1 Samuel 13:17

17 And three companies went out of the Philistines? tents to take prey; one company went against the way of Ophrah, to the land of Shual (one group went toward Ophrah, in the land of Shual);

1 Samuel 13:17 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 13:17

And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in
three companies
Saul not daring to come out to fight them, and there being none throughout the land to oppose them, they sent out three companies of soldiers to ravage and spoil the country; of so little use and service was a king to Israel, they were so extremely desirous of; and this was suffered, to convince them of their vain confidence in him, and that their trust ought to be in the Lord their God; never was their country more exposed to rapine and violence than now:

one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah;
a city in the land of Benjamin, of which see ( Joshua 18:23 ) and lay southwest from Michmash, where the army of the Philistines were:

unto the land of Shual:
which the Targum paraphrases,

``the land of the south;''

it seems to have had its name from the multitude of foxes in it, Shual signifying a fox.

1 Samuel 13:17 In-Context

15 And Samuel rose, and went up from Gilgal into Gibeah of Benjamin; and the people that (were) left went up after Saul against the people that fought against them; and they came from Gilgal into Gibeah, in the hill of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people, that were found with him, as six hundred men. (And Samuel rose up, and went away from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin; and the people who were left went up with Saul to fight against their enemies; and they came from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul counted the people who were found with him, and there were about six hundred men.)

16 And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that was found with them, was in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the Philistines sat together in Michmash. (And Saul, and his son Jonathan, and the people who were found with them, were in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the Philistines sat together in Michmash.)

17 And three companies went out of the Philistines? tents to take prey; one company went against the way of Ophrah, to the land of Shual (one group went toward Ophrah, in the land of Shual);

18 and another company entered by the way of Bethhoron; and the third company turned itself to the way of the term in the land of Diba; and that term nigheth to the valley of Zeboim against the desert. (and the second group went by the way of Bethhoron; and the third group turned toward the way of the border at Wadi Abu Diba; and that border overlooketh the Zeboim Valley and the wilderness.)

19 And none ironsmith was found in all the land of Israel; for the Philistines were wary, either eschewed, lest peradventure the Hebrews made sword either spear. (And no ironsmith was found in all the land of Israel; for the Philistines forbade them, lest the Hebrews made for themselves swords or spears.)