Bible Strands
1 Samuel 14:6
Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jonathan addresses his armor-bearer at the narrow pass between the cliffs of Michmash and Geba, proposing a direct assault on the Philistine outpost. He states that divine intervention in battle does not depend on numerical advantage.
The words — The phrase לְכָ֗ה֙ וְ/נַעְבְּרָ֗ה (le.Kha/h ve./na'.be.Rah) literally commands a joint movement, translating to “come, let us pass over.” This verbal pair frames the immediate tactical decision as a shared venture.
The thread — The assertion that God saves “whether by many or by few” echoes the biblical pattern that divine power operates independently of human strength, a theme Jesus reiterates in Matthew 19:26 and Paul echoes in Romans 8:31. Zechariah 4:6 similarly declares that success comes not by might or power but by God’s Spirit.
Why it lands — The text demands a reader to evaluate reliance on numerical or institutional advantage against direct dependence on divine action. It requires acknowledging that strategic outcomes rest on God’s capacity to act, not on human calculations of force.
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 Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.
Cross-references
- Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
- Romans 8:31 What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- Zechariah 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of Hosts.
- Deuteronomy 32:30 How could one man pursue a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the LORD had given them up?
- 2 Chronicles 14:11 Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on You, and in Your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God. Do not let a mere mortal prevail against You.”
- Psalms 115:1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.
- Judges 7:4 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go. But if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
- 2 Samuel 16:12 Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.”
- 2 Kings 19:4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”
- Jeremiah 9:26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”