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1 Samuel 14:34

in 1 Samuel 14

Then he said, “Go among the troops and tell them, ‘Each man must bring me his ox or his sheep, slaughter them in this place, and then eat. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.’” So that night everyone brought his ox and slaughtered it there.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against Jehovah in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there.

KJV

And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the Lord in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there.

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This verse in 1 Samuel 14

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

This site's exposition

the troops are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it

on 1 Samuel 14:33-35

Saul acts at once, rolling a large stone as a place of slaughter so the animals can be killed and drained properly. The chapter adds that this was "the first time he had built an altar to the LORD," in the chapter of his rash oath and his cut-short inquiry. Zeal for the letter of the law and carelessness with the LORD’s word stand side by side in one king.

This site's exposition

slaughter them in this place

Albert Barnes traces the ban on blood back past Moses to Genesis 9:4, and forward to Acts 15:20 and 29. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown explain the stone: an animal killed on it bled out onto the ground, and all could see it was dead before it was eaten. The whole army obeyed that night.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Gregory the Dialogist

Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 4 · Written before 604.

proposed

It is proper to the preachers of the holy Church both to rebuke committed faults and to show how those rebuked faults ought to be avoided. Once rebuked, they become known, but if people do not know how to avoid them, once exposed they are repeated. What is shown in this eating of blood, if not the hidden poison of pride? But hidden vices are not cured unless they are exposed. Therefore, to suggest the manner of preachers, Saul first declares that the people have transgressed, then commands that the animals they are to eat be slain upon a stone.

A commentator

Gregory the Dialogist

Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 4 · Written before 604.

proposed

To lead a bull by hand is to destroy the sin of pride through the affliction of penance. For while by laboring one destroys what one committed through pride, one leads the bull to be slaughtered on the stone by hand. But what does it mean when he says: "Until night," unless that it is not permitted to sin, but it is permitted to destroy sins up until death?

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

), so easily were they restrained and reformed when their prince took care to do his part. If magistrates would but use their power as they might, people would be made better than they are with more ease than is imagined.

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

And Saul said, disperse yourselves among the people,....

The words behind it

30 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.

  • וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • שָׁא֣וּלSaul

    shaulH7586 →402 times

  • פֻּ֣צוּbe scattered

    putzuH6327 →67 times

  • בָעָ֡םamong the people

    vaamH5971 →1873 times

  • וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֣םand you will say

    vaamartemH559 →5305 times

  • לָהֶ֡םto <the> them

    lahem

  • הַגִּ֣ישׁוּbring near

    hagishuH5066 →125 times

  • אֵלַי֩to me

    ʾelaiH413 →5510 times

  • אִ֨ישׁeach one

    ʾishH376 →1663 times

  • שׁוֹר֜וֹox his

    shoroH7794 →79 times

  • וְאִ֣ישׁand each one

    veishH376 →1663 times

  • שְׂיֵ֗הוּsheep his

    seyehuH7716 →47 times

  • וּשְׁחַטְתֶּ֤םand you will slaughter [it]

    ushechatemH7819 →81 times

  • בָּזֶה֙in this [place]

    bazehH2088 →1180 times

  • וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֔םand you will eat [it]

    vaakhaltemH398 →810 times

  • וְלֹֽא־and not

    velo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • תֶחֶטְא֥וּyou will sin

    techetuH2398 →238 times

  • לַֽיהוָ֖הto Yahweh

    layahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • לֶאֱכֹ֣לby eating

    leekholH398 →810 times

  • אֶל־with

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • הַדָּ֑םthe blood

    hadamH1818 →360 times

  • וַיַּגִּ֨שׁוּand they brought near

    vaiyagishuH5066 →125 times

  • כָל־all

    khol-H3605 →5413 times

  • הָעָ֜םthe people

    haamH5971 →1873 times

  • אִ֣ישׁeach one

    ʾishH376 →1663 times

  • שׁוֹר֧וֹox his

    shoroH7794 →79 times

  • בְיָד֛וֹin hand his

    veyadovH3027 →1618 times

  • הַלַּ֖יְלָהthis night

    halaylahH3915 →233 times

  • וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ־and they slaughtered [it]

    vaiyishchatu-H7819 →81 times

  • שָֽׁם׃there

    shamH8033 →834 times

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

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies1

About 1 Samuel

Anointing of David by Samuel, Félix-Joseph Barrias, 1842, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris. Public domain.
Anointing of David by Samuel, Félix-Joseph Barrias, 1842, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris. Public domain.
1 Samuel: the study guide →Read 1 Samuel 14 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Samuel 14 →