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Texts -- 1 Samuel 14:1-14 (NET)

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14:1 Then one day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor bearer , “Come on, let’s go over to the Philistine garrison that is opposite us.” But he did not let his father know . 14:2 Now Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree in Migron , on the outskirts of Gibeah . The army that was with him numbered about six hundred men . 14:3 Now Ahijah was carrying an ephod . He was the son of Ahitub , who was the brother of Ichabod and a son of Phineas , son of Eli , the priest of the Lord in Shiloh . The army was unaware that Jonathan had left . 14:4 Now there was a steep cliff on each side of the pass through which Jonathan intended to go to reach the Philistine garrison . One cliff was named Bozez , the other Seneh . 14:5 The cliff to the north was closer to Micmash , the one to the south closer to Geba . 14:6 Jonathan said to his armor bearer , “Come on , let’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men . Perhaps the Lord will intervene for us. Nothing can prevent the Lord from delivering , whether by many or by a few .” 14:7 His armor bearer said to him, “Do everything that is on your mind . Do as you’re inclined . I’m with you all the way !” 14:8 Jonathan replied , “All right ! We’ll go over to these men and fight them. 14:9 If they say to us, ‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay right there and not go up to them. 14:10 But if they say , ‘Come up against us,’ we will go up . For in that case the Lord has given them into our hand – it will be a sign to us.” 14:11 When they made themselves known to the Philistine garrison , the Philistines said , “Look ! The Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they hid themselves.” 14:12 Then the men of the garrison said to Jonathan and his armor bearer , “Come on up to us so we can teach you a thing or two!” Then Jonathan said to his armor bearer , “Come up behind me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel !” 14:13 Jonathan crawled up on his hands and feet , with his armor bearer following behind him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines, while his armor bearer came along behind him and killed them. 14:14 In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty men in an area that measured half an acre .

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Bible Dictionary

  • Philistines

    [ebd] (Gen. 10:14, R.V.; but in A.V., "Philistim"), a tribe allied to the Phoenicians. They were a branch of the primitive race which spread over the whole district of the Lebanon and the valley of the Jordan, and Crete and other ...
    [isbe] PHILISTINES - fi-lis'-tinz, fil'-is-tinz, fil'-is-tinz (pelishtim; Phulistieim, allophuloi): I. OLD TESTAMENT NOTICES 1. Race and Origin 2. Religion 3. Individual Philistines Mentioned 4. Title of Ruler and Circumcision 5. H...
    [nave] PHILISTINES Descendants of Mizraim, Gen. 10:14; 1 Chr. 1:12; Jer. 47:4; Amos 9:7. Called Cherethites, 1 Sam. 30:14-16; Ezek. 25:16; Zeph. 2:5; Casluhim, Gen. 10:14; 1 Chr. 1:12; Caphtorim, Jer. 47:4; Amos 9:7. Territory of...

  • Jonathan

    [smith] that is, "the gift of Jehovah, " the eldest son of King Saul. (B.C. about 1095-1056.) He was a man of great strength and activity. (2 Samuel 1:23) He was also famous as a warrior, (1 Chronicles 12:2) as is shown by the ...
    [nave] JONATHAN 1. A Levite of Bethlehem, who becomes a priest for Micah; accepts idolatry; joins the Danites, Judg. 17:7-13; 18:1-30. 2. Son of Saul, 1 Sam. 14:49. Victory of, over the Philistine garrison of Geba, 1 Sam. 13:3, 4...

  • Saul

    [ebd] asked for. (1.) A king of Edom (Gen. 36:37, 38); called Shaul in 1 Chr. 1:48. (2.) The son of Kish (probably his only son, and a child of prayer, "asked for"), of the tribe of Benjamin, the first king of the Jewish nation. T...
    [isbe] SAUL - sol (sha'ul; Saoul): (1) The first king of Israel. I. EARLY HISTORY 1. Name and Meaning 2. Genealogy 3. Home and Station 4. Sources for Life 5. Election as King 6. Reasons for It II. REIGN AND FALL 1. His First Action...
    [nave] SAUL 1. Called also Shaul. King of Edom, Gen. 36:37, 38; 1 Chr. 1:48, 49. 2. King of Israel. A Benjamite, son of Kish, 1 Sam. 9:1, 2. Sons of, 1 Chr. 8:33. His personal appearance, 1 Sam. 9:2; 10:23. Made king of Israel,...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • CRITICISM

    [isbe] CRITICISM - (The Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis) I. PRELIMINARY 1. Thesis 2. Historical Perspective 3. Inspiration and Criticism II. THE LEGISLATION 1. Groups 2. Covenant Code 3. The Sanctuary 4. Kinds of Sacrifice 5. Sacrifice ...

  • CRAG

    [isbe] CRAG - krag (shen (1 Sam 7:12; 14:4; Job 39:28 the King James Version and the English Revised Version)): In a mountainous country composed of sedimentary rocks, like the cretaceous rocks of Palestine, cliffs are formed on a ...

  • JONATHAN (2)

    [isbe] JONATHAN (2) - (yehonathan; also yonathan, "Yahweh has given"; Ionathan): The eldest son of Saul, the first king of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin. 1. Three Periods: The life of Jonathan, as far as we are told about him, f...

  • Moabite

    [ebd] the designation of a tribe descended from Moab, the son of Lot (Gen. 19:37). From Zoar, the cradle of this tribe, on the south-eastern border of the Dead Sea, they gradually spread over the region on the east of Jordan. Rame...

  • SAMUEL, BOOKS OF

    [isbe] SAMUEL, BOOKS OF - || I. PLACE OF THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL IN THE HEBREW CANON II. CONTENTS OF THE BOOKS AND PERIOD OF TIME COVERED BY THE HISTORY III. SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 1. Life of Samuel (1 Samuel 1 through 15) 2. Reign and D...

  • Garrison

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. matstsab, a station; a place where one stands (1 Sam. 14:12); a military or fortified post (1 Sam. 13:23; 14:1, 4, 6, etc.). (2.) Heb. netsib, a prefect, superintendent; hence a military post (1 Sam. 10:5; 13:3, 4;...
    [smith] The Hebrew words so rendered in the Authorized Version are derivatives from the root natsab , to "place, erect," which may be applied to a variety of objects. Mattsab and mattsabah undoubtedly mean a "garrison" or fortified ...
    [nave] GARRISON, a military camp, 1 Sam. 13:3; 14:1; 2 Sam. 8:6, 14; 23:14.

  • DIVINATION

    [isbe] DIVINATION - div-i-na'-shun: 1. Definition 2. Kinds of Divination 3. Fundamental Assumption in Divination 4. Legitimate and Illegitimate Divination 5. The Bible and Divination 6. Modes of Divination Mentioned in the Bible: T...

  • Symbols and Similitudes

    [nave] SYMBOLS AND SIMILITUDES Trees of life and knowledge, Gen. 2:9, 17; 3:3, 24; Rev. 22:2. Rainbow, Gen. 9:12, 13. Circumcision, of the covenant of Abraham, Gen. 17:11; Rom. 4:11. Passover, of the sparing of the firstborn, an...

  • Seneh

    [ebd] the acacia; rock-thorn, the southern cliff in the Wady es-Suweinit, a valley south of Michmash, which Jonathan climbed with his armour-bearer (1 Sam. 14:4, 5). The rock opposite, on the other side of the wady, was called Boz...
    [isbe] SENEH - se'-ne (ceneh; Senna): This was the name attaching to the southern of the two great cliffs between which ran the gorge of Michmash (1 Sam 14:4). The name means "acacia," and may have been given to it from the thorn b...
    [smith] (thorn), the name of one of the two isolated rocks which stood in the "passage of Michmash," (1 Samuel 14:4) 6 1/2 Miles north of Jerusalem.
    [nave] SENEH, a rock protecting the garrison of the Philistines at Michmash, 1 Sam. 14:4.

  • Armor-bearer

    [isbe] ARMOR-BEARER - ar'-mer-bar'-er (nose' keli; Greek uses a phrase, ho airon ta skeue, literally "the one carrying the armor"): One who carried the large shield and perhaps other weapons for a king (1 Sam 31:4), commander-in-ch...
    [nave] ARMOR-BEARER, an attendant who carried a soldier's equipment. Of Abimelech, Judg. 9:54; Jonathan, 1 Sam. 14:6, 7, 12, 14, 17; Saul, 1 Sam. 16:21; 31:6; Goliath, 1 Sam. 17:7; Joab, 2 Sam. 18:15.

  • Ahitub

    [ebd] brother of goodness = good. (1.) The son of Phinehas. On the death of his grandfather Eli he succeeded to the office of high priest, and was himself succeeded by his son Ahijah (1 Sam. 14:3; 22:9, 11, 12, 20). (2.) The fathe...
    [isbe] AHITUB - a-hi'-tub ('achiTubh, "brother of goodness," i.e. "good brother," or, "my brother is goodness"): (1) The brother of Ichabod and son of Phinehas the son of Eli (1 Sam 14:3; 22:9,11,12,20), According to 1 Ch 24 he and...
    [smith] (brother of goodness). The son of Phinehas and grandson of Eli, and therefore of the family of Ithamar. (1 Samuel 14:3; 22:9,11) (B.C. 1125.) He was succeeded by his son Ahijah (AHIMELECH). (B.C. 1085.) Son of Amariah, an...
    [nave] AHITUB 1. High priest, father of Ahiah, 1 Sam. 14:3; 22:9, 11, 12, 20. 2. Father of Zadok, 2 Sam. 8:17; 1 Chr. 18:16. 3. Ruler of the house of God, 1 Chr. 9:11; Neh. 11:11. 4. The Ahitub mentioned in 1 Chr. 6:8, 11, 12, i...

  • Ahijah

    [ebd] brother (i.e., "friend") of Jehovah. (1.) One of the sons of Bela (1 Chr. 8:7, R.V.). In A.V. called "Ahiah." (2.) One of the five sons of Jerahmeel, who was great-grandson of Judah (1 Chr. 2:25). (3.) Son of Ahitub (1 Sam. ...
    [isbe] AHIJAH - a-hi'-ja ('achiyah or 'achiyahu, "brother of Yahweh," "my brother is Yahweh," "Yah is brother." In the King James Version the name sometimes appears as Ahiah): (1) One of the sons of Jerahmeel the great-grandson of ...
    [nave] AHIJAH, called also Ahiah. 1. Son of Bela, 1 Chr. 8:7. 2. Son of Jerahmeel, 1 Chr. 2:25. 3. A priest in Shiloh, probably identical with Ahimelech, mentioned in 1 Sam. 22:11. Was priest in Saul's reign, 1 Sam. 14:3, 18. S...

  • Phinehas

    [smith] (mouth of brass). Son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron. (Exodus 6:25) He is memorable for having while quite a youth, by his zeal and energy at the critical moment of the licentious idolatry of Shittim, appeased the divine w...
    [nave] PHINEHAS 1. High priest, Ex. 6:25; 1 Chr. 6:4, 50. Religious zeal of, Num. 25:7-15; Psa. 106:30. Chief of the Korahite Levites, 1 Chr. 9:19, 20. Sent to sound the trumpets in the battle with the Midianites, Num. 31:6. A ...

  • Bozez

    [isbe] BOZEZ - bo'-zez (botsets; Bazes, probably from an obsolete root batsats, corresponding to the Arabic batstsa, "to shine" or "to ooze"): The name of the northern of the two cliffs that stand one on each side of the gorge of M...
    [nave] BOZEZ, a rock near Gibeah, 1 Sam. 14:4.

  • Acre

    [ebd] is the translation of a word (tse'med), which properly means a yoke, and denotes a space of ground that may be ploughed by a yoke of oxen in a day. It is about an acre of our measure (Isa. 5:10; 1 Sam. 14:14).
    [nave] ACRE, the indefinite quantity of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day, with the kinds of plows, and modes of plowing, used in the times referred to, 1 Sam. 14:14; Isa. 5:10.

  • PALESTINE, 2

    [isbe] PALESTINE, 2 - III. Palestine in the Historic Books of the Old Testament. 1. Book of Joshua: Joshua is the great geographical book of the Old Testament; and the large majority of the 600 names of places, rivers and mountains...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The supernatural victory God had given His people elevated Gideon into national recognition. Some of the men of Israel invited Gideon to be their king and to begin a dynasty of rulers (v. 22). Perhaps they were from the north...
  • Statements in the Book of Samuel imply that someone who had witnessed at least some of the events recorded wrote it. However the original writer must have written most of it after Samuel's death (i.e., -1 Sam. 25-2 Sam. 24) a...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • I. Eli and Samuel chs. 1-3A. The change from barrenness to fertility 1:1-2:101. Hannah's condition 1:1-82. Hannah's vow 1:9-183. Hannah's obedience 1:19-284. Hannah's song 2:1-10B. The contrast between Samuel and Eli's sons 2...
  • "Clearly these five chapters constitute a literary unit, for they are immediately preceded by the formula that marks the end of the story of a judge (7:13-17) and immediately followed by the formula that marks the beginning o...
  • The writer wrote chapters 12-15 very skillfully to parallel chapters 8-11. Each section begins with Samuel warning the people about the dangers of their requesting a king (chs. 8 and 12). Each one also follows with a descript...
  • The writer introduced the history of Saul's reign by referring to the king's age and possibly the length of his reign. Verse one contains a textual corruption in the Hebrew text.132There the verse reads, "Saul was . . . years...
  • The writer explained the military disaster that resulted from Saul's disobedience in verses 16-18. Saul's army dwindled and the enemy continued to move around his capital city freely.Saul evidently led his troops from Gilgal ...
  • Armed with trust in God and courage Jonathan ventured out to destroy Israel's enemy in obedience to God's command to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan (cf. 9:16). He would have made a good king of Israel. Saul remained in G...
  • Saul's improper view of his role as Israel's king comes through clearly in verse 24. The Philistines were not Saul's enemies as much as God's enemies. This was holy war (cf. Judg. 16:28), but Saul viewed the battle too person...
  • Evidently Saul would not have inquired of God if Ahijah (cf. v. 18) had not suggested he do so (v. 36). Probably God did not answer his prayer immediately because Saul wanted this information to vindicate himself rather than ...
  • "In the short pericope 13:7b-15a obedience was the stone on which Saul stumbled; here it is the rock that crushes him."147Chapter 15 records one of the battles Saul had with the Amalekites, Israel's enemy to the south (cf. 14...
  • The exciting story of David and Goliath illustrates what it was that God saw in David's heart that led Him to choose David for the position of king. It also shows how and why others in Israel began to notice David. David foug...
  • The Elah Valley is an S-shaped valley just south of the Sorek Valley. It runs east and west parallel to it. Socoh stood to the east and Azekah to the west. Archaeologists have not yet located Ephes-dammim. Gath was 7 miles to...
  • When David volunteered to be Israel's champion, Saul scoffed at him because he evaluated David's chances for success solely in physical terms, as usual. The Hebrew word na'artranslated "youth"(v. 33) describes an older teenag...
  • God used a humble weapon to give His people a great victory in response to one person's faith. This is another instance of God bringing blessing to and through a person who committed himself to simply believing and obeying Go...
  • We have already seen that Jonathan was a man of faith and courage (14:1-15). Jonathan found a soul brother in David, a man who committed himself to trusting and obeying God as he did. This common purpose on the deepest level ...
  • Ackroyd, Peter R. The First Book of Samuel. Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible series. Cambridge, Eng.: University Press, 1971._____. "The Verb Love--'Aheb in the David-Jonathan Narratives--A Footnote."Vetus ...
  • Students of David's lament over Saul and Jonathan's deaths have called it the Song of the Bow (cf. v. 22).10Many people in Judah learned and sang it (v. 18). The Book of Jasher (v. 18) is no longer extant (cf. Josh. 10:13)."H...
  • Chapters 9-20 contrast with chapters 2-8 in that this later section is negative whereas the earlier one was positive. It records failure; the former records success. Compare the similar narrative of Saul's triumphs (1 Sam. 7-...
  • The composition and structure of Jeremiah, discussed below, have led many scholars to conclude that an editor or editors (redactors) probably put the book in its final form. Many conservatives, however, believe that Jeremiah ...
  • 11:14-15 The Lord then replied that many of the Jews in Jerusalem were saying that the Judahites who had gone into captivity were the ones that God was judging. They believed that the Jews left in Jerusalem were the remnant t...
  • The sailors interrogated Jonah about his reasons for travelling on their ship, but it was his failure to live consistently with his convictions that amazed them.1:7 It appears to have been common among the heathen to cast lot...
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