Chapter Thirteen
Saul Engages the Philistines
13:1 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,
If you are confused by this verse don’t feel bad, it is a problematic verse, one that has puzzled theologians and commentators for years without resolution. The literal translation would be something like, “Saul was a son of a year in his reigning and two years he reigned over Israel.”[1] The Septuagint does not have this verse and the Targum Jonathan to the Prophets reads, “Saul was a year old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel.” There is even wide interpretations among English Bibles, from those that leave a blank before the years (NJPS, NRSV, RSV), to those that state Saul was thirty years old (CSB, GW, ISV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NLT, TLV), some offer forty (NASB) or fifty (NEB). The time frames are often based on Paul’s statement in Acts 13:21. Saul was likely around thirty years old when he became king and during his second year the events of this chapter began.
13:2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent.
Probably while in Gibeah, Saul selected three thousand men from Israel, two thousand went with Saul to Mishmash and to the hill country of Bethel, while the other one thousand men remained with Jonathan in Gibeah. All other potential fighting men were sent home. The town of Michmash was located approximately seven miles north of Jebus (Jerusalem), Bethel was approximately five miles north of Mishmash, and Gibeah was less than two miles northwest from Jebus. We are now introduced to Jonathan, but not told he is Saul’s son here, we read that later in verse twenty-two. We are not given the criteria Saul used to chose these men or why the number was reduced, many ask, was this instruction from God (no inquiry was recorded) or was it pride?
13:3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
Jonathan was successful in defeating the Philistines at Geba, which was located approximately five and a half miles north of Jebus, making it less than three miles away from Gebeah, and less than two miles northeast from Ramah. Some believe that Gibeah and Geba are different names for the same city, as Gibeah can be found in some manuscripts here, and the fact that there was a garrison reported earlier in Gibeah-elohim (see 1 Samuel 10:5), but there is not much else to support that idea. It appears that Saul and his men went north to prevent the Philistines from leaving Geba as Jonathan and his men attacked the Philistines from the south.
After defeating the Philistines at Geba, Saul had the trumpet blown throughout Israel, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” Unusual wording, as the term “Hebrews” (‛iḇ·rîm’), which may not sound odd to us today, is the primary name the Philistines used to describe the Israelites in this book (see 1 Samuel 4:6, 9; 13:19; 14:11, 21; 29:3), some believe it may have been used in a derogatory way by the Philistines, and Saul may have used it to “rile up” the Israelites. In either case, it worked, as all of Israel heard that Saul defeated the Philistine garrison, but so did the Philistines, as they now prepare to respond. So the people of Israel were all called out of their homes to join Saul at Gilgal.
13:5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.
The Philistines assembled an army of 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and innumerable troops at Michmash. The text states that Michmash was east of Beth-aven, a location that remains somewhat a puzzle. In Joshua 7:2 we are told that Beth-aven is near Ai, but later in Joshua 18:12-13 we are told that Beth-aven is north of Bethel. Perhaps one way to interpret this verse is to say that the Philistines traveled east past Beth-aven to Michmash where they setup their camp, which aligns with the Septuagint, “There were thirty thousand chariots and six thousand cavalry and an army like the sand from the sea in a horde, and they went up and camped at Michmash opposite Beth-aven down the rear.”[2] It is interesting to note that the name “Beth-aven” means “house of wickedness,” which may be a structure instead of a town or city.
13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7 and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
When the men of Israel (the Israelite army) saw the Philistine army they were frightened and began to panic. They started to hide in caves, holes, rocks, tombs, and cisterns, while others fled across the Jordan and went into the lands of Gad and Gilead. Saul and those that remained, stayed in Gilgal, but they too were afraid, as we are told they were trembling.
Saul is Impatient and Offers an Unlawful Sacrifice
13:8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.
Saul was told by Samuel to wait seven days for his arrival, and Saul waited for seven days, but no Samuel. Saul’s men continued to leave Gilgal and now Saul feels that he has to do something soon before he lost more men.
13:9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
Saul gave the instruction to bring the burnt offering and the peace offerings to him, and once he received them, he offered the burnt offering. Just as he finished with the burnt offering, Samuel arrives and Saul goes out to meet him.
13:11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.”
Samuel immediately asks Saul, “What have you done?” And Saul replied that after seeing all his men leaving, that he (Samuel) did not arrive by the time appointed, and with the Philistines gathered for battle at Michmash, he thought that they would come down and attack them in Gilgal and that he had not yet sought the favor of YHWH. He then told Samuel, “So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.” (1 Samuel 13:12b, NLT)
13:13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
In response to Saul’s statement, Samuel tells him he has done foolishly, and violated the command of YHWH. If he had remained obedient to God, He would have established his kingdom over Israel forever, an everlasting dynasty. But now he is told that his kingdom will not continue. Then Samuel informs Saul that YHWH has sought out a man, one who is loyal to Him, a man after His own heart. Someone who will serve Him and be ruler over His people. This will occur because he disobeyed God. Verse fourteen can also be translated as, “The LORD has found a man after his own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over his people, because you have not done what the LORD commanded.” (CSB) The difference in this way of translating is that God is not ‘looking’ for such a person but that He ‘found’ Saul’s replacement. Saul will reign for forty years but knowing that God has selected a new king outside of his family will later result in uncontrollable rage, jealousy, and aggressive behavior.
13:15 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal. The rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people who were present with them stayed in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual; 18 another company turned toward Beth-horon; and another company turned toward the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
Samuel leaves Gilgal, while Saul’s army, some six hundred men, went up to Geba while the Philistines were still in Michmash (less than two miles apart). Then the Philistines proceed to leave their camp in three directions, one toward Ophrah to the land of Shual (north), one toward Beth-horon (west), and one toward the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness (southeast) to begin their raid against the Israelites.
13:19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” 20 But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle, 21 and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.
These three verses are essentially parenthetical as they provide a background on the current condition of Israel at that time before any of these battles began. In order to “keep the peace” the Philistines removed Israel’s blacksmiths to prevent them from making any weapons. If the Israelites need to sharpen a tool they had to go to the Philistines and pay for that service. Which explains the following verse.
13:22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
We are told that on the day the battle was to begin, that the only two swords Israel had were in the hands of the king and his son. It is understandable why much of Saul’s men fled, they did not have any good weapons to fight with! Meanwhile the Philistines were approaching.
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[1] Omanson, R. L., & Ellington, J. (2001). A handbook on the first book of Samuel (p. 252). United Bible Societies.
[2] Brannan, R., Penner, K. M., Loken, I., Aubrey, M., & Hoogendyk, I., eds. (2012). The Lexham English Septuagint (1 Kgdms 13:5). Lexham Press.