1 Samuel 13:17
in 1 Samuel 13And raiders went out of the Philistine camp in three divisions. One headed toward Ophrah in the land of Shual,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual;
KJV
And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual:
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This verse in 1 Samuel 13
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The spoilers - “The devastator:” the same word is used of the destroying Angel Exo 12:23. The verse describes the system adopted by the Philistines by which for a time they subjugated the Israelites. From their central camp at Michmash they sent out three bands to kill and lay waste and destroy.
This site's exposition
the spoilers came out of
on 1 Samuel 13:17-18
Three raiding companies fan out from the Philistine camp toward three compass points, north to Ophrah, west to Beth-horon on the road into the heart of the land, and east toward the valley of Zeboim on the wilderness edge, so the whole hill country is worked over at once. The detail matters because it explains why the next verses report no smith left in the land, for a raiding force this thorough would have swept up the very tools of iron working along with the grain. Michmash sits at the center of the arc, the pass the garrison holds through the rest of this chapter and into the next.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
And three companies went out to pillage from the camps of the Philistines, etc. And everyone who legitimately fights in her camps feels that the Church is daily tested by these three companies. For three companies go out to pillage from the camps of the …
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistCommentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 3 · Written before 604.
proposed
28. What does it mean that the Philistines form three companies, except that evil spirits strive to introduce wicked things into our heart, tongue, and deed? For since every sin is committed by thinking, or speaking, or doing, the three companies of the Philistines signify this: that evil spirits are eager to drive souls to sin through negligence of the heart, unbridledness of the mouth, and boldness of perverse deed. Hence the first company is said to advance against the way of Ephraim, because they begin by assaulting innocence from the heart.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
By these the land of Israel was both terrified and impoverished, and the Philistines were animated and enriched. This the sin of Israel brought upon them, Isa. xlii. The Israelites that take the field with Saul are unarmed, having only slings and clubs, not a sword or spear among them all, except what Saul and Jonathan themselves have,
And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The spoilers came out - The Philistines, finding that the Israelites durst not hazard a battle, divided their army into three bands, and sent them in three different directions to pillage and destroy the country. Jonathan profited by this circumstance, and attacked the remains of the army at Michmash, as we shall see in the succeeding chapter, 1 Samuel 14 (note).
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּצֵ֧א | vaiyetze' | and it came out | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| הַמַּשְׁחִ֛ית | hamashchit | the destroyer | H7843 → | 146 times |
| מִמַּחֲנֵ֥ה | mimachaneh | from [the] camp of | H4264 → | 215 times |
| פְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים | felishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה | sheloshah | three | H7969 → | 432 times |
| רָאשִׁ֑ים | rashim | companies | H7218 → | 599 times |
| הָרֹ֨אשׁ | harosh | the company | H7218 → | 599 times |
| אֶחָ֥ד | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| יִפְנֶ֛ה | yifneh | it turned | H6437 → | 135 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| דֶּ֥רֶךְ | derekh | [the] direction of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| עָפְרָ֖ה | ʾaferah | Ophrah | H6084 → | |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֶ֥רֶץ | ʾeretz | [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| שׁוּעָֽל׃ | shual | Shual | H7777 → |
וַיֵּצֵ֧אand it came out
vaiyetze'H3318 →1067 times
הַמַּשְׁחִ֛יתthe destroyer
hamashchitH7843 →146 times
מִמַּחֲנֵ֥הfrom [the] camp of
mimachanehH4264 →215 times
פְלִשְׁתִּ֖ים[the] Philistines
felishtimH6430 →287 times
שְׁלֹשָׁ֣הthree
sheloshahH7969 →432 times
רָאשִׁ֑יםcompanies
rashimH7218 →599 times
הָרֹ֨אשׁthe company
haroshH7218 →599 times
אֶחָ֥דone
ʾechadH259 →971 times
יִפְנֶ֛הit turned
yifnehH6437 →135 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
דֶּ֥רֶךְ[the] direction of
derekhH1870 →707 times
עָפְרָ֖הOphrah
ʾaferahH6084 →
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֶ֥רֶץ[the] land of
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
שׁוּעָֽל׃Shual
shualH7777 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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 11:11The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions, and during the morning watch they invaded the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them, until the hottest part of the day. And the…
it leads to
- Judges 7:16
And he divided the three hundred men into three companies and gave each man a ram’s horn in one hand and a large jar in the other, containing a torch.
- Genesis 22:14
And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
- James 2:13
For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Exodus 14:24
At morning watch, however, the LORD looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud, and He threw their camp into confusion.
- Judges 7:16
Through
1 Samuel 14:15Then terror struck the Philistines in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even those in the outposts and raiding parties trembled. Indeed, the earth quaked and panic spread from God.
it leads to
- Genesis 35:5
As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.
- 2 Samuel 5:24
As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because this will mean that the LORD has marched out before you to strike the camp…
- 2 Kings 7:6–7
For the Lord had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots, horses, and a great army, so that they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel must have hired the…
- Exodus 19:18
Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
- Genesis 35:5
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Samuel
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 3; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.