1 Samuel 14:37

1 Samuel 14:37 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day.
• New International Version (NIV)So Saul asked God, “Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel’s hand?” But God did not answer him that day.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Saul inquired of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But he did not answer him that day.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Saul asked counsel of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him that day.

Context of 1 Samuel 14:37

35Then Saul built an altar to worship the Lord. It was the first time that he had built an altar for the Lord. 36Then Saul said, ‘We will go tonight and we will attack the Philistines again. We will chase them all night until dawn. We will kill all of them.’ The men answered, ‘Do whatever you think is right.’ But the priest said, ‘We should ask God first.’ Saul asked God, ‘Should we attack the Philistines? Will you give us power over them?’ But God did not answer Saul that day. 38So Saul said to all the leaders of the army, ‘Come here. Someone has done a bad thing today. We must find out who has done it. 39The Lord is the one who rescues Israel. As surely as the Lord lives, I promise that I will punish the man who has done this bad thing. Whoever it is must die, even if it is my own son Jonathan.’ But nobody in the army said anything.

1 Samuel 14:37 word by word

וַיִּשְׁאַ֤ל שָׁאוּל֙ בֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים הַֽאֵרֵד֙ אַחֲרֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים הֲתִתְּנֵ֖ם בְּיַ֣ד יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹ֥א עָנָ֖הוּ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַהֽוּא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
• askedשָׁאַלshâ'al shâ'êl · to askH7592
• counsel of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• Shall I go downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• the Philistinesפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
• wilt thou deliverנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• them into the handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• But he answeredעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
• him not that dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 14:37

• 1 Samuel 23:4So David asked the Lord again. The Lord answered again, ‘Go to Keilah. I will put the Philistines under your power.’
• 1 Samuel 30:7Then David spoke to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son. David said to him, ‘Bring the priests' ephod to me.’ So Abiathar took the ephod to David.
• Judges 1:1After Joshua had died, the Israelites asked the Lord, ‘Which of our tribes should be the first to attack the Canaanites?’
• Judges 20:18They went to Bethel. They asked God which tribe should go first to attack Benjamin's army. The Lord replied, ‘Judah must go first.’
• 2 Samuel 5:19So David asked the Lord, ‘Should I go and attack the Philistines? Will you put them under my power?’ The Lord answered him, ‘Yes, go and attack the Philistines. I will certainly help you to win against them.’
• 1 Kings 22:5Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, ‘Before we go to fight, we must ask the Lord what we should do.’
• 1 Samuel 28:6Saul asked the Lord what he should do. But the Lord did not answer him in any way. He did not give Saul a dream. He did not use the Urim. He did not give a message to the prophets.
• Ezekiel 14:3‘Son of man, these men like to worship idols. They allow those idols to cause them to do wicked things. So I should not allow them to ask me anything.
• Ezekiel 20:3‘Son of man, speak to the leaders of Israel. Tell them, “This is what the Almighty Lord says: You say that you want a message from me. I promise you this, as surely as I live: I will not allow you to come to me like that.”

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 14:37

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 37He answered him not that day - Why was this answer delayed? Surely Jonathan's eating the honey was no sin. This could not have excited God's displeasure. And yet the lot found out Jonathan! But did this argue that he had incurred guilt in the sight of God? I answer: It did not; for Jonathan was delivered, by the authority of the people, from his father's rash curse; no propitiation is offered for his supposed transgression to induce God to pardon it; nor…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 37Asked counsel - The technical phrase for inquiring of God by Urim and Thummim, and applied also to inquiry of other oracles.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 36-46Verses 36-46 If God turns away our prayer, we have reason to suspect it is for some sin harboured in our hearts, which we should find out, that we may put it away, and put it to death. We should always first suspect and examine ourselves; but an unhumbled heart suspects every other person, and looks every where but at home for the sinful cause of calamity. Jonathan was discovered to be the offender. Those most indulgent to their own sins are most severe…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 37-38God did not answer: Neither the "no" nor the "yes" answer from the Urim and Thummim appeared.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 14:37

• Armies

In the dictionaries

• God
• Israel
• Philistines
• Saul
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Paul, Saul
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• That Day
• Discomfiture

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 14

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings