Shmuel Alef 13:3

3 And Yonatan struck the outpost of the Pelishtim (Philistines) that was in Geva, and the Pelishtim heard of it. Then Sha’ul blew the shofar throughout kol HaAretz, saying, Let the Ivrim (Hebrews) hear.

Shmuel Alef 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.

Shmuel Alef 13:3 In-Context

1 3 It was in the first year of Sha’ul’s reign, and when he had reigned [his first] two shanim over Yisroel,

2 Sha’ul chose him shloshet alafim of Yisroel; whereof two elef were with Sha’ul at Michmash and in har Beit-El, and an elef were with Yonatan in Giveat Binyamin; and the rest of HaAm he sent back every ish to his ohel.

3 And Yonatan struck the outpost of the Pelishtim (Philistines) that was in Geva, and the Pelishtim heard of it. Then Sha’ul blew the shofar throughout kol HaAretz, saying, Let the Ivrim (Hebrews) hear.

4 And kol Yisroel heard the news that Sha’ul had struck the outpost of the Pelishtim (Philistines), and that Yisroel also had become odious to the Pelishtim. And HaAm were called together after Sha’ul at Gilgal.

5 And the Pelishtim (Philistines) gathered themselves together to fight against Yisroel, sheloshim elef merkavot and sheshet alafim parashim, and soldiers like the chol (sand) which is on the seashore in multitude; and they came up, and encamped at Michmash, east of Beit-Aven.