Bible Strands
1 Samuel 14:5
One cliff stood to the north toward Michmash, and the other to the south toward Geba.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the terrain at the moment Jonathan and his armor-bearer prepare to cross a narrow pass toward a Philistine outpost. The description establishes the exact geographical boundaries of the route before the men speak or move.
The words — מָצ֥וּק (ma.Tzuk) translates literally as a pillar or steep cliff, and מִ/צָּפ֖וֹן (mi./tza.Fon) indicates direction from the north. These terms ground the narrative in specific topographical markers rather than abstract geography.
The thread — The paired directional markers (north toward Michmash, south toward Geba) function as a geographical hinge in the same way pass descriptions frame military movements in Joshua 7:2 and Judges 20:18. The immediate context (1 Samuel 14:4-6) uses this layout to define the choke point for the ensuing confrontation.
Why it lands — The text demands precise spatial awareness before describing divine action or human courage. It requires the reader to recognize that the narrative measures the path itself before measuring the faith of those who traverse it.
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
The forefront of the one was situate northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah.