Chapter Fourteen
Jonathan’s Adventure in Faith as He Infiltrates a Philistine Garrison
14:1 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
While the Philistines continued to pursue the Israelite army, Jonathan and his armor-bearer decide to stealthily approach a Philistine garrison (likely in or near Gibeah). But he didn’t tell his father his plan.
14:2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men,
His father was outside of Gibeah in the ‘pomegranate’ cave at Migron (Hebrew miḡ·rôn’, an unknown location, since the word means precipice it could be a rock formation). The Hebrew word for pomegranate is rim·môn’, which is the same word used in Judges 20:45, 47; 21:13 as the name of a large rock formation near Gibeah where 600 men hid during Israel’s war with the tribe of Benjamin, and here we read that 600 men were hiding with Saul. Based on the location and description this is likely the same location (not under a pomegranate tree as some versions add).
14:3 including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the LORD in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
With Saul was Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother the son of Phineas, who was the son of Eli, the priest of YHWH that served in Shiloh. Why report this man’s lineage? Possibly to remind us that the lineage of Eli was cursed by God, that due to their sins both of Eli’s sons would die and his priestly lineage would eventually come to an end, which would soon be fulfilled. Both Phineas and his brother died on the same day the Ark of the Covenant was captured, and when the news of the capture reached Eli, he died too (see 1 Samuel 2:27-36; 3:11-14; 4:12-22). Then when the wife of Phineas heard that her husband was dead and that the Ark had been captured by the Philistines, she named her son “Ichabod,” which means “the glory has departed,”referring to the glory of God departing Israel.
Saul had with him the nephew of Ichabod who is identified as wearing (or carrying, the Hebrew no-śē(’)’, means to lift or carry) an ephod, believed to be a metonym (a metaphor where one item is used to refer to another that is closely related to it) for the high priest’s outer garments including the ephod, breastplate, and the Urim and the Thummim, which is used to inquire from God (see Exodus 28:6-30). We are then told that no one knew that Jonathan had gone over to the Philistine garrison.
14:4 Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.
Jonathan and his armor-bearer progress toward the Philistine garrison through what the Philistines probably thought was impassible. The Hebrew words translated here as “rocky crag” can be translated as “teeth of the rock” or “teeth of the cliff.” Plus, we read that their names were Bozez (the root of which means ‘white’) and Seneh (the root word being ‘tooth’ or ‘thorn’) which gives us an idea what they looked like. One was on the north side of this passage toward Michmash and the other on the south toward Geba.
14:6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.”
Jonathan informs his armor-bearer that he wants to go over to the Philistine garrison as he believed that nothing can hinder YHWH if it was His will. Having faith in God, Jonathan was willing to risk his life and the life of his armor-bearer, as he believed God could provide victory regardless if there were several warriors or just a few.
14:7 And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”
The young man with Jonathan with Jonathan had faith in both Jonathan and God, as he tells Jonathan that he is completely with him for whatever he decides.
14:8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the LORD has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.”
Jonathan tells his armor-bearer his plan, they will cross over to where the Philistines were standing and show themselves to them. He then offers a way to know God’s will in their attack, if the Philistines say that they will come to them, then they will stay there. But if they call for Jonathan and his armor-bearer to come up to them, then that will be a sign for them from God that they will have victory.
14:11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel.”
The two get up and show themselves to the Philistines who do see them as they acknowledge, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes…” Then they called out to them to come up so they can show (Hebrew nô·ḏî’·‛ā(h), to make known, to teach) them a lesson. Jonathan then recognizes the sign meaning that YHWH has given them into the hand of Israel.
14:13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. 14 And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land. 15 And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.
They climbed up the rocks and after standing up they engaged in battle with the Philistines. Jonathan would cause them to fall and the armor-bearer would then kill them. They were able to kill approximately twenty men over a half-acre area. Then there was a panic erupting among the Philistines in their camp and in the field, among them all! The garrison and the raiders were terrified, followed by an earthquake, causing them all to experience a great panic. The Hebrew word that is translated as “very great” is ’ělō·hîm’, the plural word for ‘God’, perhaps a better way to translate that would be that the panic came from God.
14:16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was dispersing here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count and see who has gone from us.” And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.
The watchmen of Saul’s camp see that the Philistine camp has become very lively and many of them are fleeing in multiple directions. Saul recognizes that it may mean that one of his men might be responsible, so he requests that a roll call be made to see if anyone was missing. They determine that Jonathan and his armor-bearer were missing.
14:18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God went at that time with the people of Israel. 19 Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”
Saul then turned to Ahijah the high priest, “Bring the ark of God here.” We are then told that the ark of God went with the people of Israel. This is somewhat of a problematic verse, first of all, the ark was last mentioned to be in Kiriath-jearim (see 1 Samuel 7:2) which was later moved from that location by King David (see 2 Samuel 6:1-4) which means it was probably still in Kiriath-jearim approximately ten miles away, not something that would quickly benefit them. Secondly, the Septuagint reads, “And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ephod,” for he carried the ephod in that day before Israel.”[1] Since the ephod, which likely carried the Urim and Thummin to inquire from God and it is mentioned in verse three, that the subject is likely referring to the ephod, not the Ark. Plus, when Saul noticed that the commotion in the Philistine camp was ramping up he realizes that now was the time to engage them, he told Ahijah to “Withdraw your hand,” as the Urim and Thummin would have been behind the breast plate in the ephod, another reason to consider that the subject of verse eighteen was the ephod not the Ark. It was a time to fight, they couldn’t delay any longer.
14:20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, every Philistine’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.
The Israelites engage the Philistines, but since God caused the the Philistines to panic and were confused, they began to kill themselves.
14:21 Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that time and who had gone up with them into the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the LORD saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.
Seeing that the men of Israel were being victorious against the Philistines, those ‘Hebrews’ that were captured previously (probably being used as slaves) by the Philistines were able to join in the battle, as well as those who had previously scattered and hid earlier due to their fear of the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 13:6-7), they came out of hiding to fight too. The Israelites were victorious, YHWH saved them that day. We are told that the battle pushed the Philistines back beyond their encampment at Beth-aven (see 1 Samuel 13:5).
Saul’s Rash Vow
14:24 And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.” So none of the people had tasted food.
On what was likely a “long day” for the Israelite army, Saul laid (Hebrew yō·’ěl’, to curse, to put under oath, to curse) an oath on the people saying, “Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening—before I have full revenge on my enemies.” (1 Samuel 14:24b, NLT) Perhaps caught up in the excitement or maybe he was thinking about the curse Joshua made at Jericho (see Joshua 6:26), Saul makes a bad decision that prevents his men from taking in nourishment after a long battle.
The Septuagint doesn’t sugar-coat Saul’s oath, the same verse reads, “Now Saul lacked discernment with great ignorance in that day. He placed an oath on the people, saying, “Greatly cursed is the person who eats bread before evening, so I will avenge my enemy.” Thus, none of the people tasted bread—even when the whole land was having dinner.”[2] This was truly a mistake, as he was not thinking about his men, nor was he considering God’s provision.
14:25 Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground. 26 And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath, so he put out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes became bright.
We are told that there was an abundance of honey in the forest, food made available by God, but no one was eating, as they all feared the oath. Then along comes Jonathan, who knew nothing about his father’s oath and curse, put the tip of his staff in the honeycomb and ate some of the honey, “and his eyes became bright,” a Biblical idiom for being rejuvenated (see Psalm 13:3-4; 19:8; Ezra 9:8; Proverbs 29:13; Ephesians 1:18).
14:28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint.
Someone speaks out and tells Jonathan about Saul’s oath, we are then told that the people were faint, demonstrating that they were in a weakened state due to lack of food.
14:29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. 30 How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.”
Jonathan interestingly scoffs his father’s oath, perhaps he should not have said that in front of Saul’s men, but was right in saying that he had “troubled the land.” He notes, using the same idiom about his eyes, that he is better now after eating the honey. He further notes that if the men of Israel had eaten, the spoil of the enemies would have been more, and the slaughter among the Philistines would have been greater.
14:31 They struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint. 32 The people pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood. 33 Then they told Saul, “Behold, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a great stone to me here.” 34 And Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Let every man bring his ox or his sheep and slaughter them here and eat, and do not sin against the LORD by eating with the blood.’ ” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night and they slaughtered them there. 35 And Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first altar that he built to the LORD.
The men of Israel were able to strike down the Philistines and push them back from Michmash to Aijalon (over fifteen miles) that day, and by sunset the men were very faint. Their lack of food and excessive physical activity made them weak and totally fixated on food. Now that it was the start of a new day and Saul’s oath was no longer in play (it ended with the end of the day, remember a new day begins after the sun goes down), they could now eat. But since they were delirious from hunger, they took from their spoils of various animals and slaughtered them on the spot, and started to eat them without first draining the blood as the law required (see Leviticus 3:17). The people who were watching this unusual behavior notified Saul, who then sent word out to have everyone bring their animals to the camp and they can slaughter them there, he also warned them not to sin against YHWH by eating the meat with the blood. So every one did as Saul instructed and took their animals to camp and slaughtered them there. Saul took the great stone (see verse thirty-three) and made an altar to YHWH. The wording seems to imply almost a rebuke, but that is not what is being said here. First, the altar is not directly related to the cooking of the food, it is likely an altar in recognition of God blessing them with a victory. The author is noting that this was the first time he set up an altar to YHWH this is an observation and should not be interpreted as a negative comment.
14:36 Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 37 And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.
Saul wants to continue the campaign against the Philistines and calls his troops to go after them at night, they agree, but the priest intervened and recommended that they draw near to God, implying that they should ask God first before proceeding. So Saul inquires from God if they should go and will He give them victory. This inquiry is likely through the use of the Urim and Thummin that would be in the breastplate in front of the priest’s ephod. But God did not answer.
14:38 And Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today. 39 For as the LORD lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But there was not a man among all the people who answered him. 40 Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”
Once again Saul makes a rash decision and pronounces, “For as the LORD lives who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” To emphasize his commitment, he states that even if his son is the guilty one, death will be the solution. Understanding that sometimes when God goes silent it is due to some unconfessed or unrepentant sin, Saul believed that God’s silence was due to some sin that was committed among them. He begins by making all the people one group and he and Jonathan as an other group, he possibly had heard that Jonathan had violated Saul’s oath (see verse 24) and may have suspected that he was the one who had sinned, making his statement about his death even more puzzling.
14:41 Therefore Saul said, “O LORD God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O LORD, God of Israel, give Urim. But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped.
This verse has an interesting history, much of which was added or modified, that cannot be found in the Hebrew, Greek (Septuagint), or Aramaic (Targums) texts. For example, all of the following words: “why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O LORD, God of Israel, give Urim. But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim,” are not in the manuscripts. Plus, there are two Hebrew words typically not translated, hā·ḇā(h), meaning “to give,” and ṯā·mîm’, meaning blameless, complete, perfect. Since the Hebrew word tǔm·mîm, referring to the Thummim is close to the Hebrew word ṯā·mîm’ (same Hebrew letters just different vowel sounds), it is often translated as Thummim. The added text (or similar) can be found in the CSB, ESV, GNB, GW, NET, NIV, and NRSV. While the ISV, KJV, LEB, NASB, NCV, NKJV, NLT, and TLV, do translate to some degree the Hebrew words, hā·ḇā(h) and ṯā·mîm’, plus none of them reference the Urim or Thummim. For example: “Therefore, Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” And Jonathan and Saul were selected by lot, but the people were exonerated.” (NASB) “Then Saul prayed, “O LORD, God of Israel, please show us who is guilty and who is innocent.” Then they cast sacred lots, and Jonathan and Saul were chosen as the guilty ones, and the people were declared innocent.” (NLT)
14:42 Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was taken. 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” 44 And Saul said, “God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.”
The final lot was cast and Jonathan was selected, Saul hears from his son that he had violated his father’s oath (although unwittingly). Jonathan admits he is guilty and is willing to die, and Saul proclaims that he will surely die.
14:45 Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the LORD lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die.
When the people heard that Jonathan would be put to death, they revolted. They recognized that he was responsible for saving them from the Philistines and boldly stated that “not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” God could have altered the results of the casting of the lots, but it is likely that He wanted to humble Saul. The more he tried to take credit for something or make rash vows, the more arrogant and prideful he became. Having the people rally so strong for Jonathan had to impact that pride.
So the people ransomed (Hebrew yip̄·dû’, to ransom, to redeem, to deliver, to rescue) Jonathan. We are not told how the people ransomed Jonathan. There are various processes recorded in the Old Testament for redeeming or ransoming servants or slaves in Exodus 21:1-32; Leviticus 25:47-55; Deuteronomy 15:12-23, but none that would apply to this situation.
It is interesting to note that this verse in the Septuagint reads, “And the people said to Saul, “Today, should the one who caused this great deliverance in Israel be put to death? May the Lord live! Will a hair from his head fall on the ground because of what the people of God did this day?” So the people prayed for Jonathan on that day, and he did not die.”[3] With no mention of redeeming, one might say they did ‘rescue’ him (still within the interpretation of the Hebrew word yip̄·dû’), perhaps their intercession was sufficient to stop Saul’s foolishness.
14:46 Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
After waiting to hear from God, and then determining that perhaps someone may have sinned and did not repent was the reason God did not respond to Saul’s inquiry, plus the time to ransom Jonathan, the opportunity to chase after the Philistines was gone.
Considerations
Oaths and Curses
Does an oath made by a person constitute a real oath with real consequences of a curse? No, unless the person was instructed by God. In Saul’s case he had the authority as king to kill anyone who disobeyed his command or oath. The decision was always his, he was ‘grandstanding’ in front of his men and was even willing to kill his own son to make himself look good. One might describe him as a prideful ________ (fill in the blank). But what about the casting of lots that determined Jonathan was guilty? First of all, God knew that Jonathan was not guilty of breaking his father’s oath and that it was due to Jonathan’s faith in God that He granted Israel victory over the Philistines. God used this incident to call attention to Saul’s foolishness and pride, he should have been truly humbled when his plan to win approval backfired with his own men announcing that Jonathan would not be put to death, countering the king’s wishes. Jonathan emerged as the hero, not Saul.
A Ransom?
The concept of ransoming may sound strange to us as the word is most often used today to extort money to return an illegally obtained item or person. But the Hebrew word also applies to redemption, which is the central theme of the gospel message and to a large degree, the whole Bible. Due to sin separating humanity from God, He sent His Son as a ransom (the price for redemption, see Matthew 20:28; Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18-19) for all and became our one and only mediator between God and man. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45, see also Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Romans 3:25; 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14, 20; Hebrews 13:12; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5). God’s love for us is beyond measure, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God paid a ransom for us! Click here to read more.
A Mid-Term Assessment of Saul’s Reign
This last section of chapter fifteen summarizes many of Saul’s accomplishments, family lineage, and to some degree his legacy. The placement of this information is curious as the Bible has much more to tell us about King Saul. To call it a summary would not be fully accurate as there are a few details missing. However, there is nothing negative stated in these verses, as they encapsulate the essence of a ‘good’ king. We have already seen some foolish decisions made by Saul, and read how God is looking for a man after His own heart to replace Saul as king (see 1 Samuel 13:14), and in the following chapter God will fully reject Saul. So these five verses can then be understood as a synopsis of a good king transitioning to being a lost and broken king.
14:47 When Saul had taken the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned he routed them. 48 And he did valiantly and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them.
Saul did face enemies all around Israel, they are identified here as Moab (although there was no conflict recorded in the Bible between Israel and Moab during Saul’s reign), the Ammonites (see 1 Samuel 11:11), Edom (again no conflict is recorded, but the Edomites regularly conflicted with the people of Israel), the kings of Zobah (an independent city-state in Aram, also known as Syria, on the northern border of Israel, once again no battle is recorded in Scripture), and the Philistines. We are then told that wherever Saul went into battle he won. The author adds that he valiantly struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel, which is the next battle recorded in the following chapter (although he didn’t obey God’s instructions). Saul was a successful military commander, but as being a king, he was proud and arrogant, which lead to him making poor decisions.
14:49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.
This is not a complete listing of Saul’s children, the author lists his sons as Jonathan, Ishvi (also known as Ish-bosheth, see 2 Samuel 2:10, and Esh-baal, see 1 Chronicles 8:33), and Malchi-shua. And the daughters as Merab and Michal. He also had three other sons Abinadab (see 1 Samuel 31:2), Armoni, and Mephibosheth (these last two are often missed as they are only listed once in 2 Samuel 21:8). They may not have been listed here as they were children of a concubine relationship and therefore not qualified to inherit. Some believe that Rizpah, who was Saul’s concubine (see 2 Samuel 3:7, see also 2 Samuel 21:10-11), gave birth to all three, but that is not supported in the text. This Mephibosheth should not be confused with Jonathan’s son with the same name, who due to an accident was disabled and could not walk.
14:50 And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. 51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, who we are told is the daughter of Ahimaaz, both of which are only mentioned this one time in Scripture (David took a wife by the same name, they are not the same person). We are introduced to Abner, Saul’s uncle, who will begin to play an important role during Saul’s and David’s reign. Lastly, we are given Saul’s father’s lineage, Kish, he was the son of Ner, who was also the father of Abner, and Ner was the son of Abiel (nothing recorded about him, not to be confused with one of David’s warriors with the same name).
14:52 There was hard fighting against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he attached him to himself.
The Philistines remained a constant threat against Israel, Saul had engaged with them prior to this verse and again several times later (see 1 Samuel 17:1-58; 28:1-31:13). Whenever Saul saw a strong warrior-type man among the Israelites he commissioned them to serve in his army.
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[1] Brannan, R., Penner, K. M., Loken, I., Aubrey, M., & Hoogendyk, I., eds. (2012). The Lexham English Septuagint (1 Kgdms 14:18). Lexham Press.
[2] Brannan, R., Penner, K. M., Loken, I., Aubrey, M., & Hoogendyk, I., eds. (2012). The Lexham English Septuagint (1 Kgdms 14:24). Lexham Press.
[3] Brannan, R., Penner, K. M., Loken, I., Aubrey, M., & Hoogendyk, I., eds. (2012). The Lexham English Septuagint (1 Kgdms 14:45). Lexham Press.