1 Saul1 reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
2 Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in aMichmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with bJonathan in cGibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.
3 And Jonathan attacked athe garrison of the Philistines that was in bGeba, and the Philistines heard ofit. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
4 Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become1 an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.
5 Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel,1 thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people aas the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of bBeth Aven.
6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people ahid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits.
7 And someof the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the aland of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8aThen he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
9 So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering.
10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might1 greet him.
11 And Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash,
12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”
13 And Samuel said to Saul, a“You have done foolishly. bYou have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14aBut now your kingdom shall not continue. bThe Lord has sought for Himself a man cafter His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him tobe commander over His people, because you have dnot kept what the Lord commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, aabout six hundred men.
No Weapons for the Army
16 Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in1 Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
17 Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to aOphrah, to the land of Shual,
The text of this verse, omitted by the Septuagint, is held to be corrupt, and the numerals denoting Saul' s age at his accession as well as the duration of his reign, are thought to be omitted or faulty. Saul may have been about 30 at his accession, and have reigned some 32 years, since we know that his grandson Mephibosheth was five years old at Saul' s death II Samuel 4:4; and 32 added to the seven and a half years between the death of Saul and that of Ishbosheth, makes up the 40 years assigned to Saul' s dynasty in Acts 13:21. Neither is there any clue to the interval of time between the events recorded in the preceding chapter, and those which follow in this and succeeding chapters. But the appearance of Jonathan as a warrior I Samuel 13:2 compared with the mention of Saul as "a young man" I Samuel 9:2, implies an interval of not less than ten or fifteen years, perhaps more. The object of the historian is to prepare the way for the history of David' s reign. He therefore passes at once to that incident in Saul' s reign, which led to his rejection by God, as recorded in I Samuel 13:13-14.
Other Barnes' Notes entries containing 1 Samuel 13:1:
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