1 Samuel 14:14 NIV

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 14:14

14, 15. that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armour-bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow—This was a very ancient mode of measurement, and it still subsists in the East. The men who saw them scrambling up the rock had been surprised and killed, and the spectacle of twenty corpses would suggest to others that they were attacked by a numerous force. The success of the adventure was aided by a panic that struck the enemy,... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 14:1-23

Jonathan’s success at Michmash 14:1-23Armed 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... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 14:1-52

Jonathan’s Exploit. The Battle of Michmash. A Summary of Saul’s Reign3. Ahiah] RV ’Ahijah,’ probably merely another form of Ahimelech (1 Samuel 21:1). Melech (king) was one of the titles of Jah or Jehovah.4. Between the passages] RV ’between the passes.’9. It has been suggested that the reply would show that the Philistines were brave men, and Jonathan would give up the enterprise as impossible; but in view of 1 Samuel 14:6, it is better to take the sign as a purely arbitrary one: cp. Judges... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - 1 Samuel 14:14

(14) And that first slaughter . . .—Considerable doubt exists as to the exact meaning of this verse. The LXX. either had here a different text before them, or else translated, as has been suggested, “conjecturally, what they did not understand;” their rendering is “about twenty men, with darts and slings and stones of the field.” Ewald explains the Hebrew words as follows: “At the very beginning he strikes down about twenty men at once, as if a yoke of land were in course of being ploughed,... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 14:1-23

CHAPTER XIX.JONATHAN’S EXPLOIT AT MICHMASH.1 Samuel 14:1-23.IT has sometimes been objected to the representation occurring at the end of the thirteenth chapter of the utter want of arms among the Hebrews at this time that it is inconsistent with the narrative of the eleventh. If it be true, as stated there, that the Israelites gained a great victory over the Ammonites, they must have had arms to accomplish that; and, moreover, the victory itself must have put them in possession of the arms of... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - 1 Samuel 14:1-52

7. Jonathan’s Heroic Deed of Faith CHAPTER 14 1. Jonathan’s victory (1 Samuel 14:1-23 ) 2. Saul’s adjuration and Jonathan’s deed (1 Samuel 14:24-32 ) 3. Saul’s first altar and unanswered inquiry (1 Samuel 14:33-37 ) 4. Jonathan condemned and saved (1 Samuel 14:38-45 ) 5. Saul’s battle and success (1 Samuel 14:46-48 ) 6. Saul’s family (1 Samuel 14:49-52 ) Jonathan, one of the most beautiful characters of the Bible, with a kindred spirit, his armour bearer, goes forward to attack... read more

John Calvin

Geneva Study Bible - 1 Samuel 14:14

14:14 And that {g} first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, [which] a yoke [of oxen might plow].(g) The second was when they slew one another, and the third when the Israelites chased them. read more

L.M. Grant

L. M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 14:1-52

Jonathan had been acting for God at the time Saul had pronounced his prohibition, so that he was not there to hear it. With the end of his rod he dipped honey from a honeycomb. In eating it, his eyes were enlightened, which certainly involves a revival of strength. Honey is typical of the ministry of the Word of God. Just as the worker bees digest the nectar before storing the honey for the use of all the hive, so believers, meditating on the Word, digest it before presenting it to others in... read more

James Gray

James Gray's Concise Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 14:1-52

THE MONARCHY ON ITS WAY The period covered by these chapters is doubtless of some length, whose history is summed up in the closing verses of the second (v. 47-52). But there are special features reported in detail which constitute the substance of the lesson. THE RENDEZVOUS AT GILGAL (1 Samuel 13:1-4 ) Saul’s plan seems to have been not a large standing army but a small body- guard, divided between him and his son (1 Samuel 13:2 ), for the purpose of harassing the enemy in detachments.... read more

Joseph Parker

The People's Bible by Joseph Parker - 1 Samuel 14:1-52

Saul's Early Efforts 1 Samuel 13:1; 1 Samuel 14:01 Samuel 14:0 IN these two chapters we have an opportunity of seeing how Saul betook himself to his kingly work. He did not rush upon his office in indecent haste. We have seen that after his anointing he returned to pursue his usual avocations, and that only upon receiving a special summons from men in distress did he arise to vindicate his true position in Israel. Having overthrown Nahash the Ammonite and received a renewal of the kingdom at... read more