2 And Saul took for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom he kept two thousand with him in Michmash and in the mountain of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin: the rest of the people he sent back to their tents.
And Saul went to Gibeah, to his house; and with him went the men of war whose hearts had been touched by God.
And the Philistines came together to make war on Israel, three thousand war-carriages and six thousand horsemen and an army of people like the sands of the sea in number: they came up and took up their position in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven.
And the armed force of the Philistines went out to the narrow way of Michmash.
And Zela, Eleph and the Jebusite (which is Jerusalem), Gibeath and Kiriath; fourteen towns with their unwalled places. This is the heritage of the children of Benjamin by their families.
And he said, This is the sort of king who will be your ruler: he will take your sons and make them his servants, his horsemen, and drivers of his war-carriages, and they will go running before his war-carriages;
The one rock went up on the north in front of Michmash and the other on the south in front of Geba.
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah, in the land of Saul.
Let seven men of his family be given up to us and we will put an end to them by hanging them before the Lord in Gibeon, on the hill of the Lord. And the king said, I will give them.
He has gone up from Pene-Rimmon, he has come to Aiath; he has gone past Migron, at Michmash he puts his forces in order. They have gone across the mountain; Geba will be our resting-place tonight, they say: Ramah is shaking with fear; Gibeah of Saul has gone in flight.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Samuel 13
Commentary on 1 Samuel 13 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 13
Those that desired a king like all the nations fancied that, when they had one, they should look very great and considerable; but in this chapter we find it proved much otherwise. While Samuel was joined in commission with Saul things went well (ch. 11:7). But, now that Saul began to reign alone, all went to decay, and Samuel's words began to be fulfilled: "You shall be consumed, both you and your king;' for never was the state of Israel further gone in a consumption than in this chapter.
1Sa 13:1-7
We are not told wherein it was that the people of Israel offended God, so as to forfeit his presence and turn his hand against them, as Samuel had threatened (ch. 12:15); but doubtless they left God, else he would not have left them, as here it appears he did; for,
1Sa 13:8-14
Here is,
1Sa 13:15-23
Here,