1 Samuel 14:16 Commentary and Bible Study

The watchman of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; they apparently had a view of the route down which the Philistines were escaping: ‘And and, behold, the multitude melted away,’ the host of Philistines, ‘and they went on beating down one another.’ At this point Saul is emboldened to go and to participate, and to do his bit. The retreating Philistines were then pursued by the Israelites, the Israelites presumably picking up their weapons, since they lacked weapons of their own as already stated. ‘Smiting’, ‘striking down’, or ‘beating down’ is the Hebrew, though some follow the Septuagint here and translate ‘they went here and there’. But verse 20 tells us ‘every man's sword was against his fellow.’Saul is apparently seeking an explanation for the disturbance in the Philistine camp, and commands that the Israelites be numbered and all accounted for, and it is discovered that only two people are missing – Jonathon and his armour bearer. But how can these two alone the cause of so much panic and confusion? Matthew Henry suggests that Israel would have been greatly animated when they realised that it must be by the Lord’s help that so few have caused such a commotion. Jonathan had not told his father of his mission, anticipating refusal, but Saul was now obliged to recognise that his son had somehow obtained this victory and now wants to take advantage of it. He takes advantage of the faith of others which he had lacked himself.