1 Samuel 13:3

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) And Jonathan smote the garrison.—Jonathan throughout this history appears as the perfect type of a warrior, according to the requirements of his age; he is everywhere the first in courage and activity and speed, slender also, and of well-made figure. This personal beauty and swiftness of foot in attack or retreat gained for him among the troops the name of “gazelle.” (The first lines of the song, 2Samuel 1:19, can only be explained on the supposition that Jonathan was well known by this name in the army.) “In all this, as in his uprightness and fidelity, he showed himself the right worthy son of a king.”—Ewald. Some translate the word rightly rendered “garrison” as “pillar,” a sign of the authority of the Philistines; others—e.g., Ewald—as a proper name, supposing that the officer appointed to collect tribute from Israel in that part of the country is meant.

And Saul blew the trumpet.—This was evidently more than a communication of good news to the people. Saul intended it as a summons to Israel to prepare at once for war.

Benson Commentary

1 Samuel 13:3-4. Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines — The Philistines, though subdued by Samuel at Eben-ezer, and driven out of the country, yet still retained possession of some strong-holds. Saul blew the trumpet — That is, he sent messengers to tell them all what Jonathan had done, and how the Philistines were enraged at it, and therefore what necessity there was of gathering themselves together for their own defence. Israel heard that Saul had smitten, &c. — Perhaps contrary to some treaty. That Israel was held in abomination with the Philistines — That is, that they were highly incensed to take revenge.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

13:1-7 Saul reigned one year, and nothing particular happened; but in his second year the events recorded in this chapter took place. For above a year he gave the Philistine time to prepare for war, and to weaken and to disarm the Israelites. When men are lifted up in self-sufficiency, they are often led into folly. The chief advantages of the enemies of the church are derived from the misconduct of its professed friends. When Saul at length sounded an alarm, the people, dissatisfied with his management, or terrified by the power of the enemy, did not come to him, or speedily deserted him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This was the first act in the war of independence, and probably the first feat in arms of the young hero Jonathan.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

1Sa 13:3, 4. He Calls the Hebrews to Gilgal against the Philistines.

3, 4. And Jonathan—that is, "God-given."

smote the garrison of the Philistines … in Geba—Geba and Gibeah were towns in Benjamin, very close to each other (Jos 18:24, 28). The word rendered "garrison" is different from that of 1Sa 13:23; 14:1, and signifies, literally, something erected; probably a pillar or flagstaff, indicative of Philistine ascendency. That the secret demolition of this standard, so obnoxious to a young and noble-hearted patriot, was the feat of Jonathan referred to, is evident from the words, "the Philistines heard of it," which is not the way we should expect an attack on a fortress to be noticed.

Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land—This, a well-known sound, was the usual Hebrew war-summons; the first blast was answered by the beacon fire in the neighboring places. A second blast was blown—then answered by a fire in a more distant locality, whence the proclamation was speedily diffused over the whole country. As the Philistines resented what Jonathan had done as an overt attempt to throw off their yoke, a levy, en masse, of the people was immediately ordered, the rendezvous to be the old camping-ground at Gilgal.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The first design of Saul and Jonathan was to free then land from the garrisons which the Philistines had in it; and they first begin to clear their own country of Benjamin.

Geba; not the same place called Gibeah, 1 Samuel 13:2, (for if the place were the same, why should he vary the name of it in the same story, and in the next verse? nor is it likely that Jonathan would choose that place for his camp where the Philistines had a garrison,) but another place in the same tribe, in which there were two distinct places, Geba and Gibeah, Joshua 18:24,28.

Let the Hebrews hear, i.e. he sent messengers to tell them all what Jonathan had done, and how the Philistines were enraged at it, and made great preparations for war; and therefore what necessity there was of gathering themselves together, and coming to him, for his and their own defence.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba,.... Not the same with Gibeah of Benjamin, as Jarchi; for it can hardly be thought that Jonathan should place himself with his thousand men where the Philistines had a garrison; or that if this was the same with that in the preceding verse, that it should be called by another name in this; but Gibeah and Geba were two places, as Kimchi observes, both indeed in the tribe of Benjamin, and it is very probable not far from one another; see Joshua 18:24. This seems to be the same with the hill of God, where was a garrison of the Philistines, 1 Samuel 10:5, who after their defeat by Samuel contented themselves with some strong holds and garrisons in some parts of the land to keep Israel in awe; the Targum understands this of a single person, a governor of the Philistines in this place, whom Jonathan slew, and so Jarchi; and according to R. Isaiah he was one that was appointed to gather the tax for them:

and the Philistines heard of it, which alarmed them, and made them prepare for war:

and Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land; not he in person, for he was at Gilgal, as the next verse shows; but he ordered it to be blown, being aware of the preparations the Philistines were making to attack him:

saying, let the Hebrews hear; both what his son had done, and what the Philistines were doing.

Geneva Study Bible

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in {c} Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the {d} trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

(c) Of Kirjath-jearim, where the ark was, 1Sa 10:5.

(d) That everyone should prepare themselves to fight.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. the garrison of the Philistines] See note on 1 Samuel 10:5.

Saul blew the trumpet] Heralds blowing trumpets to attract attention carried the news of Jonathan’s daring exploit throughout the country to prepare the people for a speedy summons to fight for their liberty. Cp. Jdg 3:27; Jdg 6:34; 2 Samuel 20:1.

Let the Hebrews hear] The name “Hebrews” is generally employed only by foreigners, or in speaking to foreigners. See note on 1 Samuel 4:6. If the text is correct, it is here used (cp. 1 Samuel 13:7) to place the nationality of Israel in contrast with the Philistines, or to describe them from the Philistine point of view as the subject race. But the Sept. reads “The slaves have revolted,” and it may be conjectured that we should transpose the words, and read “The Philistines heard saying, The slaves (or, the Hebrews) have revolted.” The consonants of the Hebrew words for “slaves” and “Hebrews” are almost identical, and are constantly liable to be confused.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - In Geba. By this garrison the Philistines commanded the further end of the defile, and they had also another outpost beyond it near Gibeah itself (1 Samuel 10:5). Probably neither of these garrisons was very strong, and Saul may have intended that Jonathan should attack them while he held the northern end of the pass, which would be the first place assailed by the Philistines in force. As regards the word translated garrison, attempts have been made to render it pillar, and to represent it as a token of Philistine supremacy which Jonathan threw down, while others, with the Septuagint, take it as a proper name; but the word smote is strongly in favour of the rendering of the A.V. Let the Hebrews hear. Saul must have intended war when he thus posted himself and Jonathan in such commanding spots, and probably all this had been sketched out by Samuel (see on 1 Samuel 10:8). He now summons all Israel to the war. It is strange that he should call the people "Hebrews," the Philistine title of contempt; but it is used again in ver. 7, and of course in ver. 19. The Septuagint reads, "Let the slaves revolt," but though followed by Josephus, the change of text is not probable. 1 Samuel 13:3

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba," probably the military post mentioned in 1 Samuel 10:5, which had been advanced in the meantime as far as Geba. For Geba is not to be confounded with Gibeah, from which it is clearly distinguished in 1 Samuel 13:16 as compared with 1 Samuel 13:15, but is the modern Jeba, between the Wady Suweinit and Wady Fara, to the north-west of Ramah (er-Rm; see at Joshua 18:24). "The Philistines heard this. And Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the whole land, and proclamation made: let the Hebrews hear it." לאמר after בּשּׁופר תּקע points out the proclamation that was made after the alarm given by the shophar (see 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 1:34, 1 Kings 1:39, etc.). The object to "let them hear" may be easily supplied from the context, viz., Jonathan's feat of arms. Saul had this trumpeted in the whole land, not only as a joyful message for the Hebrews, but also as an indirect summons to the whole nation to rise and make war upon the Philistines. In the word שׁמע (hear), there is often involved the idea of observing, laying to heart that which is heard. If we understand ישׁמעוּ in this sense here, and the next verse decidedly hints at it, there is no ground whatever for the objection which Thenius, who follows the lxx, has raised to העברים ישׁמעוּ. He proposes this emendation, העברים ישׁמעוּ, "let the Hebrews fall away," according to the Alex. text ἠθετήκασιν οἱ δοῦλοι, without reflecting that the very expression οἱδοῦλοι is sufficient to render the Alex. reading suspicious, and that Saul could not have summoned the people in all the land to fall away from the Philistines, since they had not yet conquered and taken possession of the whole. Moreover, the correctness of ישׁמעוּ is confirmed by ישׁמעוּ ישׂראל וכל in 1 Samuel 13:4. "All Israel heard," not the call to fall away, but the news, "Saul has smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and Israel has also made itself stinking with the Philistines," i.e., hated in consequence of the bold and successful attack made by Jonathan, which proved that the Israelites would no longer allow themselves to be oppressed by the Philistines. "And the people let themselves be called together after Saul to Gilgal." הצּעק, to permit to summon to war (as in Judges 7:23-24). The words are incorrectly rendered by the Vulgate, "clamavit ergo populus post Saul," and by Luther, "Then the people cried after Saul to Gilgal." Saul drew back to Gilgal, when the Philistines advanced with a large army, to make preparations for the further conflict (see at 1 Samuel 13:13).