Bible Strands
1 Samuel 14:2
Meanwhile, Saul was staying under the pomegranate tree in Migron on the outskirts of Gibeah. And the troops who were with him numbered about six hundred men,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator places Saul under a pomegranate tree in Migron on the outskirts of Gibeah while his army of approximately six hundred men remains with him. This stationary campsite is established as Jonathan secretly departs to attack a Philistine outpost without informing his father.
The words — The Hebrew יוֹשֵׁב (yo.Shev) denotes a continuous state of remaining or dwelling, while הָרִמּוֹן (ha./ri.Mon) literally identifies the pomegranate tree marking the king's position. These terms ground the narrative in a specific, fixed location rather than a mobile military formation.
The thread — The location Migron appears in Isaiah 10:28 as a staging point for Assyrian forces, while 1 Samuel 13:15 records Saul previously numbering his troops at Gibeah. These references connect the site to both Israelite military mobilization and foreign invasion routes.
Why it lands — The text records a king positioned at a named landmark with a defined troop count before a unauthorized mission begins. Readers must note the explicit distance between Saul's stationary camp and his son's secret departure without adding unspoken motives.
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 Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 13:15 Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin. And Saul numbered the troops who were with him, about six hundred men.
- Isaiah 10:28 Assyria has entered Aiath and passed through Migron, storing their supplies at Michmash.