1 Samuel 14:34

14:24-35 Saul's severe order was very unwise; if it gained time, it lost strength for the pursuit. Such is the nature of our bodies, that daily work cannot be done without daily bread, which therefore our Father in heaven graciously gives. Saul was turning aside from God, and now he begins to build altars, being then most zealous, as many are, for the form of godliness when he was denying the power of it.

And Saul said, disperse yourselves among the people,.... In the camp, some one way, and some another, and make proclamation throughout it; this he said to some of his officers, whom he sent out as heralds, to publish his will and pleasure: and say unto them, bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here; on the great stone he had ordered to roll to the place where he was: and eat them; in the same place, being rightly slain, and the blood let out; all this was to be done, the slaying of the beasts, and eating them, in the presence of Saul, and under his inspection, that every thing might be done decently, and in order, and according to the law of God: and sin not against the Lord, in eating with the blood; as some of them had done, 1 Samuel 14:32 and all the people brought every man his ox with him; and his sheep also, though not expressed, yet to be supplied from the preceding clause: and these every man brought "with him that night"; the Jewish Rabbins (c) are divided about these creatures slain, whether for sacrifices or common food; and those that think sacrifices are meant dispute whether it was lawful to slay them in the night, which some allow to be lawful, if on a small and private altar, but not upon a large and public one; but these were slain no doubt for common food, which all agree might be slain in the night: and slew them there; before Saul, and on the great stone rolled unto him. (c) T. Bab. Zebachim, fol. 120. 1.

And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the LORD in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there.

31-34. the people were very faint. And the people flew upon the spoil—at evening, when the time fixed by Saul had expired. Faint and famishing, the pursuers fell voraciously upon the cattle they had taken, and threw them on the ground to cut off their flesh and eat them raw, so that the army, by Saul's rashness, were defiled by eating blood, or living animals; probably, as the Abyssinians do, who cut a part of the animal's rump, but close the hide upon it, and nothing mortal follows from that wound. They were painfully conscientious in keeping the king's order for fear of the curse, but had no scruple in transgressing God's command. To prevent this violation of the law, Saul ordered a large stone to be rolled, and those that slaughtered the oxen to cut their throats on that stone. By laying the animal's head on the high stone, the blood oozed out on the ground, and sufficient evidence was afforded that the ox or sheep was dead before it was attempted to eat it.

When this was told to Saul, he said, "Ye act faithlessly towards Jehovah" by transgressing the laws of the covenant; "roll me now (lit. this day) a large stone. Scatter yourselves among the people, and say to them, Let every one bring his ox and his sheep to me, and slay here" (upon the stone that has been rolled up), viz., so that the blood could run off properly upon the ground, and the flesh be separated from the blood. This the people also did.

1 Samuel 14:34 And his sheep, which is to be understood out of the foregoing words. 1 Samuel 14:35 Either for a monument of the victory; or rather, for sacrifice, as the next words imply. ## The same was the first altar, though he had occasion to do so oft ere this time. So this is quoted as another evidence of his neglect of God and his worship. It is true, Saul sacrificed before this, as at Gilgal; but that was upon an old altar, erected by others. 1 Samuel 14:36 Remembering Saul’s contempt of God’s ordinance the last time, and the in consequence of it; and perceiving Saul ready to run into the same error again, even though he had not now the same pretence of the necessity of haste as before, and that the people were forward to comply with the motion; he gives them this pious and prudent advice. ## Hither unto God, to wit, to the ark, as above, 1Sa_14:18. 1 Samuel 14:37 Either, ## 1. Because he was displeased with Saul for his former neglect, 1Sa_14:18 ,19 , where he began to ask advice of God, but was so rude and impious as not to tarry for an answer; and therefore it was but a just retaliation, if when Saul did ask, God would not vouchsafe him an answer. Or, 2. To manifest his dislike of the violation of oaths.

Verses 33, 34. - Ye have transgressed. Better as in the margin, "dealt treacherously," i.e. faithlessly, to the covenant between Israel and Jehovah. Roll a great stone unto me this day. Or, as we should say, this minute ; but the Hebrew uses "this day" for anything to be done at once (see on ch. 2:16). The purpose of this stone was to raise up the caresses of the slaughtered animals from the ground, so that the blood might drain away from them. On tidings of this arrangement being dispersed throughout the army, the people obey Saul with the same unquestioning devotion as they had shown to his command to abstain from food. 1 Samuel 14:33

This is most naturally referred to Samuel, who was God’s instrument for establishing the kingdom, and occupied a unique position as the authorised adviser of Saul. ( d ) But it will be said, Samuel was no priest, only a prophet-judge. True he was not a priest by descent, and is nowhere expressly so called. But the expression I will raise up’ (used so commonly of the judges) implies an extraordinary office. And during his lifetime Samuel filled the place of High-priest. The prerogative of the line of Aaron was in abeyance for a time, as a punishment for the corruption of Eli’s sons. Ahitub the son of Phinehas never appears in the history. Ahiah is not mentioned till after Saul’s first rejection in Samuel’s extreme old age ( 1 Samuel 14:3 ). Samuel exercised priestly functions by intercession ( 1 Samuel 7:9 ), by offering sacrifice ( 1 Samuel 7:9-10 ), by benediction ( 1 Samuel 9:12-13 ), by anointing Saul and David ( 1 Samuel 10:1 , 1 Samuel 16:13 , cp. 1 Kings 1:34 ). He may be compared with Moses who though not strictly a priest was sometimes regarded as such ( Psalm 99:6 ). mine anointed ] See notes on 1 Samuel 2:10 , 1 Samuel 10:1 , 1 Samuel 12:3 .

This verse combined with 1 Chronicles 9:35-39 , seems to show that the genealogy of Saul was: Abiel ( equals Jehiel?) Ner Kish Abner Saul Rather than that to be inferred from 1 Samuel 9:1; 1 Samuel 14:50-51. In 1 Samuel 14:49 note, it is concluded that Saul's second son bore the two names of "Ishui" and "Abinadab." But the order of the names here: (1) Jonathan; (2) Malchi-shua; and (3) Abinadab - suggests another explanation, namely, that Ishui, the second son, died young, and that Abinadab was really the fourth son. Esh-baal - Previous to the introduction of the Phoenician Baal-worship into Israel by Ahab, the word "Baal" בעל ba‛al had no bad sense in Hebrew, but was simply an equivalent of the more ordinary אל 'êl, "God" (1 Chronicles 3:1 note). Hence, there is nothing strange in the use at this time of the names, "Esh-baal" ("man of God"), "Baal," "Beel-iada," "Merib-baal," etc. Later on such names became offensive to pious ears, and were changed for the better, or for the worse, "Beel-iada" becoming "El-iada" ("let God aid") - "Esh-baal," "Ish-bo-sheth" ("man of shame") - "Merib-baal," "Mephi-bosheth;" and the like.

This should strictly be quoted either as "Gibeah belonging to Benjamin," or "Geba ( גֶּבַע ) of Benjamin" (see also 1 Samuel 13, 14 ; 2 Samuel 23:29 ; 1 Chronicles 11:31 ; Hosea 5:8 ; Hosea 9:9 ; Hosea 10:9 ). 5. Gibeah of Saul ( 1 Samuel 10:26 ; 1 Samuel 15:34 ; 2 Samuel 21:6 ). Josephus ('Bell, Jud.,' 5:2. § 1) states what helps to the identifying of the place as the modern Tuleil-el-ful , about thirty stadia from Jerusalem (see also Isaiah 10:28-32 ). The Gibeah of 1 Samuel 22:6 ; 1 Samuel 23:19 ; 1 Samuel 26:1 , is this Gibeah of Saul. 6. Gibeah in the field ( Judges 20:31 ). Lastly, our Authorized Version gives us seven other Gibeahs, only translating this word, e g. " The hill of the foreskins" ( Joshua 5:3 ); "The hill of Phinehas" ( Joshua 24:33 ); " The hill of Moreh" ( Judges 7:1 ); " The hill of God" ( 1 Samuel 10:5 ); " The hill of Haehilah" ( 1 Samuel 23:19 ; 1 Samuel 26:1 ); " The hill of Ammah" ( 2 Samuel 2:24 ); " The hill Gareb" ( Jeremiah 31:39 ). 2 Chronicles 13:2