1 Samuel 14:44
in 1 Samuel 14And Saul declared, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if you, Jonathan, do not surely die!”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Saul said, God do so and more also; for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.
KJV
And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 14
Commentary
6 notes on this verseIn this passage it should be noted that the king twice uttered an oath above concerning the killing of Jonathan, whom nevertheless, overcome by the insistence of the people, he did not kill. What does it mean that he swore, and by no means kept the assertion of his oath? But from this matter two lessons come to us, namely that we ought to be both cautious and discerning. Cautious indeed, lest we swear; discerning, if we swear to do perverse things. For he who takes care not to swear cannot possibly commit perjury.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Jonathan tasted of a honeycomb on a rod, and his eyes were enlightened, and his life was in danger because he acted through ignorance. For Scripture testifies to the fact that he did not know that his father had given strict orders that no one was to taste any food until the victory of the Lord was accomplished. However, the Lord was so angered that the lot disclosed him hiding, and he confessed openly, saying, "I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod, which was in my hand, and behold I must die."
It is no light sin, as I have said, to violate the appointed fast. In order to demonstrate this briefly by examples, we read in the book of Kings [Samuel] that when Saul the king of Israel was waging war against the foreigners he proclaimed …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Jonathan had a very good plea in arrest of the judgment. What he had done was not malum in se -- bad in itself; and, as for the prohibition of it, he was ignorant of that, so that he could not be charged with rebellion or disobedience.
And Saul answered, God do so and more also,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And Saul answered - thou shalt surely die, Jonathan - To save thy rash oath! So must John Baptist’s head be taken off at the desire of an impure woman, because a Herod had sworn to give her whatever she might request! Unfeeling brute! However, the king was Judge. But what said the people, who were the Jury?
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| שָׁא֔וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| כֹּֽה־ | koh- | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה | yaaseh | may he do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| אֱלֹהִ֖ים | ʾelohim | God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| וְכֹ֣ה | vekhoh | and thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| יוֹסִ֑ף | yosif | may he add | H3254 → | 212 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מ֥וֹת | mot | certainly <to die> | H4191 → | 839 times |
| תָּמ֖וּת | tamut | you will die | H4191 → | 839 times |
| יוֹנָתָֽן׃ | yonatan | O Jonathan | H3129 → | 43 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
שָׁא֔וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
כֹּֽה־thus
koh-H3541 →577 times
יַעֲשֶׂ֥הmay he do
yaasehH6213 →2628 times
אֱלֹהִ֖יםGod
ʾelohimH430 →2601 times
וְכֹ֣הand thus
vekhohH3541 →577 times
יוֹסִ֑ףmay he add
yosifH3254 →212 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
מ֥וֹתcertainly <to die>
motH4191 →839 times
תָּמ֖וּתyou will die
tamutH4191 →839 times
יוֹנָתָֽן׃O Jonathan
yonatanH3129 →43 times
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
Ruth 1:17Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me, and ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 3:17
“What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Samuel 19:13
And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from this time you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
- 2 Kings 6:31
He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”
- 1 Kings 2:23
Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.
- 1 Kings 20:10
Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”
- 1 Samuel 3:17
Through
Genesis 38:24About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”
it leads to
- Leviticus 21:9
If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
- Leviticus 21:9
Through
2 Samuel 19:13And say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my flesh and blood? May God punish me, and ever so severely, if from this time you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab!’”
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 17:25
Absalom had appointed Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, the Ishmaelite who had married Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah…
- 1 Kings 19:2
So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those…
- 2 Samuel 17:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited monarchySaulIsrael's first king, head and shoulders above the people; began in humility, ended in rejection — sparing what God devoted, consul…
- PersonEarly monarchyJonathanSon of King Saul who climbed a cliff to rout a garrison on the conviction that nothing restrains Jehovah; cut a covenant of steadf…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Gregory the Dialogist, Commentary on 1 Kings, Book 5, Chapter 4; Jerome, Against the Pelagians 1.33; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Maximus of Turin, SERMON 69.4.