1 Samuel 14:41 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore Saul said, "O Lord God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day? If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O Lord, God of Israel, give Urim. But if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim." And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped.

NIV: Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, "Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault, respond with Thummim." Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared.

NASB: Therefore, Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Give a perfect lot.' And Jonathan and Saul were selected by lot, but the people were exonerated.

CSB: So Saul said to the Lord, "God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant today? If the unrighteousness is in me or in my son Jonathan, Lord God of Israel, give Urim; but if the fault is in your people Israel, give Thummim." Jonathan and Saul were selected, and the troops were cleared of the charge.

NLT: Then Saul prayed, 'O Lord, God of Israel, please show us who is guilty and who is innocent. ' Then they cast sacred lots, and Jonathan and Saul were chosen as the guilty ones, and the people were declared innocent.

KJV: Therefore Saul said unto the Lord God of Israel, Give a perfect lot. And Saul and Jonathan were taken: but the people escaped.

NKJV: Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped.

First Samuel 14:24–46 opens with Saul's declaration, in the form of an oath with a curse, that his troops must not eat until evening. Jonathan doesn't hear about the oath and eats honey during the day. The Lord remains silent when Saul asks if they should attack the Philistines by night. Lots cast to find a sinful person among them fall on Jonathan. Saul prepares to execute his son for breaking the oath, but the people refuse to allow this. The Israelites and the surviving Philistines go home.

God sparks panic among the Philistines after Jonathan boldly attacks and kills twenty of the enemy. When Saul sees the Philistines are scattering and killing each other, the Israelites pursue them out of the region. The Lord remains silent when Saul asks if they should attack the Philistines by night. Lots cast to reveal sin among them fall on Jonathan, who broke an oath of the king which he did not know about. The people refuse to allow Saul to execute Jonathan for this crime. Saul does not pursue the Philistines that night, but throughout his days as king he experiences success over them and other enemies such as the Moabites, Ammonites, Amalekites, and Edomites.

Saul has been anointed and reaffirmed as king (1 Samuel 9—12). Recently, his army amassed to fight the Philistines (1 Samuel 13). After a secret sneak attack, the Lord sparks panic among the entire Philistine army. The resulting chaos makes the Philistines fight and kill each other. The Israelites pursue, driving the Philistines out of the region. The people refuse to allow Saul to execute Jonathan, the man God used to save them from the Philistines. Throughout his kingship, Saul experiences success over enemies on every side (1 Samuel 15). However, he will also fall short of his obligations to God and eventually be replaced (1 Samuel 16).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.