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Wednesday, July 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

1 Samuel 14:26

When the troops entered the forest, they saw the flow of honey, but none of them ate any of it because they feared the oath.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Jonathan;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies of Israel, the;   Forests;   Honey;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Philistines;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jonathan;   Oath;   Philistia, philistines;   Saul, king of israel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Land (of Israel);   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Honey;   Philistines;   Saul;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Adjuration;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Jearim;   Mouth;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;   Honey;   Israel;   Jonathan;   Michmash;   Ner;   Philistines;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Urim and Thummim;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bee;   Jonathan ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jonathan;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Jon'athan,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Jephthah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Drop, Dropping;   Forest;   Honey;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ban;   Jonathan, Jehonathan;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
When the people were come to the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
King James Version
And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.
Lexham English Bible
When the army came to the forest, look! There was honey flowing, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the army was afraid of the solemn oath.
English Standard Version
And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
New Century Version
They came upon some honey, but no one took any because they were afraid of the oath.
New English Translation
When the army entered the forest, they saw the honey flowing, but no one ate any of it, for the army was afraid of the oath.
Amplified Bible
When the people entered the forest, the honey was dripping, but no man put his hand to his mouth [to taste it], because the people feared the oath [of Saul].
New American Standard Bible
When the people entered the forest, behold, there was honey dripping; but no man put his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the people came into the wood, and beholde, the hony dropped, and no man mooued his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the othe.
Legacy Standard Bible
So the people entered the forest, and behold, there was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the sworn oath.
Complete Jewish Bible
When the people had entered the forest, they saw there the honeycomb with honey dripping out; but no one put his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath.
Darby Translation
And the people had come into the wood, and behold, the honey flowed; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
George Lamsa Translation
And when the people were come into the forest, behold, the honey was dropping; but no one put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
Good News Translation
The woods were full of honey, but no one ate any of it because they were all afraid of Saul's curse.
Literal Translation
And the people came into the forest; and behold, a flow of honey! But no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and whan the people came in to the wodd, beholde, the hony flowed, but no man put of it to his mouth with his hade: for the people were afraied because of the ooth.
American Standard Version
And when the people were come unto the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
Bible in Basic English
But not a man put his hand to his mouth for fear of the curse.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the people came into the wood: And behold, the honie dropped, and no man moued his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oth.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when the people were come unto the forest, behold a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
King James Version (1611)
And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honie dropped, but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the people went into the place of the bees, and, behold, they continued speaking; and, behold, there was none that put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath of the Lord.
English Revised Version
And when the people were come unto the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
Berean Standard Bible
And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And so the puple entride in to the forest, and flowynge hony apperide; and no man puttide hond to his mouth, for the puple dredde the ooth.
Young's Literal Translation
and the people come in unto the forest, and lo, the honey dropped, and none is moving his hand unto his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
Update Bible Version
And when the people had come to the forest, look, the honey dropped: but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
Webster's Bible Translation
And when the people had come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.
World English Bible
When the people were come to the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
New King James Version
And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
New Living Translation
They didn't dare touch the honey because they all feared the oath they had taken.
New Life Bible
The people went among the trees and saw honey flowing, but no man tasted it. For the people were afraid of Saul's promise.
New Revised Standard
When the troops came upon the honeycomb, the honey was dripping out; but they did not put their hands to their mouths, for they feared the oath.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the people came into the forest, and lo! there were streams of honey, - but no man reached his hand to his mouth, because the people revered the oath.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the people came into the forest, behold the honey dropped, but no man put his hand to his mouth. For the people feared the oath.
Revised Standard Version
And when the people entered the forest, behold, the honey was dropping, but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When the people entered the forest, behold, there was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

Contextual Overview

24and the men of Israel were worn out that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath: “The man who eats food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies is cursed.” So none of the troops tasted any food. 25Everyone went into the forest, and there was honey on the ground. 26When the troops entered the forest, they saw the flow of honey, but none of them ate any of it because they feared the oath. 27However, Jonathan had not heard his father make the troops swear the oath. He reached out with the end of the staff he was carrying and dipped it into the honeycomb. When he ate the honey, he had renewed energy. 28Then one of the troops said, “Your father made the troops solemnly swear, ‘The man who eats food today is cursed,’ and the troops are exhausted.” 29Jonathan replied, “My father has brought trouble to the land. Just look at how I have renewed energy because I tasted a little of this honey. 30How much better if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder they took from their enemies! Then the slaughter of the Philistines would have been much greater.” 31The Israelites struck down the Philistines that day from Michmash all the way to Aijalon. Since the Israelites were completely exhausted, 32they rushed to the plunder, took sheep, goats, cattle, and calves, slaughtered them on the ground, and ate meat with the blood still in it. 33Some reported to Saul: “Look, the troops are sinning against the Lord by eating meat with the blood still in it.”

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the people: Ecclesiastes 9:2

Reciprocal: Psalms 19:10 - honeycomb Psalms 81:16 - honey Matthew 26:63 - I adjure

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when the people came into the wood, behold, the honey dropped,.... Either from trees, which produced it; so Diodorus Siculus t speaks of trees in some countries which produce honey; or from the sugar canes, as Jarchi; or rather from the honeycombs which were framed in trees by bees; so Hesiod u speaks of bees making their nests or combs in trees. Ben Gersom thinks that bee hives were placed here in rows by the wayside, from whence the honey flowed; or "went" w, or there was a going of it; perhaps the combs being pressed by the Philistines as they fled: the land of Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey:

but no man put his hand to his mouth; that is, took not any of the honey and ate it, though it was so near at hand, and there was plenty of it:

for the people feared the oath: Saul adjured them by, or the imprecation he made on the person that should eat any food that day.

t Bibliothec. l. 17. p. 548. u Hesiod, Theogon. ver. 230. Vid. Diodor. Sic. ut supra. (Bibliothec. l. 17. p. 548.) w הלך דבש "ambulatio mellis", Montanus; "itio mellis", Drusius; so in Ovid. Metamorph. l. 1. fab. 3. "----jam flumina nectaris ibant".

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The honey dropped - Rather, “Behold a stream of honey.” The same thing may be seen in Spain, where in woody and rocky ground copious streams of honey are often found.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 14:26. The honey dropped — It seems to have dropped from the trees on the ground. Honey dews, as they are called, are not uncommon in most countries; and this appears to have been something of this kind. I have seen honey in considerable quantity on the trees and long grass in the fields, and have often eaten of it.


 
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