1 Samuel 14:15

15 And a miracle was done in the Philistines? tents, and by their fields, but also all the people of the Philistines? station that went out to take prey, dreaded, and their tents were troubled; and it befelled as a miracle of God. (And so terror spread across that field, and among the Philistines? host, or army, and all the people at the Philistines? station who went out to take prey were afraid, and the army was greatly troubled; and so it befell as a miracle of God.)

1 Samuel 14:15 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 14:15

And there was trembling in the host in the field
Belonging to Michmash, where the army lay encamped:

and among all the people;
the inhabitants of Michmash, or that attended the army, and furnished them with provisions, trafficking with them; the common people, as distinguished from the soldiers:

the garrison;
those that were in it, who did not sally out, but perceiving a great slaughter made of their outer scouts, were seized with a panic:

and the spoilers they also trembled;
who had been about the country, ravaging and plundering it, and were returned with their booty; see ( 1 Samuel 13:17 )

and the earth quaked;
the inhabitants of it thereabout, or the earth itself literally; a real earthquake was caused at the same time, which increased the terror:

so that it was a very great trembling;
both with respect to the numbers that were affected with it throughout the camp and garrison, and the causes of it; the terrible apprehension they had of a large army just ready to rush upon them; the earth quaking and opening in various places, threatening to swallow them up; and perhaps suspicions of treachery among themselves, they consisting of various nations, and some among them Hebrews; hence they fell upon and slew one another, ( 1 Samuel 14:20 1 Samuel 14:21 ) , or "a trembling of God" ^F21; either in the same sense to which we translate it, as cedars of God, flame of God that is, large and great ones; or which came from God; it was he that sent this trembling among them, struck their minds with fear and dread, so that they were in the utmost consternation, and knew not what to do, nor which way to take, and had no heart to oppose the enemy, and defend themselves.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 (Myhla tdrxl) "in trepidationem Dei", Montanus, Drusius, Vatablus.

1 Samuel 14:15 In-Context

13 And Jonathan went up, creeping on hands and feet, and his squire after him; and when they had seen the face of Jonathan, some felled down before Jonathan, his squire killed others, and followed him (and when they were face to face with Jonathan, he killed some, and his squire killed some others, following his master).

14 And the first wound was made, which Jonathan and his squire smote, as of twenty men, in the middle part of land, which a pair of oxen was wont to ear in the day. (And so the first attack was made, in which Jonathan and his squire killed about twenty men, in the middle part of a field which a pair of oxen could plow in a day.)

15 And a miracle was done in the Philistines? tents, and by their fields, but also all the people of the Philistines? station that went out to take prey, dreaded, and their tents were troubled; and it befelled as a miracle of God. (And so terror spread across that field, and among the Philistines? host, or army, and all the people at the Philistines? station who went out to take prey were afraid, and the army was greatly troubled; and so it befell as a miracle of God.)

16 And the espyers of Saul beheld this doing, that were in Gibeah of Benjamin, and lo! a multitude of the Philistines was cast down, and fleeing away hither and thither. (And Saul's watchmen, who were in Gibeah of Benjamin, beheld this event, and lo! many Philistines were thrown down, and others fled away here and there.)

17 And Saul said to the people that were with him, Seek ye, and see ye, who went away from us. And when they had sought, it was found, that Jonathan and his squire were not present.