1 Samuel 14:1-23

1 Samuel 14:1-23

[1] Now it came to pass upon a day,  that Jonathan  the son  of Saul  said  unto the young man  that bare  his armour,  and let us go over  to the Philistines'  garrison,  that is on the other side.  But he told  not his father.  [2] And Saul  tarried  in the uttermost  part of Gibeah  under a pomegranate tree  which is in Migron:  and the people  that were with him were about six  hundred  men;  [3] And Ahiah,  the son  of Ahitub,  Ichabod's  brother,  the son  of Phinehas,  the son  of Eli,  the LORD'S  priest  in Shiloh,  wearing  an ephod.  And the people  knew  not that Jonathan  was gone.  [4] And between the passages,  by which Jonathan  sought  to go over  unto the Philistines'  garrison,  there was a sharp  rock  on the one side,  and a sharp  rock  on the other side:  and the name  of the one  was Bozez,  and the name  of the other  Seneh.  [5] The forefront  of the one  was situate  northward  over against  Michmash,  and the other  southward  over against  Gibeah.  [6] And Jonathan  said  to the young man  that bare  his armour,  and let us go over  unto the garrison  of these uncircumcised:  it may be that the LORD  will work  for us: for there is no restraint  to the LORD  to save  by many  or by few.  [7] And his armourbearer  said  unto him, Do  all that is in thine heart:  turn  thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.  [8] Then said  Jonathan,  Behold, we will pass over  unto these men,  and we will discover  [9] If they say  thus unto us, Tarry  until we come  to you; then we will stand still  in our place, and will not go up  [10] But if they say  thus, Come up  for the LORD  hath delivered  them into our hand:  and this shall be a sign  unto us. [11] And both  of them discovered  themselves unto the garrison  of the Philistines:  said,  Behold, the Hebrews  come forth  out of the holes  where they had hid  [12] of the garrison  answered  Jonathan  and his armourbearer,  and said,  Come up  to us, and we will shew  you a thing.  And Jonathan  said  unto his armourbearer,  Come up  after  me: for the LORD  hath delivered  them into the hand  of Israel.  [13] And Jonathan  climbed up  upon his hands  and upon his feet,  and his armourbearer  after  him: and they fell  before  Jonathan;  and his armourbearer  slew  after  [14] And that first  slaughter,  which Jonathan  and his armourbearer  made,  was about twenty  men,  within as it were an half  acre  of land,  which a yoke  [15] And there was trembling  in the host,  in the field,  and among all the people:  the garrison,  and the spoilers,  they also trembled,  and the earth  quaked:  so it was a very great  trembling.  [16] And the watchmen  of Saul  in Gibeah  of Benjamin  looked;  and, behold, the multitude  melted away,  on beating down  one another. [17] Then said  Saul  unto the people  that were with him, Number  now, and see  who is gone  from us. And when they had numbered,  behold, Jonathan  and his armourbearer  [18] And Saul  said  unto Ahiah,  Bring hither  the ark  of God.  For the ark  of God  was at that time  with the children  of Israel.  [19] And it came to pass, while Saul  talked  unto the priest,  that the noise  that was in the host  of the Philistines  on  and increased:  and Saul  said  unto the priest,  Withdraw  thine hand.  [20] And Saul  and all the people  that were with him assembled  themselves, and they came  to the battle:  and, behold, every man's  sword  was against his fellow,  and there was a very  great  discomfiture.  [21] Moreover the Hebrews  that were with the Philistines  before  that time,  which went up  with them into the camp  from the country round about,  even they also turned to be with the Israelites  that were with Saul  and Jonathan.  [22] Likewise all the men  of Israel  which had hid  themselves in mount  Ephraim,  when they heard  that the Philistines  fled,  even they also followed hard  after  them in the battle.  [23] So the LORD  saved  Israel  that day:  and the battle  passed over  unto Bethaven. 

What does 1 Samuel 14:1-23 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

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. 1 Samuel 9:16). He would have made a good king of Israel. Saul remained in Gibeah, evidently on the defensive. His comfortable position under a fruit tree (cf. 1 Samuel 22:6; Judges 4:5) in secure Gibeah, surrounded by his soldiers, contrasts with Jonathan"s vulnerable and difficult position with only the support of his armor bearer. Jonathan was launching out in faith to obey God, but Saul was resting comfortably and failing to do God"s will.
The reference to priestly activity at Shiloh ( 1 Samuel 14:3) shows that the nation still regarded Shiloh as a cultic site (i.e, a site where the people practiced formal worship).
"Saul is accompanied by Ahijah, a member of the rejected priestly house of Eli ( 1 Samuel 14:3), and this first mention of an Elide after the disasters which befell Eli"s family in chap4triggers the response "rejected by Yhwh." Lest the point be missed, it is reinforced by the odd and needless genealogical reference to Ichabod, Ahijah"s uncle, picking up on 1 Samuel 4:21-22, and reminding the reader that "the glory has departed." His own royal glory gone, where else would we expect Saul to be than with a relative of "Glory gone"? The axes which here intersect, the rejection of Saul and the rejection of the Elide priesthood, will do so again in 1 Samuel 22:11-19, when Saul will bloodily fulfill the prophecy of 1 Samuel 2:31-33, wreaking Yhwh"s will on the Elides." [1]
Bozez ( 1 Samuel 14:4, lit. shining) was the south-facing cliff near the Philistine camp at Michmash, perhaps so named because it reflected the sun that shone on it from the south. Seneh (lit. thorny) faced north and was closer to Geba. Jonathan"s route was an extremely difficult one. This fact accounts for his being able to surprise the Philistines.
In contrast to Saul, Jonathan had a true perception of God"s role as the leader and deliverer of His people ( 1 Samuel 14:6). He viewed the Philistines as unbelievers under divine judgment whom God wanted exterminated (cf. Genesis 17). He believed that God would work for His people in response to faith, as He had done repeatedly in Israel"s history. He also had learned that superior numbers were not necessary for God to give victory in battle (cf. 1 Samuel 17:47; Judges 7:4; Judges 7:7).
"Other parallels with the story of Gideon commend themselves as well: the hero accompanied by only one servant ( 1 Samuel 14:7; cf. Judges 7:10-11); the sign ( 1 Samuel 14:9-10; cf. Judges 7:13-15); the panic ( 1 Samuel 14:15; cf. Judges 7:21); the confusion, causing the enemy soldiers to turn on "each other with their swords" ( 1 Samuel 14:20; cf. Judges 7:22); reinforcements from the "hill country of Ephraim" ( 1 Samuel 14:22; cf. Judges 7:24); and the pursuit ( 1 Samuel 14:22; cf. Judges 7:23 ...)." [2]
Perhaps Jonathan chose his sign arbitrarily simply to determine how the Lord wanted him to proceed. Some commentators have felt he did not.
"If the Philistines said, "Wait till we come," they would show some courage; but if they said, "Come up to us," it would be a sign that they were cowardly ..." [3]
Half a furrow of land ( 1 Samuel 14:14) was half a parcel of land that a yolk of oxen could plow in one day. Evidently God assisted Jonathan by sending a mild earthquake to unnerve the Philistines further ( 1 Samuel 14:15; cf. Deuteronomy 7:23).
When Saul should have been acting, he was waiting, and when he should have been waiting, he was acting ( 1 Samuel 14:18-19). He may have viewed the ark as a talisman that he planned to use to secure God"s help. Or he may have used the Urim and Thummim. [4] As Saul watched, the multitude of Philistine soldiers that covered the area began to dissipate. He evidently concluded that he did not need to seek the Lord"s guidance or blessing (cf. 1 Samuel 13:12).
God caused the Philistines to fight one another ( 1 Samuel 14:20; cf. Judges 7:22; 2 Chronicles 20:23). Some Israelite deserters or mercenaries who were fighting for the Philistines even changed their allegiance and took sides with Jonathan. The tide of battle had turned. Beth-aven stood near Michmash, but the exact site is uncertain.