1 Samuel 28:4
in 1 Samuel 28The Philistines came together and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at Gilboa.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa.
KJV
And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 28
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Gilboa - Now called Jebel Fukuak. But the ancient name is preserved in the village of Jelbon, situated on the south side of the mountain. It was separated from Shunem (see the marginal reference) by the deep valley of Jezreel. The Philistines either advanced along the seacoast, and then entered the valley of Jezreel from the west, or they came by the present road right through Samaria, starting from Aphek 1Sa 29:1.
This site's exposition
pitched in Shunem
on 1 Samuel 28:4-5
Shunem and Gilboa face each other across the valley of Jezreel, and Endor lies just beyond the Philistine camp on the far side of the ridge, so Saul's night trip later in the chapter will cross ground his own enemy is holding. Verse 5 gives the king's state before he does anything: he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled, the same dismay that gripped the whole army at the sight of Goliath in chapter 17, except now no young shepherd stands ready to answer for him. Matthew Henry reads the fear as the guilty blood of Amalek and the innocent blood of the priests at Nob finally catching up with him.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And the Philistines gathered together, etc. The Philistines in this place, inasmuch as they seek the aid of David and his men, represent the faithful from the Gentiles; but inasmuch as they scorn and reject him, they represent the unfaithful who oppose Christ. For they …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): The Philistines pitched in Shunem, which was in the tribe of Issachar, a great way north from their country. The land of Israel, it seems, was ill-guarded, when the Philistines could march their army into the very heart of the country.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And the Philistines gathered themselves together,.... From different parts, and formed a considerable army: and came and pitched in Shunem; a city, in the borders of the tribe of Issachar, of which See Gill on Jos 19:18, and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa; a range of mountains, near Jezreel, and which Jerom (b) calls the mountains of the Philistines, six miles from Scythopolis, where there is a large village called Gelbus. (b) De loc. Heb fol. 92. D.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
To her house he repaired by night in disguise, accompanied by two faithful servants. En-dor--"the fountain of the circle" (that figure being constantly affected by magicians) was situated directly on the other side of the Gilboa range, opposite Tabor; so that, in this midnight adventure, Saul had to pass over the shoulder of the ridge on which the Philistines were encamped.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּקָּבְצ֣וּ | vaiyikavetzu | and they gathered together | H6908 → | 127 times |
| פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים | felishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | 287 times |
| וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ | vaiyavou | and they came | H935 → | 2568 times |
| וַיַּחֲנ֣וּ | vaiyachanu | and they encamped | H2583 → | 143 times |
| בְשׁוּנֵ֑ם | veshunem | at Shunem | H7766 → | |
| וַיִּקְבֹּ֤ץ | vaiyikbotz | and he gathered | H6908 → | 127 times |
| שָׁאוּל֙ | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּ | vaiyachanu | and they encamped | H2583 → | 143 times |
| בַּגִּלְבֹּֽעַ׃ | bagilboa' | at <the> Gilboa | H1533 → | 8 times |
וַיִּקָּבְצ֣וּand they gathered together
vaiyikavetzuH6908 →127 times
פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים[the] Philistines
felishtimH6430 →287 times
וַיָּבֹ֖אוּand they came
vaiyavouH935 →2568 times
וַיַּחֲנ֣וּand they encamped
vaiyachanuH2583 →143 times
בְשׁוּנֵ֑םat Shunem
veshunemH7766 →
וַיִּקְבֹּ֤ץand he gathered
vaiyikbotzH6908 →127 times
שָׁאוּל֙Saul
shaulH7586 →402 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַֽיַּחֲנ֖וּand they encamped
vaiyachanuH2583 →143 times
בַּגִּלְבֹּֽעַ׃at <the> Gilboa
bagilboa'H1533 →8 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
2 Kings 4:8One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.
it leads to
- 1 Kings 1:3
Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Joshua 19:18
Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,
- Job 32:9
It is not only the old who are wise, or the elderly who understand justice.
- Genesis 19:3
But Lot insisted so strongly that they followed him into his house. He prepared a feast for them and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
- Luke 24:29
But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.
- 1 Kings 1:3
Through
1 Samuel 31:1Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 10:1–12
Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
- 2 Samuel 1:21
O mountains of Gilboa, may you have no dew or rain, no fields yielding offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Chronicles 10:1–12
Through
2 Samuel 1:21O mountains of Gilboa, may you have no dew or rain, no fields yielding offerings of grain. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 31:1
Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
- 1 Samuel 31:1
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…
- PlaceJezreel ValleyShunemHome of the great woman who built the prophet's chamber on the wall; her son, given and raised, is one of Elisha's greatest signs.
This page draws on 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; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.