1 Samuel 13:20

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;)

1 Samuel 13:20 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 13:20

But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines
Were obliged to go into Palestine, into some one or other of the cities of the Philistines, or to their garrisons, where the trade of a smith was exercised:

to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter;
which are the parts of the plough made of iron, with which the earth is cut and thrown up:

and his axe and his mattock;
or pick axe; with the one wood is felled and cut, and with the other stones are dug; and each of these for their several uses needed sharpening; and when they did, they were obliged to go to the Philistines to have them done, they having no smiths among them.

1 Samuel 13:20 In-Context

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;)

21 for all the edges of their shares were blunt, and of their pickaxes, and of their three-toothed forks, and of axes, unto a prick to be amended. (for all the edges of their plowshares, their pickaxes, their three-toothed forks, and their axes, were blunt, and needed sharpening.)

22 And when the day of battle came, no sword nor spear was found in the hand of all the people that was with Saul and Jonathan, except Saul, and Jonathan his son. (And so when the day of battle came, no sword or spear was found in the hands of all the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, except Saul, and his son Jonathan.)