John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 14:25
And all they of the land came to a wood ,.... Which lay between Bethaven and Aijalon; by whom are meant not all the inhabitants of the land of Israel, but all that came with Saul and Jonathan, and that joined them in the pursuit: and there was honey upon the ground ; which dropped upon it, as in the following verse, or where it was produced by bees; for Aristotle F18 Hist. Animal. l. 5. c. 22. reports, that bees in some places make their combs upon the ground; this was wild honey,... read more
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 14:24-35
We have here an account of the distress of the children of Israel, even in the day of their triumphs. Such alloys are all present joys subject to. And such obstructions does many a good cause meet with, even when it seems most prosperous, through the mismanagement of instruments. I. Saul forbade the people, under the penalty of a curse, to taste any food that day, 1 Sam. 14:24. Here we will suppose, 1. That as king he had power to put his soldiers under this interdict, and to bind it on with a... read more