Bible Strands
1 Samuel 14:9
If they say, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stay where we are and will not go up to them.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jonathan speaks to his armor-bearer at the pass between Michmash and Ahijah, outlining a conditional strategy to approach the Philistine outpost. He establishes a two-part response based entirely on how the enemy reacts to their approach.
The words — The verse hinges on דֹּמּוּ (dômmû, "be still") and אִם (ʾim, "if"). Jonathan translates the enemy's command to hold position into a tactical decision to remain stationary rather than force an advance.
The thread — Genesis 24:13 and Judges 6:36 both record figures pausing at a specific location to observe a condition before proceeding. These passages share Jonathan's pattern of anchoring movement to an observed sign rather than independent initiative.
Why it lands — It requires a reader to recognize that obedience depends on reading the immediate context and waiting for clear direction. The passage demands restraint when circumstances do not align with a predetermined course of action.
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
If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.
Cross-references
- Genesis 24:13 Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.
- Judges 6:36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said,