Bible Strands
1 Samuel 14:28
Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the troops with a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’ That is why the people are faint.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A soldier addresses Saul, explaining why the Israelite troops are physically exhausted during their pursuit of the Philistines. The remark occurs immediately after Jonathan unknowingly eats honey, highlighting the army’s depletion from Saul’s earlier decree.
The words — The text highlights הִשְׁבִּ֨יעַ (hish.Bi.aʿ), meaning “he made to swear an oath,” and אָבִ֤י/ךָ ('a.vî/kā), meaning “your father.” These terms anchor the soldier’s report to Saul’s specific command that bound the army.
The thread — The soldier’s explanation directly references the oath in 1 Samuel 14:24 and clarifies the consequence of Jonathan’s secret act in 1 Samuel 14:43. This connects the immediate tactical situation to the broader narrative of Saul’s rash leadership.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that human decrees, even those issued by authority, can cripple a community’s physical endurance. It asks the reader to weigh the cost of rigid rules against the immediate needs of those under them.
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
Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were faint.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 14:24 Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food.
- 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?”