives were placed here in rows by the wayside, from whence the honey flowed; or "went" ^F23, or there was a going of it; perhaps the combs being pressed by the Philistines as they fled: the land of Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey:

but no man put his hand to his mouth;
that is, took not any of the honey and ate it, though it was so near at hand, and there was plenty of it:

for the people feared the oath:
Saul adjured them by, or the imprecation he made on the person that should eat any food that day.

F20 Bibliothec. l. 17. p. 548.
F21 Hesiod, Theogon. ver. 230. Vid. Diodor. Sic. ut supra. (Bibliothec. l. 17. p. 548.)
F23 (vbd Klh) "ambulatio mellis", Montanus; "itio mellis", Drusius; so in Ovid. Metamorph. l. 1. fab. 3. "----jam flumina nectaris ibant".

1 Samuel 14:26 In-Context

24 The men of Israel were miserable that day because Saul had made an oath for all of them. He had said, "No one should eat food before evening and before I finish defeating my enemies. If he does, he will be cursed!" So no Israelite soldier ate food.

25 Now the army went into the woods, where there was some honey on the ground.

26 They came upon some honey, but no one took any because they were afraid of the oath.

27 Jonathan had not heard the oath Saul had put on the army, so he dipped the end of his stick into the honey and lifted some out and ate it. Then he felt better.

28 Then one of the soldiers told Jonathan, "Your father made an oath for all the soldiers. He said any man who eats today will be cursed! That's why they are so weak."