1 Samuel 13:18

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.)

1 Samuel 13:18 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 13:18

And another company turned the way to Bethhoron
Of which name there were two cities, the upper and nether, and both in the tribe of Ephraim, of which see ( Joshua 16:3 Joshua 16:5 ) this lay northwest from the camp of the Philistines at Michmash; eight miles from it, according to Bunting ^F4:

and another company turned to the way of the border, that looketh
towards the valley of Zeboim, toward the wilderness;
some take this to be the Zeboim which was destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah; and the wilderness, the wilderness of Jordan; but as that, so the valley in which it stood, was turned into a bituminous lake; this seems to be a city in the land of Benjamin, ( Nehemiah 11:34 ) near to which was a valley, and this towards the wilderness of Jericho, and so lay eastward; the Targum calls it the valley of vipers, perhaps from its being infested with many; and so David de Pomis ^F5 says it is the name of a place where plenty of serpents were found, and which he says were called so because of the variety of colours in them; with which agrees Kimchi's note on the place; they seem to mean serpents spotted ^F6, as if they were painted and dyed of various colours, as the Hebrew word which is thus paraphrased signifies: according to Bunting ^F7, it was eight miles from Michmash.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F4 Travels of the Patriarchs p. 133.
F5 Tzemach David, fol. 13. 2. & 153. 1.
F6 (aiolon ofin) , Homer. Iliad. 12. ver. 208. "notis maculosus grandibus", Virgil. Georgic. l. 3. v. 427.
F7 Ut supra. (Travels of the Patriarchs p. 133.)

1 Samuel 13:18 In-Context

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.)

20 Therefore all Israel went down to the Philistines, that each man should sharpen his share, and his pickax, and his ax, and his cutting hook; (And so all Israel needed to go down to the Philistines, where each man could sharpen his plowshare, and his pickax, and his ax, and his cutting hook;)