God’s Word Translation
1 Samuel 14:32
32So the troops seized the Philistines’ belongings. They took sheep, cows, and calves, and butchered them on the ground. The troops ate the meat with blood still in it.
1 Samuel 14:32 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood.
- New International Version (NIV)They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The people pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And the people rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.
Context of 1 Samuel 14:32
30If only the troops had eaten some of the enemies’ food, which they found today. We would have killed more Philistines.” 31That day they struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, but the troops were thoroughly exhausted. So the troops seized the Philistines’ belongings. They took sheep, cows, and calves, and butchered them on the ground. The troops ate the meat with blood still in it. 33Some ⌞soldiers⌟ told Saul, “The troops are sinning against the Lord by eating meat with blood in it.” Saul replied, “You have been unfaithful. Roll a large rock over to me now.” 34Then Saul said, “Spread out through the troops, and tell them, ‘Each of you, bring me your ox or your sheep, and butcher it here, and eat. But don’t sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood in it.’ ” So each of the soldiers brought his ox with him that night and butchered it there.
Read all of 1 Samuel 141 Samuel 14:32 word by word
וַיַּ֤עַט הָעָם֙ אֶל־הַשָּׁלָ֔ל וַיִּקְח֨וּ צֹ֧אן וּבָקָ֛ר וּבְנֵ֥י בָקָ֖ר וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ־אָ֑רְצָה וַיֹּ֥אכַל הָעָ֖ם עַל־הַדָּֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- flewעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- flewעִיט‛îyţ · to pounceH5860
- upon the spoilשָׁלָלshâlâl · spoilH7998
- and tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- sheepצֹאןtsô'n tse'ôn · flockH6629
- and oxenבָּקָרbâqâr · cattleH1241
- and calvesבֵּןbên · son: young animalH1121
- and slewשָׁחַטshâchaţ · to slaughterH7819
- on the groundאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
- did eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- with the bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 14:32
- 1 Samuel 15:19Why didn’t you obey the Lord? Why have you taken their belongings and done what the Lord considers evil?”
- Genesis 9:4“But you are not to eat meat with blood in it. (Blood is life.)
- Leviticus 3:17This is a permanent law for generations to come wherever you live: Never eat any fat or blood.”
- Leviticus 7:26“Never eat the blood of any bird or animal no matter where you live.
- Leviticus 17:10“If Israelites or foreigners eat any blood, I will condemn them and exclude them from the people,
- Leviticus 19:26“Never eat any meat with blood still in it. “Never cast evil spells, and never consult fortunetellers.
- Deuteronomy 12:16But never eat the blood. Pour it on the ground like water.
- Ezekiel 33:25So tell them, ‘This is what the Almighty Lord says: You eat meat with blood in it. You look to your idols for help. You murder people. Should the land be given to you?
- Acts 15:20Instead, we should write a letter telling them to keep away from things polluted by false gods, from sexual sins, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from eating bloody meat.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 14:32
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 32The people did eat them with the blood - They were faint through hunger, and did not take time to bleed the cattle on which they fed. This was another bad effect of Saul's rash adjuration.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. 32-34The men were very hungry, so they ate meat without draining the blood. This act broke God's law (see Leviticus 17:10–14) and was a sin against the Lord. To stop more sin, Saul used a large rock as a field altar to properly drain the animals' blood. This incident happened because of Saul's foolish oath.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 31-3431-34. 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…Read the comment
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
Commentaries