1 Samuel 13:2

SAUL RECRUITS AN ARMY AT GILGAL

"Saul chose three thousand men of Israel; two thousand were with Saul in Michmash, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines which was at Geba; and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. And the people were called out to meet Saul at Gilgal."

We do not know what interval of time elapsed between this chapter and the preceding one. The scholars disagree, assigning the interval anywhere between a day or two and ten or fifteen years. A complicating factor is the appearance of Jonathan here as a competent military commander in charge of a thousand men.

"Michmash ... and Bethel" (1 Samuel 13:2). "Michmash is the modern Mukhmas, located about seven miles northeast of Jerusalem; and Bethel is the modern Beitin four and one half miles northwest of Mukhmas."[5]

Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines at Geba (1 Samuel 13:3). This poses a problem for some who point out that the garrison of the Philistines was actually at Gibeah (1 Samuel 10:2); but there is no problem at all. The Philistines had garrisons at both places and in all probability at a number of other places also.

We noted earlier that the word rendered "garrison" is the same word also translated as prefect, commander, pillar or governor. Some critics have used this to deny that Jonathan defeated a garrison, affirming that he assassinated the commander of the garrison. It is noteworthy that the RSV retains the rendition "garrison," which was defeated by Jonathan and his one thousand soldiers.

"Let the Hebrews hear" (1 Samuel 13:3). Some have tried to make the appearance of this word here as evidence that some foreigner wrote Samuel, affirming that `Hebrews' is a derogatory word applied to Israelites. Willis stated that, "There is no reason to regard `Hebrews' as a derogatory term."[6] Abraham himself was called `a Hebrew' (Genesis 14:13); and even the beloved Joseph referred to his native land as, "The land of the Hebrews" (Genesis 40:15).

"Israel had become odious to the Philistines" (1 Samuel 13:4). The text here literally means, "They became stinking to the Philistines."[7]