13:3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost 1 that was at Geba and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul alerted 2 all the land saying, “Let the Hebrews pay attention!” 13:4 All Israel heard this message, 3 “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel is repulsive 4 to the Philistines!” So the people were summoned to join 5 Saul at Gilgal.
13:5 For the battle with Israel the Philistines had amassed 3,000 6 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven. 13:6 The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds, 7 and cisterns. 13:7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan River 8 to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal; the entire army that was with him was terrified.
13:19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.” 13:20 So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles 9 sharpened. 13:21 They charged 10 two-thirds of a shekel 11 to sharpen plowshares and cutting instruments, and a third of a shekel 12 to sharpen picks and axes, and to set ox goads. 13:22 So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
13:23 A garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash.
1 tn Or perhaps “struck down the Philistine official.” See the note at 1 Sam 10:5. Cf. TEV “killed the Philistine commander.”
2 tn Heb “blew the ram’s horn in.”
3 tn The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “stinks.” The figurative language indicates that Israel had become repulsive to the Philistines.
5 tn Heb “were summoned after.”
6 tn Many English versions (e.g., KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV) read “30,000” here.
7 tn Or perhaps “vaults.” This rare term also occurs in Judg 9:46, 49. Cf. KJV “high places”; ASV “coverts”; NAB “caverns”; NASB “cellars”; NIV, NCV, TEV “pits”; NRSV, NLT “tombs.”
8 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
9 tc The translation follows the LXX (“their sickle”) here, rather than the MT “plowshares,” which is due to dittography from the word earlier in the verse.
10 tn Heb “the price was.” The meaning of the Hebrew word פְּצִירָה (pÿtsirah) is uncertain. This is the only place it occurs in the OT. Some propose the meaning “sharpening,” but “price” is a more likely meaning if the following term refers to a weight (see the following note on the word “shekel”). See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 238.
11 tn This word, which appears only here in the OT, probably refers to a stone weight. Stones marked פִּים (pim) have been found in excavations of Palestinian sites. The average weight of such stones is 0.268 ounces, which is equivalent to about two-thirds of a shekel. This probably refers to the price charged by the Philistines for the services listed. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 238; DNWSI 2:910; and G. I. Davies, Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions, 259.
12 tc Heb “and for a third, a pick.” The Hebrew text suffers from haplography at this point. The translation follows the textual reconstruction offered by P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 235.