1 Samuel 13:20

1 Samuel 13:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.
• New International Version (NIV)So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,
• New King James Version (NKJV)But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle;

Context of 1 Samuel 13:20

18another went west to Beth-horon, and the third moved toward the border above the valley of Zeboim near the wilderness. 19There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldn’t allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews. So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith. 21The charges were as follows: a quarter of an ounce of silver for sharpening a plowshare or a pick, and an eighth of an ounce for sharpening an ax or making the point of an ox goad. 22So on the day of the battle none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan.

1 Samuel 13:20 word by word

וַיֵּרְד֥וּ כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֑ים לִ֠לְטוֹשׁ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־מַחֲרַשְׁתּ֤וֹ וְאֶת־אֵתוֹ֙ וְאֶת־קַרְדֻּמּ֔וֹ וְאֵ֖ת מַחֲרֵשָׁתֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But all the Israelitesיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• went downיָרַדyârad · to go downH3381
• to the Philistinesפְּלִשְׁתִּיpelishtîy · PhilistineH6430
• to sharpenלָטַשׁlâţash · to sharpenH3913
• every manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• his shareמַחֲרֶ֫שֶׁתmachăresheth · shareH4282
• and his coulterאֵת'êth · plowshareH855
• and his axeקַרְדֹּםqardôm · axeH7134
• and his mattockמַחֲרֵשָׁהmachărêshâh · plowshareH4281

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 13:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines - We find from this that they did not grant them as much as Porsenna did to the Romans; he permitted the people to manufacture the implements of husbandry.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20The best rendering of the passage is perhaps as follows: “But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen etc. 1 Samuel 13:21, whenever there was bluntness of edge to their shares and coulters and prong-forks and axes, and to point their goads.” Coulters and mattocks were cutting instruments of the type of the share.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-23Verses 15-23 See how politic the Philistines were when they had power; they not only prevented the people of Israel from making weapons of war, but obliged them to depend upon their enemies, even for instruments of husbandry. How impolitic Saul was, who did not, in the beginning of his reign, set himself to redress this. Want of true sense always accompanies want of grace. Sins which appear to us very little, have dangerous consequences. Miserable is a…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-22no blacksmith: The Philistines prevented the Israelites from having weapons by controlling all the iron needed to make them. Iron technology was new in Canaan. It likely developed in the Aegean region and was brought to Canaan by seafaring people, like the Philistines.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 19-2019-20. Now there was no smith found throughout ... Israel--The country was in the lowest state of depression and degradation. The Philistines, after the great victory over the sons of Eli, had become the virtual masters of the land. Their policy in disarming the natives has been often followed in the East. For repairing any serious damage to their agricultural implements, they had to apply to the neighboring forts.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 13:20

• Agriculture
• Ax
• Mattock
• Plow

In the dictionaries

• Philistines
• Axe
• Carpenter
• Continue
• Coulter
• Samuel
• Army
• Ax (axe); Ax-Head
• Jonathan (2)
• Mattock

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