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 began to reign, and he reigned for 42 years over Israel. Now Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel, of which 2,000 were with Saul in Michmas and in the hill country of Beth-el, and 1,000 were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the troops he sent away, each one to his tent. 3Now Jonathan struck down the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. So Saul blew the shofar throughout the country, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4All Israel heard the news, “Saul had struck down the garrison of the Philistines, so Israel has become a stench to the Philistines.” Then the people were summoned to 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 8:11“This will be the practice of the king that will reign over you,” he said. “He will draft your sons and assign them as his charioteers and horsemen, and they will run before his chariots.
• 1 Samuel 14:52Now there was bitter war against the Philistines all the days of Saul. So whenever Saul saw any mighty man or any son of valor, he would gather him to himself.
• 1 Samuel 13:5Meanwhile the Philistines assembled themselves to fight with Israel: 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They marched up and camped in Michmas, east of Beth-aven.
• 1 Samuel 14:5One crag was to the north near Michmas, and the other to the south near Geba.
• Isaiah 10:28He has come to Aiath, and passed through Migron. At Michmas he deposited his supplies.
• 1 Samuel 10:26Saul also went home to Gibeah, accompanied by men of valor whose hearts God had touched.
• 1 Samuel 15:34Samuel then went to Ramah, while Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.
• Joshua 18:28Zela, Eleph, and Jebus (that is, Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath—14 towns with their villages. This is the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their clans.
• Judges 19:12But his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into a city of foreigners, who are not of Bnei-Yisrael. Let’s go on to Gibeah.”
• 2 Samuel 21:6let seven men of his sons be given over to us and we will hang them up before Adonai at Gibeah of Saul, Adonai’s chosen.” “I will give them over,” the king said.
• Isaiah 10:29They have crossed over the pass. They have taken up lodging at Geba. Ramah is terrified; Gibeath-shaul has fled.

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