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1 Samuel 13:16

in 1 Samuel 13

Now Saul and Jonathan his son and the troops with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Michmash.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

KJV

And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

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This verse in 1 Samuel 13

Commentary

5 notes on this verse
And Saul, and Jonathan his son,.... Who were now joined to their men, on Saul's coming to Gibeah: and the people that were present with them; the six hundred men before numbered: abode in Gibeah of Benjamin; being perhaps a strong fortified place, not choosing to go forth to meet the army of the Philistines, so vastly superior to them: but the Philistines encamped at Michmash; the old quarters of Saul before he went to Gilgal, 1Sa 13:2.

This site's exposition

about six hundred men

on 1 Samuel 13:15-16

Samuel leaves Saul at Gilgal and the army is counted at six hundred men, a remnant of the three thousand chosen at verse two and a fraction of the three hundred thousand Saul once mustered for Jabesh-gilead at 11:8. The numbers carry the chapter's whole argument without a word of comment: a king who could summon a nation in chapter eleven is reduced to a garrison in chapter thirteen, and the cause the text has just named is disobedience, not the size of the enemy. Gibeah, Saul's own town, becomes the last standing camp while the Philistines hold Michmash across the pass.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Gregory the Dialogist

Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 3 · Written before 604.

proposed

27. It has been sufficiently repeated that Gibeah is interpreted as "hill." A hill, however, is not the summit itself, but an elevation of the mountains near to the summit. What is understood by this hill, if not the high and perfect life of faithful subjects? This life, although it may not be equal to the loftiness of preachers, is nevertheless clearly seen to be sublime far above the merits of others. Hence also concerning certain chief elect ones it is read in the Apocalypse: "No one could sing the canticle except those one hundred forty-four thousand" (Rev. 14:3).

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

Both Saul and Jonathan his son, and the people, etc. Machmas is humility, as often said, Gabaa of Benjamin sounds like the hill of the son of the right hand. It must be questioned how, with the gates of humility besieged by unclean spirits, on …

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Thus were they for their sin diminished and brought low. The Philistines ravage the country, and put all the adjacent parts under contribution. The body of their army, or standing camp (as it is called in the margin,

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

The words behind it

12 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְשָׁא֞וּלand Saul

    veshaulH7586 →402 times

  • וְיוֹנָתָ֣ןand Jonathan

    veyonatanH3129 →43 times

  • בְּנ֗וֹson his

    benoH1121 →4930 times

  • וְהָעָם֙and the people

    vehaamH5971 →1873 times

  • הַנִּמְצָ֣אwhich was found

    hanimtza'H4672 →455 times

  • עִמָּ֔םwith them

    ʾimamH5973 →1050 times

  • יֹשְׁבִ֖ים[were] remaining

    yoshevimH3427 →1079 times

  • בְּגֶ֣בַעin Geba

    begeva'H1387 →19 times

  • בִּנְיָמִ֑ןof Benjamin

    binyaminH1144 →166 times

  • וּפְלִשְׁתִּ֖יםand [the] Philistines

    ufelishtimH6430 →287 times

  • חָנ֥וּthey encamped

    chanuH2583 →143 times

  • בְמִכְמָֽשׂ׃in Micmash

    vemikhmasH4363 →11 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

4 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

1 Samuel 13:11“What have you done?” Samuel asked. And Saul replied, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me, and that you did not come at the appointed time and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash,4 works1 Samuel 13:3Then Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”2 works1 Samuel 31:2The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.2 worksIsaiah 10:29They have crossed at the ford: “We will spend the night at Geba.” Ramah trembles; Gibeah of Saul flees.2 works

The walk

5 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Samuel 13:3

    Then Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”

    it leads to

    • 1 Samuel 10:5

      After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded…

    • Judges 3:27

      On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader.

    • Judges 6:34

      So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him.

    • 1 Samuel 14:1–6

      One day Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But Jonathan did not tell his father.

    • Zechariah 14:10

      All the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem will be turned into a plain, but Jerusalem will be raised up and will remain in her place, from the Benjamin Gate to the…

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Samuel

David Slays Goliath, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
David Slays Goliath, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
1 Samuel: the study guide →Read 1 Samuel 13 →

This page draws on Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 3; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Samuel 13 →