I Samuel - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 290

14—~2 THE PERIOD OF garrison of the Philishtim that is on the other side of Laz. But he did not inform his father, for Saul was posted on the back of the hills, in thevcaves, the hollows that are in the cliffs, and the force with him was only about six hundred men, with Akhiah, ben~ Akhitub, brother of Aikabod, ben· Phineas, ben·E1i, the priest of the EvEx~L1vmG in Shiloh, who carried the ephod. So the force knew not that jonathan had gone out. Now on the pass by which jonathan

sought to cross over to the garrison of the Philishtim, there was a rock projecting into the pass on this side, and a rock projecting on the other side,··-—and the name of the first was Betzetz, and the name of the other Sanah.1 The one projection was from the rock on the north, opposite Mikmash, and the other was from the south opposite the hill? * * * * So jonathan said tothe squire who

Let us go and cross over to the garrison of these blackguards. Perhaps the EvER· LIVING will help us, for there is no difference to the EvER·L1V1NG saving by many or few! 7 And his arms·bearer answered him, ‘ Do all that is in your heart. I will go with you as your heart desires} You see IO II I2 we wish to pass over to these men, and to capture them. If therefore they say thus to us, ‘ Keep quiet until we come down ·to you,‘ then we will stand still below, and not go up to them. But if they say ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the EVER- Lxvmo will give them into our hand; and that shall be the sign of it to us. When the two approached the

garrison of the Philishtirn, and the See! The Hebrews are coming from the holes where they have hidden themselves l ’ And the men of the garrison shouted out to jonathan and his arms~bearer Come up to us! and we will teach you something! So jonathan said to his squire,

‘Come up after me, for the EVER-

1 Vv. 4--5 can only be understood by the aid of local geography. But if this is anywhere near right, then I

do not see the object of such a description. It is a dimcult passage. It seems to me that at the end of v. 5 there is a gap in the MSS., as the description has nothing to do with the SAM UEL.-I. SAM. 14-24 following v. 6 as it now reads.-F. F. LIVING has given them into the hand jonathan therefore climbed up on

his hands and feet, with his squire after him, and they fell back before jonathan and his squire, as if death followed after them. This was a great defeat when jonathan and his squire slew some twenty men in an enclosure of about half an acre of ground. There was also a trembling in the

camp, and in the ground, and in all the troops of the army, and the plunderers themselves also trembled ; and there was an earthquake,——for it was a divine terror. The watchmen with Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin also perceived the rumbling with horror, and staggered and were as in a dream. Then Saul said to the force with

Muster now, and ascertain who has gone from us.’ They consequently mustered and

did not {ind jonathan and his squire, Ap— (for there was an Ark of GOD in those days with Israel.!) and while Saul was speaking to the Priest a roaring came from, the camp of the Philishtim, and it rolled, and rolled, and raged. Take

and Saul and all the force who were with him cheered and advanced, and when they arrived at the Camp, they saw the sword of each was against his companion, in excessive confusion; for the Hebrews who served formerly with the Philishtim had mutinied, and joined themselves with the Israelites who were with_Sau1 and jonathan. Wl]: §l]i1istitt2¤ dg in §attic. 16 When all the men of Israel, who had

hidden in Mount Ephraim, heard that the Philishtim had fied, and were routed, they also advanced to the battle ; for the EvER—L1V1NG rescued Israel on that day. Thus the fighting passed on to Beth-aven. But the men of Israel were exhausted by that time. Saul, therefore, bound the Accursed be the man who eats food before dark, and who does not accompany me against my 18 20 21 22

which

at that time was at Ephratha in the Woods. —~ F. F. 290