1 Samuel 14:1-23

Jonathan's Victory

1 Now the day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was carrying his armor, "Come and let us cross over to the Philistines' garrison that is on the other side." But he did not tell his father.

2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of ¹Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in ²Migron. And the people who were with him were ³about six hundred men,

3 and Ahijah, the ⁴son of Ahitub, ⁵Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the LORD at ⁶Shiloh, ⁷was wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

4 ⁸Between the passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp crag on the one side and a sharp crag on the other side, and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

5 The one crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba.

6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, "Come and let us cross over to the garrison of ⁹these uncircumcised; perhaps the LORD will work for us, for ¹⁰the LORD is not restrained to save by many or by few."

7 His armor bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your desire."

8 Then Jonathan said, "¹¹Behold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them.

9 "If they say to us, 'Wait until we come to you'; then we will stand in our place and not go up to them.

10 "But if they say, 'Come up to us,' then we will go up, for the LORD has given them into our hands; and ¹²this shall be the sign to us."

11 When both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, "Behold, ¹³Hebrews are coming out of the holes where * they have hidden themselves."

12 So the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, "Come up to us and ¹⁴we will tell you something." And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come up after me, for ¹⁵the LORD has given them into the hands of Israel."

13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him.

14 That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land.

15 And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and ¹⁶the raiders trembled, and ¹⁷the earth quaked so ¹⁸that it became a great trembling.

16 Now Saul's watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away; and they went here and there.

17 Saul said to the people who were with him, "Number now and see who has gone from us." And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

18 Then Saul said to Ahijah, "¹⁹Bring the ark of God here." For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel.

19 ²⁰While Saul talked to the priest, the commotion in the camp of the Philistines continued and increased; so Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand."

20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, ²¹every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.

21 Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines previously, who went up with them all around in the camp, even ²²they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

22 When all the ²³men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also pursued them closely in the battle.

23 So ²⁴the LORD delivered Israel that day, and the battle spread beyond ²⁵Beth-aven.

1 Samuel 14:1-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 14

This chapter gives an account of an adventure of Jonathan and his armourbearer smiting a garrison of the Philistines, 1Sa 14:1-14, which with other circumstances struck terror into the whole army; which being observed by Saul's spies, he and his men went out against them, and being joined by others, pursued them, and obtained a complete victory, 1Sa 14:15-23, but what sullied the glory of the day was a rash oath of Saul's, adjuring the people not to eat any food till evening which Jonathan not hearing of ignorantly broke, 1Sa 14:24-31 and which long fasting made the people so ravenous, that they slew their cattle, and ate them with the blood, contrary to the law of God, for which they were reproved by Saul, 1Sa 14:32-34, upon which he built an altar, and inquired of the Lord whether he should pursue the Philistines all that night till morning, but had no answer; which made him conclude sin was committed, and which he inquired after, declaring that if it was his own son Jonathan that had committed it he should surely die, 1Sa 14:35-39, the people being silent, he cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonathan; who had it not been for the resolution of the people that rescued him out of his hands, because of the great salvation he had wrought, must have died, 1Sa 14:40-46 and the chapter is cited with an account of Saul's battles with the neighbouring nations in general, and of his family, 1Sa 14:47-52.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Samuel 13:15, 16
• 2. Isaiah 10:28
• 3. 1 Samuel 13:15
• 4. 1 Sam 22:9-12, 20
• 5. 1 Samuel 4:21
• 6. 1 Samuel 1:3
• 7. 1 Samuel 2:28
• 8. 1 Samuel 13:23
• 9. 1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Jeremiah 9:25, 26
• 10. Judges 7:4, 7; 1 Samuel 17:46, 47; Psalms 115:3; Psalms 135:6; Zechariah 4:6; Matthew 19:26
• 11. Judges 7:9-14
• 12. Genesis 24:14; Judges 6:36
• 13. 1 Samuel 13:6; 1 Samuel 14:22
• 14. 1 Samuel 17:43, 44
• 15. 2 Samuel 5:24
• 16. 1 Samuel 13:17, 18
• 17. 1 Samuel 7:10
• 18. Genesis 35:5; 2 Kings 7:6
• 19. 1 Samuel 23:9; 1 Samuel 30:7
• 20. Numbers 27:21
• 21. Judges 7:22; 2 Chronicles 20:23
• 22. 1 Samuel 29:4
• 23. 1 Samuel 13:6
• 24. Exodus 14:30; 1 Samuel 10:19; 1 Samuel 14:23; 1 Chronicles 11:14; 2 Chronicles 32:22; Psalms 44:7
• 25. 1 Samuel 13:5

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "carrying"
• [b]. Lit "heart"
• [c]. Lit "say thus"
• [d]. Lit "say thus"
• [e]. Lit "answered"
• [f]. Lit "trembling of God"
• [g]. Lit "muster(ed)"
• [h]. Lit "muster(ed)"
• [i]. Lit "passed over"