1 Samuel 14:4

4 And betwixt the goings up, by which Jonathan endeavoured to pass to the station of (the) Philistines, were stones standing forth on ever either side, and scars broken before, by the manner of teeth, on each side (and broken scarps on each side, like teeth); (the) name to the one was Bozez, and (the) name to the tother was Seneh;

1 Samuel 14:4 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 14:4

And between the passages by which Jonathan sought to go over
unto the Philistines' garrison
One of which is called the passage of Michmash, ( 1 Samuel 13:23 ) and was that by which they went from Gibeah to Michmash; the other, which might be called the passage of Gibeah, was that by which they went from Michmash to Gibeah, and in effect was but one; and this was seized by the garrison of the Philistines, on that part of it which was towards Michmash; so that there was no way of access to the camp of the Philistines, which Jonathan therefore proposed to go over to and destroy, but his difficulties were very great:

there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other
side;
not that there was on each side of the passage or passages to the right and left a cragged rock, between which men passed as they went from place to place; for the position of them in the next verse shows the contrary; but there was "the tooth of a rock" ^F12, as it is in the original text; or a promontory or prominence on the one side towards Michmash, which stood out like a tooth; and another promontory or prominence on that towards Gibeah; so that both must be gone over to get to the camp, the only passage being guarded by the garrison; and indeed it seems to me there was but one rock, and two precipices at the opposite parts of it, and which stood between the passages, which precipices must be climbed over:

and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh;
which, according to the Targum, the one signifies "lubrication", being smooth and slippery, and the other "treading", being more trodden and beaten: but Hillerus ^F13 derives both from clay, which seems not so agreeable to a rock; though in another place ^F14 he makes the former to have its name from whiteness, which is the colour of some rocks and clifts; and one should think the latter rather has its name from bushes, brambles, and thorns, that might grow upon it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 (eloh Nv) "dens petrae", Pagninus, Montanus; "scopulus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
F13 Onomastic. Sacr. p. 73, 82.
F14 Ibid. p. 43.

1 Samuel 14:4 In-Context

2 And Saul dwelled in the last part of Gibeah, under a pomegranate tree, that was in the field of Gibeah; and the people as of six hundred men was with him. (And Saul remained in the last part of Gibeah, under a pomegranate tree, that was in Migron; and the people who were with him were about six hundred men.)

3 And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, [the] brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, that was engendered of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, bare the ephod, that is, the priest's cloak; but also the people knew not whither Jonathan had gone (and the people did not know that Jonathan had gone).

4 And betwixt the goings up, by which Jonathan endeavoured to pass to the station of (the) Philistines, were stones standing forth on ever either side, and scars broken before, by the manner of teeth, on each side (and broken scarps on each side, like teeth); (the) name to the one was Bozez, and (the) name to the tother was Seneh;

5 one scar was standing forth to the north (over) against Michmash, and the tother scar to the south (over) against Gibeah. (one scarp was to the north, facing Michmash, and the other scarp was to the south, facing Gibeah.)

6 And Jonathan said to his young squire, Come thou, pass we (over) to the station of these uncircumcised men, if in hap the Lord do (battle) for us; for it is not hard to the Lord to save, either in many, either in few (for it is not hard for the Lord to keep a man safe, yea, either a few, or many).