1 Samuel 13:2

1 Samuel 13:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Beth–el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.
• New International Version (NIV)Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

Context of 1 Samuel 13:2

1Saul was 30 years old when he became king. He ruled Israel as king for 42 years. He chose 3,000 men from Israel's army to be with him. 2,000 of those men stayed with him at Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel. Then 1,000 men were with his son Jonathan at Gibeah, in the land of Benjamin's tribe. Saul sent all the other men of the army back to their homes. 3Some Philistine soldiers had a camp at Geba. Jonathan attacked them there and all the Philistines heard about it. Saul sent a message through all Israel to warn people of the danger. He said, ‘Listen, all you Hebrew people!’ 4Everyone in Israel heard this message: ‘Saul has attacked the Philistines' camp. Now the Philistines hate the Israelites even more than they did before.’ So all the soldiers in Israel came to join Saul at Gilgal.

1 Samuel 13:2 word by word

וַיִּבְחַר־ל֨וֹ שָׁא֜וּל שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת אֲלָפִים֮ מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַיִּהְי֨וּ עִם־שָׁא֜וּל אַלְפַּ֗יִם בְּמִכְמָשׂ֙ וּבְהַ֣ר בֵּֽית־אֵ֔ל וְאֶ֗לֶף הָיוּ֙ עִם־י֣וֹנָתָ֔ן בְּגִבְעַ֖ת בִּנְיָמִ֑ין וְיֶ֣תֶר הָעָ֔ם שִׁלַּ֖ח אִ֥ישׁ לְאֹהָלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
• choseבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
• him threeשָׁלֹשׁshâlôsh shâlôsh shelôshâh shelôshâh · threeH7969
• thousandאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousandH505
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• in Michmashמִכְמָס, מִכְמָשׂmikmâs mikmâsh mikmash · MichmashH4363
• and in mountהַרhar · mountain: hill countryH2022
• Beth–elבֵּֽיתְ־אֵלbêyth-'êl · BethelH1008
• were with Jonathanיוֹנָתָןyônâthân · JonathanH3129
• in Gibeahגִּבְעָהgib‛âh · GibeahH1390
• of Benjaminבִּנְיָמִיןbinyâmîyn · BenjaminH1144
• and the restיֶ֫תֶרyether · remainderH3499
• of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• he sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• every manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• to his tentאֹ֫הֶל'ôhel · tentH168

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 13:2

• 1 Samuel 8:11Samuel said to them, ‘This is how the king will rule over you: He will take your sons to be his soldiers. They will ride his horses and they will drive his chariots. They will have to run in front of his own chariot.
• 1 Samuel 14:52During all of Saul's life there were wars between the Philistines and the Israelites. If Saul found a strong soldier or a brave man, he caused the man to join his army.
• 1 Samuel 13:5The Philistines' army came together to fight against the Israelites. The Philistines had 3,000 chariots. They had 6,000 soldiers who rode on horses. Their whole army had more soldiers than the sand on the shore of the sea! The Philistine army went to make their camp at Michmash, which was east of Beth Aven.
• 1 Samuel 14:5The rock on the north side of the road was near Michmash. The rock on the south side was near Geba.
• Isaiah 10:28Assyria's army attacks Aiath! It marches through Migron. They store their things at Michmash.
• 1 Samuel 10:26Saul himself went back to his home at Gibeah. A group of brave men went with him. God had caused them to want to do that.
• 1 Samuel 15:34Then Samuel left Gilgal and he went to his home in Ramah. Saul went to his home in Gibeah.
• Joshua 18:28Zelah, Haeleph, the Jebusite city (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah and Kiriath. There were 14 towns and their villages. Joshua gave these cities to Benjamin's tribe, for each clan to live in.
• Judges 19:12The Levite replied, ‘No, we should not stay in a foreign city. The people who live here are not Israelites. We will go on to Gibeah.’
• 2 Samuel 21:6So we want you to give us seven of his male descendants. Then we will kill them. We will hang their bodies at the place where people worship the Lord in Gibeah. That was Saul's town, the man that the Lord had chosen to be king.’ The king said, ‘I will give them to you.’
• Isaiah 10:29They go across the hills. They stay at Geba for a night. The people in Ramah are afraid! The people in Gibeah of Saul run away.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 13:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Two thousand were with Saul - Saul, no doubt, meditated the redemption of his country from the Philistines; and having chosen three thousand men, he thought best to divide them into companies, and send one against the Philistine garrison at Michmash, another against that at Beth-el, and the third against that at Gibeah: he perhaps hoped, by surprising these garrisons, to get swords and spears for his men, of which we find, ( 1 Samuel 13:22;), they were…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2The state of things which preceded the events described in this chapter seems to have been a comparative peace between Israel and the Philistines, since Saul had only 3,000 men under arms. At the same time Philistine garrisons continued to occupy the country of the Israelites in certain strong places, whereof one was at Geba (Jeba), in the immediate neighborhood of Gibeah 1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Samuel 13:3, and exactly opposite Michmash (Mukhmas), which was on…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Earlier, Saul had used 330,000 troops to fight a weaker enemy (1 Samuel 11:8). Choosing 3,000 special troops here likely does not show overconfidence (compare Joshua 7:3–4). Instead, Saul probably saw the need for a smaller, highly trained elite force to handle the troublesome Philistines (see 1 Samuel 14:52). Michmash was in Benjamin, about 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) northwest of Saul’s home in Gibeah.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel--This band of picked men was a bodyguard, who were kept constantly on duty, while the rest of the people were dismissed till their services might be needed. It seems to have been his tactics to attack the Philistine garrisons in the country by different detachments, rather than by risking a general engagement; and his first operations were directed to rid his native territory of Benjamin of these enemies. 1Sa…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 13:2

• Armies
• Beth-El
• Michmash

In the dictionaries

• Benjamin
• Gibeah
• Israel
• Jonathan
• Saul
• Benjamin, Benjaminite
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Paul, Saul
• Army

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings