Bible Strands
1 Samuel 14:27
Jonathan, however, had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath. So he reached out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it into the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jonathan acts alone in the forest while Saul’s army remains paralyzed by a newly imposed fasting oath. He dips his staff into a honeycomb and eats without knowing the prohibition exists.
The words — The Hebrew לֹא שָמַע (lo sha.ma) literally means "he did not hear," marking Jonathan’s ignorance of the oath. The verb וַיִּשְׁלַח (va.yish.lach) translates to "he stretched out," describing the physical motion of reaching for the honey.
The thread — This sequence of unawareness and subsequent physical revival parallels the soldier revived by fig cake and raisins in 1 Samuel 30:12. The narrative returns to this event when Jonathan cites his brightened eyes in 1 Samuel 14:29 and directly answers Saul’s inquiry in 1 Samuel 14:43.
Why it lands — The text records a factual sequence of ignorance, action, and physiological response before any moral judgment is applied. It requires the reader to observe how human limitation and divine sovereignty intersect in the narrative before evaluating the consequences.
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
But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 14:29 “My father has brought trouble to the land,” Jonathan replied. “Just look at how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.
- 1 Samuel 14:43 “Tell me what you have done,” Saul commanded him. So Jonathan told him, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. And now I must die?”
- 1 Samuel 30:12 a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had any food or water for three days and three nights.
- Proverbs 25:26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.