1 Samuel 13:1-6

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.

6 When the men of Yisra'el saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits.

1 Samuel 13:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 13

This chapter relates how Saul disposed of his army, 1Sa 13:1,2 that Jonathan his son smote a garrison of Philistines, which provoked them to come out with a large army against them, to the great terror of the Israelites, many of whom fled to secret places, and to distant parts, 1Sa 13:3-7, that Saul tarried at Gilgal waiting for Samuel, but he not coming so soon as expected, offered sacrifice himself, 1Sa 13:8-10 for which Samuel, when he came, reproved him, and told him the kingdom should not continue with him, but be given to another man, 1Sa 13:11-14 on which Saul departed to Gibeah, where he continued, the Philistines being encamped at Michmash, 1Sa 13:15,16 from whence went out spoilers, in three companies, into the land of Israel, where they met with no opposition; for there were no weapons in the hands of any but Saul and Jonathan, the Philistines having taken care that there should be no smith in the land of Israel to make them any, so that they were defenceless, 1Sa 13:17-23.