God’s Word Translation
1 Samuel 14:25
25The entire land had honeycombs, and there was honey on the ground.
1 Samuel 14:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground.
- New International Version (NIV)The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground.
Context of 1 Samuel 14:25
23So the Lord saved Israel that day. Now, the battle moved beyond Beth Aven. 24Israel’s soldiers were driven hard that day. Saul made the troops swear, “Cursed is anyone who eats food before the evening comes and before I’ve gotten revenge on my enemies.” So none of his troops tasted any food. The entire land had honeycombs, and there was honey on the ground. 26When the troops entered the woods, the honey was flowing. But no one put his hand to his mouth, because the troops were afraid of violating their oath. 27Jonathan hadn’t heard that his father forced the troops to take an oath. So he stretched out the tip of the staff he had in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb. When he put it to his mouth, his eyes lit up.
Read all of 1 Samuel 141 Samuel 14:25 word by word
וְכָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ בָּ֣אוּ בַיָּ֑עַר וַיְהִ֥י דְבַ֖שׁ עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 14:25
- Deuteronomy 9:28Otherwise, the country we left will say, “The Lord wasn’t able to bring them to the land he promised them. He hated them. That’s why he brought them out—to let them die in the desert.”
- Matthew 3:5Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole Jordan Valley went to him.
- Exodus 3:8I have come to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good land with plenty of room ⌞for everyone⌟. It is a land flowing with milk and honey where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites live.
- Numbers 13:27This is what they reported to Moses: “We went to the land where you sent us. It really is a land flowing with milk and honey. Here’s some of its fruit.
- Matthew 3:4John wore clothes made from camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 14:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25There was honey upon the ground - There were many wild bees in that country, and Judea is expressly said to be a land flowing with milk and honey.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25All they of the land - literally, all the land, probably meaning all those named in 1 Samuel 14:21-22, who now flocked to the wood as a rendezvous.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-35Verses 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.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-52Saul's actions in this chapter further support his removal as king (1 Samuel 13:8–14; see also 15). Saul was estranged from both Samuel and his brave son Jonathan. 1 Samuel 14 foreshadows Jonathan's important role in the shift from Saul's rule to David's.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey--The honey is described as "upon the ground," "dropping" from the trees, and in honeycombs--indicating it to be bees' honey. "Bees in the East are not, as in England, kept in hives; they are all in a wild state. The forests literally flow with honey; large combs may be seen hanging on the trees as you pass along, full of honey" [Roberts].Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 14:25
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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