EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries
1 Samuel 14:1-52
Israel’s First King
1 Samuel
Helen Pocock
Chapter 14
v1 A young man carried Jonathan’s *armour. Jonathan was Saul’s son. One day, Jonathan said to the young man, ‘Let us go across to the *Philistine camp on the other side’. But Jonathan did not tell his father. v2 Saul had camped under a pomegranate tree at Migron near Gibeah. There were about 600 men with Saul. v3 Ahijah was with Saul. He wore an *ephod. Ahijah was the son of Ahitub. Ahitub was Ichabod’s brother. Ichabod was the son of Phinehas and the grandson of Eli. Eli was the priest of the *Lord in Shiloh. No one knew that Jonathan had left.
v4 Jonathan had to go along the narrow road in the mountains at Michmash. There was a high cliff on both sides of the road. The name of the cliff on one side was ‘Bozez’. The name of the other cliff was ‘Seneh’. v5 One cliff was on the north side of the road, near Michmash. The other cliff was on the south side, near Geba.
v6 Jonathan spoke to the young man who carried his *armour. ‘Let us go to the camp of those *heathen *Philistines. Perhaps the *Lord will help us. The *Lord can give us success whether there are many of us or just a few of us’.
v7 The young man said, ‘You do what you think is right. I am here to help you’.
v8 Jonathan said, ‘We will go across and let the *Philistines see us. v9 They may tell us to wait for them because they will come across to us. If they say this, we will stay here. v10 But they may tell us to go to them. If so, this means that God will give us success in the battle. So we will go to them’.
v11 Jonathan and his young man went where the *Philistines could see them. The *Philistines said, ‘Look at the *Hebrews. They are coming out of the holes where they were hiding’. v12 The *Philistines shouted to Jonathan and his young man, ‘Come up here to us. We want to tell you something’.
Jonathan said, ‘Follow me. The *Lord has given *Israel success in this battle’.
v13 Jonathan climbed up the cliff using his hands and feet. His young man climbed up just behind him. Jonathan attacked the *Philistines and knocked them down. The young man followed behind Jonathan and killed the *Philistines. v14 Jonathan and his young man killed about 20 men in a small area. This was their first attack.
v15 All the *Philistine soldiers became frightened and confused. This happened to the soldiers in the camp and to those who had gone out to attack. The ground shook. God sent fear.
v16 Saul was at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Some of Saul’s soldiers were watching the *Philistines. They saw that the *Philistines were running away in different directions. v17 Saul said to his army, ‘Count the soldiers. Find out who is missing’. They counted the soldiers. Jonathan and the young man who carried his *armour were not there.
v18 Saul said to Ahijah the priest, ‘Bring the *ark of God here’. At that time, the *ark of God was with the *Israelites. v19 Saul spoke to the priest. At the same time the *Philistine army became more confused. Saul said to the priest, ‘Take your hand away’.
v20 Then Saul and all his men went to fight the *Philistines. They found that the *Philistines were completely confused. They were so confused that they were fighting each other. v21 In the past, some of the *Israelites had joined with the *Philistines. These *Israelites had stayed in the *Philistine camp. Now they went back to the *Israelite army with Saul and Jonathan. v22 Many *Israelites had hidden in the mountains in the land of Ephraim. Now they heard that the *Philistine soldiers were running away. So these *Israelites joined the battle and chased the *Philistines. v23 They fought all the way to Beth Aven and beyond it. That day the *Lord rescued the people of *Israel.
The events of this chapter show that Saul was not a wise king. It shows that Jonathan was braver than Saul. Also, Jonathan trusted the *Lord more than Saul did (compare verses 6, 9 and 10 with verses 18-19). In those days, it was the custom for leaders to have meetings under special trees (see 1 Samuel 22:6 and Judges 4:5). Today, in many hot countries, people meet in the shade of a large tree. The tree in verse 1 was a type of fruit tree. ‘Pomegranate’ is the name of its fruit. Saul was probably planning what to do next. Samuel had left Saul (13:15). But Saul had a priest from Eli’s family. God had judged Eli’s family (Genesis 2:27-36 and Genesis 3:11-14) but they were still priests. An *ephod was the special coat that the priest wore. The priest had the ‘*Urim and Thummim’ in the front part of the *ephod. The priests used them to know God’s decisions (Exodus 28:6-30). Saul had not yet asked God what to do.
Jonathan decided to attack the *Philistines. We do not know why he did not tell his father. The road to Michmash went over the mountains. The *Israelite army had to go along this road to attack the *Philistines. The *Philistines defended this road to keep their army safe from their enemies. Some of the *Philistines stood on the top of the cliff. They could easily attack anyone on the road below. The cliffs had names. ‘Bozez’ meant ‘shining’ because the sun shone on it all day. ’Seneh’ meant ‘sharp’ because sharp bushes grew on it. The *Israelite army was very small. The *Philistine army was huge and had horses and *chariots. In a battle, some soldiers wore *armour. *Armour was special clothes that protected the soldiers from arrows and stones, *spears and swords. A soldier had a helmet (hat) to protect his head. He protected his body with a breastplate (a jacket with no sleeves). Sometimes he had *armour to protect his legs. People made *armour from metal or thick leather. Some soldiers had *shields. A *shield is a large piece of metal or hard leather that they held in front of their bodies. A soldier did not wear his *armour until the battle started. So someone carried his *armour to the battle for him. The soldier chose a man that he trusted.
In verse 6, the ‘*heathen’ means that the *Philistines did not believe in the true God of *Israel. Jonathan trusted the *Lord. He knew that the *Lord gave success. Verses 8-11 describe the way that Jonathan discovered God’s direction. Jonathan and his young man climbed up the cliff and surprised the *Philistines. They killed the small group of *Philistines that were on the top of the cliff. Then God sent fear to all the *Philistine army. A group of Saul’s soldiers was only 5 kilometres (3-4 miles) away. They saw the *Philistines scatter. Saul did not know that Jonathan, with God’s help, caused this.
Someone had brought the *ark of God from Kiriath Jearim (7:1) to be with Saul’s army. Saul had probably asked Ahijah the priest for God’s direction. Ahijah was going to use the *Urim and Thummim in the front of his *ephod. But Saul heard the situation change. He said to Ahijah, ‘Take your hand away’. This means that Saul did not want God’s answer. Instead, he did what he thought was right. God confused the *Philistines so that they fought each other. Many men from Saul’s army had hidden (Genesis 13:2-7). Now they joined Saul again. Other *Israelites had not been loyal to *Israel. They probably joined the *Philistines so that the *Philistines did not kill them. Now these men saw that the *Israelites were killing the *Philistines. So they went back to fight with Saul.
Jonathan, Saul and the army fought the *Philistines. But they won because the *Lord rescued them (verse 23). Exodus 14:30 uses the same words. Then, God led the *Israelites out of the land of Egypt and across the Red Sea.
Jonathan ate honey
v24 The men of *Israel were miserable that day. Saul had made a promise for all the men. He had said, ‘I will not allow anyone to eat any food before this evening. Or before I have finished defeating my enemies. If anyone eats, I will punish him’. So none of Saul’s army ate any food. v25 The *Israelite army went into a forest. There was honey on the ground. v26 The men saw all the honey in the forest. But none of them ate the honey because they were afraid of Saul’s promise. v27 But Jonathan had not heard what his father said. He put the end of his stick into the honey. He ate the honey. Then he felt better. v28 One of the soldiers told Jonathan, ‘Your father made a promise for all the soldiers. He will punish any man who eats anything today. That is why all the men are weak’.
v29 Jonathan said, ‘My father has made trouble for the country. I feel so much better because I ate some of the honey. v30 The men took food from their enemies today. It would have been much better if they had eaten some of it. They would have been able to kill many more *Philistines’.
v31 That day the *Israelites defeated the *Philistines. They fought them all the way from Michmash to Aijalon. Afterwards the *Israelites were extremely tired. v32 They took sheep, cows and young cows from the *Philistines. The *Israelites were so hungry that they killed the animals on the ground. Then they ate the animals with the blood still in them. v33 Someone said to Saul, ‘Look at the people. They are *sinning against the *Lord. They are eating the meat with blood still in it’.
Saul said, ‘You have *sinned. Bring a large stone over here’.
v34 Then Saul said, ‘Go to the men. Tell them that each man must bring his cows and sheep here. They must kill and eat the animals here. Do not *sin against the *Lord. Do not eat meat with the blood still in it’.
So, every man took his animals there and killed them. v35 Then Saul built an *altar to the *Lord. It was the first *altar that Saul had built.
v36 Saul said, ‘We will go and attack the *Philistines tonight until dawn. We will steal everything that they have. And we will kill all of them’.
The men answered, ‘You do what you think is best’.
But the priest said, ‘We should ask God first’.
v37 Saul asked God, ‘Shall I attack the *Philistines? Will you make us successful in the battle?’ But God did not answer Saul that day.
v38 So Saul said to all the leaders of his army, ‘Come here. Let us find out who has *sinned today. v39 The *Lord lives and rescues *Israel. And even if my son Jonathan has *sinned, he must die’. But no one in the army spoke.
v40 Saul said to all the *Israelites, ‘You stand on this side. My son Jonathan and I will stand on the other side’.
The men answered, ‘You do what you think is best’.
v41 Then Saul prayed to the *Lord, the God of *Israel. He said, ‘Give me the right answer’. God picked Saul and Jonathan. The rest of the men were innocent. v42 Saul said, ‘Who is guilty, Jonathan or me?’ God picked Jonathan.
v43 Saul said to Jonathan, ‘Tell me what you have done’.
Jonathan told him, ‘I only ate a little honey from the end of my stick. Must I die now?’
v44 Saul said, ‘Jonathan, may God give me a severe punishment if you do not die’.
v45 But the soldiers said to Saul, ‘Jonathan had great success for *Israel. He will not have to die. We promise by the living God that he will not lose even one hair on his head. God helped Jonathan in this battle today’. So, the men rescued Jonathan and he did not have to die.
v46 Then Saul stopped fighting the *Philistines. The *Philistines went back to their own land.
When an army fights a battle, the soldiers need a lot of energy. The men must be strong, not weak. Saul made a foolish promise in verse 24. The result was that the men of *Israel were tired, hungry and weak. They were so afraid of Saul’s promise that they would not even eat honey. Jonathan did not know about Saul’s promise. He ate the honey and felt much stronger. The *Israelites could eat again in the evening. They were so hungry that they forgot God’s laws. In the *Old Testament (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10-14 and Deuteronomy 12:23-24), God told the people not to eat meat with blood still in it. He said that the life of the animal was in its blood. Saul stopped their *sin. He knew that the *Israelites must obey God. If they did not, God would be against them.
Verse 35 ‘It was the first *altar that Saul had built’. Saul had been king for a few years. So, this probably shows that he was not very interested in religion. He did not build the *altar so that he could *worship God. He built it because the men had *sinned.
Saul wanted to finish the battle with the *Philistines now. An army does not usually fight at night. So Saul’s attack would surprise the *Philistines. They would not be ready to fight. So, Saul thought that he would win. The priest reminded Saul to ask God first. But God did not answer. Saul thought that he knew the reason. Someone had *sinned. Then Saul made another foolish promise. In verse 39 he said, ‘Even if my son Jonathan has *sinned he must die’. Verses 41 and 42 say ‘God picked’. This probably happened as the priest used the *Urim and Thummim. Saul was going to kill his own son. Saul had to keep the promise that he had made to God. But the men in the army knew that God helped Jonathan in the battle. They did not let Saul kill him. That day, Saul showed that he was not a wise king. The *Philistines had a huge army but God had sent fear to them (verse 15). So they went back to their own land.
Saul fights *Israel’s enemies
v47 When Saul became king of *Israel, he fought against all of *Israel’s enemies. He fought people from the countries of Moab, Ammon and Edom. He fought the kings from the country of Zobah. He also fought the *Philistines. Wherever Saul went, he defeated *Israel’s enemies. v48 He fought the *Amalekites and defeated them. Saul saved the *Israelites from all the people who had robbed them.
v49 Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. Merab was Saul’s oldest daughter. Michal was his youngest daughter. v50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam. She was the daughter of Ahimaaz. Abner was the leader of Saul’s army. Abner was the son of Ner. Ner was Saul’s uncle. v51 Saul’s father was Kish. Kish and Ner were sons of Abiel.
v52 Saul fought hard against the *Philistines during all of his life. Whenever Saul found a strong man or a brave man, he made the man join his army.
In chapter 8, the *Israelites asked for a king. They wanted a king to lead them in their battles (verses 19-20). God gave the people the king that they wanted. Saul fought all the enemies of *Israel. Ammon and Moab were two countries that were east of *Israel. Edom and Amalek were countries that were south of *Israel. The *Philistines were in the land on the west of *Israel. Zobah was in the north. The countries round *Israel had robbed *Israel’s land and its towns. God gave Saul success in his battles and saved *Israel. The *Philistines continued to fight the *Israelites. Saul always needed a good army to fight them. So, Saul made all the strong and brave men join his army. Samuel had warned the *Israelites about that in 8:11-12.
1 Chronicles 8:33 says that Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal (also named Ish-Bosheth). Ishvi was probably another name for Abinadab (see 1 Chronicles 10:2). So Esh-Baal was probably born after the time of 1 Samuel 14.
armour ~ special clothes that protected soldiers.Philistines ~ the Israelites’ main enemies at that time. They lived on the west side of the country of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people of Israel; the people who speak the Hebrew language.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Israelite people. A Hebrew is an Israelite person.
ephod ~ a special coat that the main priest wore when he served God and prayed to God (Exodus 28). Other priests wore a plain linen ephod.
linen ~ a type of material that is like cotton. Linen is a very good quality material.
Lord ~ the name of God in the Bible. The special name of God that he announced only to the Israelites (Genesis 3:13-15). It links God with his covenant (promise) to them.
Israelites ~ the people of Israel; the people who speak the Hebrew language.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Israelite people. A Hebrew is an Israelite person.
heathen ~ the name that the Israelites gave to the nations (especially the Philistines) that did not worship the God of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people of Israel; the people who speak the Hebrew language.
Philistines ~ the Israelites’ main enemies at that time. They lived on the west side of the country of Israel.
worship ~ to thank God and to give him honour, usually with other people. Often, people pray and sing as they worship God. To bend down to God or to a false god to show him honour.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Israelite people. A Hebrew is an Israelite person.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Israelite people. A Hebrew is an Israelite person.
Israelites ~ the people of Israel; the people who speak the Hebrew language.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Israelites ~ the people of Israel; the people who speak the Hebrew language.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Israelite people. A Hebrew is an Israelite person.
ephod ~ a special coat that the main priest wore when he served God and prayed to God (Exodus 28). Other priests wore a plain linen ephod.
linen ~ a type of material that is like cotton. Linen is a very good quality material.
chariot ~ is like a cart. One or two horses pull it along. Armies used chariots when they went to war.
armour ~ special clothes that protected soldiers.
spear ~ a long, thin pole with a sharp metal point at one end. It was like a large arrow. Soldiers threw it in battles.
shield ~ something that a soldier holds in front of his body to protect him in a battle. People made shields from metal, wood or from hard leather with a wooden edge.
sin ~ when people do things against God or other people; when people do not obey the commands of God; the things that people do that are wrong or evil.
altar ~ a table, where the priests burned animals and gave other gifts as a sacrifice to God or false gods.
sacrifice ~ to give something to God, usually an animal, grain or wine; to ask God to forgive sins as the priest killed an animal. This sacrifice was a special animal. The priests killed and burned it on the altar.
sin ~ when people do things against God or other people; when people do not obey the commands of God; the things that people do that are wrong or evil.
worship ~ to thank God and to give him honour, usually with other people. Often, people pray and sing as they worship God. To bend down to God or to a false god to show him honour.
Amalekite ~ a person who came from the family of Amalek. Amalek was the grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12). The Amalekites lived in the land between southern Israel and the country called Egypt. They were one of Israel’s enemies.
Israel ~ the group of people that God chose. Israel is the name of all the people from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Israel is also the name of the land that God gave to the people of Israel.