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Selected Verse: 1 Samuel 14:24 - Strong Concordance
Verse |
Translation |
Text |
1Sa 14:24 |
Strong Concordance |
And the men [0376] of Israel [03478] were distressed [05065] that day [03117]: for Saul [07586] had adjured [0422] the people [05971], saying [0559], Cursed [0779] be the man [0376] that eateth [0398] any food [03899] until evening [06153], that I may be avenged [05358] on mine enemies [0341]. So none of the people [05971] tasted [02938] any food [03899]. |
|
King James |
And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
Saul had adjured the people--Afraid lest so precious an opportunity of effectually humbling the Philistine power might be lost, the impetuous king laid an anathema on any one who should taste food until the evening. This rash and foolish denunciation distressed the people, by preventing them taking such refreshments as they might get on the march, and materially hindered the successful attainment of his own patriotic object. |
Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
Saul's precipitate haste. - Sa1 14:24. The men of Israel were pressed (i.e., fatigued) on that day, sc., through the military service and fighting. Then Saul adjured the people, saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth bread until the evening, and (till) I have avenged myself upon mine enemies." יאל, fut. apoc. of יאלה for יאלה, from אלה, to swear, Hiphil to adjure or require an oath of a person. The people took the oath by saying "amen" to what Saul had uttered. This command of Saul did not proceed from a proper attitude towards the Lord, but was an act of false zeal, in which Saul had more regard to himself and his own kingly power than to the cause of the kingdom of Jehovah, as we may see at once from the expression וגו נקּמתּי, "till I have avenged myself upon mine enemies." It was a despotic measure which not only failed to accomplish its object (see Sa1 14:30, Sa1 14:31), but brought Saul into the unfortunate position of being unable to carry out the oath (see Sa1 14:45). All the people kept the command. "They tasted no bread." ולא־טעם is not to be connected with ונקּמתּי as an apodosis.
Sa1 14:25
"And all the land (i.e., all the people of the land who had gathered round Saul: vid., Sa1 14:29) came into the woody country; there was honey upon the field." יער signifies here a woody district, in which forests alternated with tracts of arable land and meadows.
Sa1 14:26
When the people came into the wood and saw a stream of honey (or wild or wood bees), "no one put his hand to his mouth (sc., to eat of the honey), because they feared the oath."
Sa1 14:27
But Jonathan, who had not heard his father's oath, dipped (in the heat of pursuit, that he might not have to stop) the point of his staff in the new honey, and put it to his mouth, "and his eyes became bright;" his lost strength, which is reflected in the eye, having been brought back by this invigorating taste. The Chethibh תראנה is probably to be read תּראנה, the eyes became seeing, received their power of vision again. The Masoretes have substituted as the Keri תּארנה, from אור, to become bright, according to Sa1 14:29; and this is probably the correct reading, as the letters might easily be transposed.
Sa1 14:28-30
When one of the people told him thereupon of his father's oath, in consequence of which the people were exhausted (העם ויּעף belongs to the man's words; and ויּעף is the same as in Jdg 4:21), Jonathan condemned the prohibition. "My father has brought the land (i.e., the people of the land, as in Sa1 14:25) into trouble (עכר, see at Gen 34:30): see how bright mine eyes have become because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more if the people had eaten to-day of the booty of its enemies, would not the overthrow among the Philistines truly have then become great?" כּי אף, lit. to this (there comes) also that = not to mention how much more; and עתּה כּי is an emphatic introduction of the apodosis, as in Gen 31:42; Gen 43:10, and other passages, and the apodosis itself is to be taken as a question. |
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
Distressed - With hunger, and weakness, and faintness, and all by reason of the following oath. Avenged - As Saul's intention was good, so the matter of the obligation was not simply unlawful, if it had not been so rigorous in excluding all food, and in obliging the people to it under pain of an accursed death, which was a punishment far exceeding the fault. |
Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
Saul had adjured the people - He was afraid, if they waited to refresh themselves, the Philistines would escape out of their hands, and therefore he made the taking any food till sunset a capital crime. This was the very means of defeating his own intention; for as the people were exhausted for want of food, they could not continue the pursuit of their enemies: had it not been for this foolish adjuration, there had been a greater slaughter of the Philistines, Sa1 14:30. |
10 For except [03884] we had lingered [04102], surely now we had returned [07725] this second time [06471].
42 Except [03884] the God [0430] of my father [01], the God [0430] of Abraham [085], and the fear [06343] of Isaac [03327], had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away [07971] now empty [07387]. God [0430] hath seen [07200] mine affliction [06040] and the labour [03018] of my hands [03709], and rebuked [03198] thee yesternight [0570].
30 And Jacob [03290] said [0559] to Simeon [08095] and Levi [03878], Ye have troubled [05916] me to make me to stink [0887] among the inhabitants [03427] of the land [0776], among the Canaanites [03669] and the Perizzites [06522]: and I being few [04962] in number [04557], they shall gather themselves together [0622] against me, and slay me [05221]; and I shall be destroyed [08045], I and my house [01004].
25 And all they of the land [0776] came [0935] to a wood [03293]; and there was honey [01706] upon [06440] the ground [07704].
21 Then Jael [03278] Heber's [02268] wife [0802] took [03947] a nail [03489] of the tent [0168], and took [07760] an hammer [04718] in her hand [03027], and went [0935] softly [03814] unto him, and smote [08628] the nail [03489] into his temples [07541], and fastened [06795] it into the ground [0776]: for he was fast asleep [07290] and weary [05774]. So he died [04191].
28 Then answered [06030] one [0376] of the people [05971], and said [0559], Thy father [01] straitly [07650] charged [07650] the people [05971] with an oath [07650], saying [0559], Cursed [0779] be the man [0376] that eateth [0398] any food [03899] this day [03117]. And the people [05971] were faint [05774].
29 Then said [0559] Jonathan [03129], My father [01] hath troubled [05916] the land [0776]: see [07200], I pray you, how mine eyes [05869] have been enlightened [0215], because I tasted [02938] a little [04592] of this honey [01706].
30 How much more [0637], if haply [03863] the people [05971] had eaten [0398] freely [0398] to day [03117] of the spoil [07998] of their enemies [0341] which they found [04672]? for had there not been now a much greater [07235] slaughter [04347] among the Philistines [06430]?
29 Then said [0559] Jonathan [03129], My father [01] hath troubled [05916] the land [0776]: see [07200], I pray you, how mine eyes [05869] have been enlightened [0215], because I tasted [02938] a little [04592] of this honey [01706].
27 But Jonathan [03129] heard [08085] not when his father [01] charged [07650] the people [05971] with the oath [07650]: wherefore he put forth [07971] the end [07097] of the rod [04294] that was in his hand [03027], and dipped [02881] it in an honeycomb [03295] [01706], and put [07725] his hand [03027] to his mouth [06310]; and his eyes [05869] were enlightened [0215].
26 And when the people [05971] were come [0935] into the wood [03293], behold, the honey [01706] dropped [01982]; but no man put [05381] his hand [03027] to his mouth [06310]: for the people [05971] feared [03372] the oath [07621].
29 Then said [0559] Jonathan [03129], My father [01] hath troubled [05916] the land [0776]: see [07200], I pray you, how mine eyes [05869] have been enlightened [0215], because I tasted [02938] a little [04592] of this honey [01706].
25 And all they of the land [0776] came [0935] to a wood [03293]; and there was honey [01706] upon [06440] the ground [07704].
45 And the people [05971] said [0559] unto Saul [07586], Shall Jonathan [03129] die [04191], who hath wrought [06213] this great [01419] salvation [03444] in Israel [03478]? God forbid [02486]: as the LORD [03068] liveth [02416], there shall not one hair [08185] of his head [07218] fall [05307] to the ground [0776]; for he hath wrought [06213] with God [0430] this day [03117]. So the people [05971] rescued [06299] Jonathan [03129], that he died [04191] not.
31 And they smote [05221] the Philistines [06430] that day [03117] from Michmash [04363] to Aijalon [0357]: and the people [05971] were very [03966] faint [05774].
30 How much more [0637], if haply [03863] the people [05971] had eaten [0398] freely [0398] to day [03117] of the spoil [07998] of their enemies [0341] which they found [04672]? for had there not been now a much greater [07235] slaughter [04347] among the Philistines [06430]?
24 And the men [0376] of Israel [03478] were distressed [05065] that day [03117]: for Saul [07586] had adjured [0422] the people [05971], saying [0559], Cursed [0779] be the man [0376] that eateth [0398] any food [03899] until evening [06153], that I may be avenged [05358] on mine enemies [0341]. So none of the people [05971] tasted [02938] any food [03899].
30 How much more [0637], if haply [03863] the people [05971] had eaten [0398] freely [0398] to day [03117] of the spoil [07998] of their enemies [0341] which they found [04672]? for had there not been now a much greater [07235] slaughter [04347] among the Philistines [06430]?