Bible Strands
1 Samuel 14:11
So the two of them showed themselves to the outpost of the Philistines, who exclaimed, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they were hiding!”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jonathan and his armor-bearer approach the Philistine garrison, prompting the enemy guards to spot them and address the concealed Israelite fighters. This exchange occurs during their covert maneuver to verify a divine sign that God has delivered the opposing army into Israel’s hands.
The words — וַ/יִּגָּל֣וּ (va/i.yi.ga.Lu) translates literally as "they revealed themselves," marking the deliberate exposure of the two men. מַצַּ֖ב (ma.Tzav) refers to the specific Philistine "garrison" or military outpost they are approaching.
The thread — The motif of hiding in caves and thickets due to enemy pressure appears in 1 Samuel 13:6 and Judges 6:2, while 1 Samuel 14:22 records the hidden Israelites learning of the Philistine rout. This pattern shows concealed fighters transitioning from defensive concealment to active pursuit once divine deliverance begins.
Why it lands — The text records the enemy's startled recognition of the Hebrews emerging from concealment without attributing the hiding to royal orders. It requires the reader to note that tactical concealment and sudden exposure function as the mechanism through which the narrative demonstrates divine intervention.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 13:6 Seeing that they were in danger because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns.
- 1 Samuel 14:22 When all the Israelites who had been hiding in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also joined the battle in close pursuit.
- Judges 6:2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.