1 Samuel 14:25-26

14:25 Now the whole army ¹  entered the forest and there was honey on the ground. ²  14:26 When the army entered the forest, they saw ³  the honey flowing, but no one ate any of it, ⁴  for the army was afraid of the oath.

1 Samuel 14:29

14:29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has caused trouble for the land. See how my eyes gleamed ⁵  when I tasted just a little of this honey.

1 Samuel 14:27

14:27 But Jonathan had not heard about the oath his father had made the army take. He extended the end of his staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb. When he ate it, ⁶  his eyes gleamed. ⁷ 

1 Samuel 14:43

14:43 So Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” Jonathan told him, “I used the end of the staff that was in my hand to taste a little honey. I must die!” ⁸ 

[14:25]  ¹ tn Heb “all the land.”

[14:25]  ² tn Heb “the surface of the field.”

[14:26]  ³ tn Heb “and the army entered the forest, and look!”

[14:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “and there was no one putting his hand to his mouth.”

[14:29]  ⁵ tc The LXX reads “saw.” See v. 27.

[14:27]  ⁷ tn Heb “and he returned his hand to his mouth.”

[14:27]  ⁸ tc The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading “gleamed,” rather than the Kethib, “saw.”

[14:43]  ⁹ tn Heb “Look, I, I will die.” Apparently Jonathan is acquiescing to his anticipated fate of death. However, the words may be taken as sarcastic (“Here I am about to die!”) or as a question, “Must I now die?” (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).