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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Good News Translation

1 Samuel 14:14

In that first slaughter Jonathan and the young man killed about twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Acre;   Bullock;   Jonathan;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Philistines, the;   Ploughing;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Philistines;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Courage;   Jonathan;   Measurement;   Philistia, philistines;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - War, Holy War;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Angel;   Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Acre;   Philistines;   Yoke;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Acre;   Agriculture;   Furrow;   Jonathan;   Samuel, Books of;   Weights and Measures;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;   Israel;   Jonathan;   Michmash;   Ner;   Philistines;   Samuel, Books of;   Urim and Thummim;   Weights and Measures;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Acre;   Garrison;   Geba ;   Jonathan ;   Weights and Measures;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jonathan;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Garrison;   Jon'athan,;   Ox;   Yoke;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Acre (2);   Furrow;   Samuel, Books of;   Text of the Old Testament;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Athletes, Athletics, and Field-Sports;   Jonathan, Jehonathan;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
In that first assault Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck down about twenty men in a half-acre field.
Hebrew Names Version
That first slaughter, which Yonatan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.
King James Version
And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.
Lexham English Bible
So was the first attack in which Jonathan and his armor bearer killed about twenty men within about half of a furrow in an acre of an open field.
English Standard Version
And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.
New Century Version
In that first fight Jonathan and his officer killed about twenty Philistines over a half acre of ground.
New English Translation
In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty men in an area that measured half an acre.
Amplified Bible
That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a [plow] furrow in a plot of land [the area of which a yoke of oxen could plow in a day].
New American Standard Bible
Now that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer inflicted was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So the first slaughter which Ionathan and his armour bearer made, was about twentie men, as it were within halfe an acre of land which two oxen plowe.
Legacy Standard Bible
And that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land.
Contemporary English Version
Before they had gone a hundred feet, they had killed about twenty Philistines.
Complete Jewish Bible
That first slaughter, of about twenty men, was accomplished by Y'honatan and his armor bearer in a space only half as long as one side of the area a pair of oxen could plow in a day [about 200 yards].
Darby Translation
And that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armour-bearer wrought was about twenty men, as it were on the half-furrow of an acre of land.
George Lamsa Translation
And the first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men; they cut them to pieces like stone-cutters and like men who plough a field.
Literal Translation
And this was the first blow, when Jonathan and his armorbearer struck about twenty men in about half of a furrow of an acre of a field.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
so that the first slaughter that Ionathas and his wapen bearer dyd, was vpo a twentye men, with in the length of halue an aker of londe, which a pare of oxen maye tyll in one daye.
American Standard Version
And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.
Bible in Basic English
And at their first attack, Jonathan and his servant put to the sword about twenty men, all inside the space of half an acre of land.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And that first slaughter whiche Ionathan & his harnesse bearer made, was vpon a twentie men, within the compasse as it were about an halfe aker of land which two [oxen plowe.]
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armour-bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.
King James Version (1611)
And that first slaughter which Ionathan and his armour-bearer made, was about twentie men, within as it were an halfe acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the first slaughter which Jonathan and his armour-bearer effected was twenty men, with darts and slings, and pebbles of the field.
English Revised Version
And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men within as it were half a furrow’s length in an acre of land.
Berean Standard Bible
In that first assault, Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck down about twenty men over half an acre of land.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the firste wounde was maad, which Jonathas and his squyer smoot, as of twenti men, in `the myddil part of lond which a peire of oxun was wont to ere in the dai.
Young's Literal Translation
And the first smiting which Jonathan and the bearer of his weapons have smitten is of about twenty men, in about half a furrow of a yoke of a field,
Update Bible Version
And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within, as it were, half a furrow's length in an acre of land.
Webster's Bible Translation
And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were a half-acre of land, [which] a yoke [of oxen might plow].
World English Bible
That first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.
New King James Version
That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land. [fn]
New Living Translation
They killed some twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre.
New Life Bible
In that first killing done by Jonathan and the man who carried his battle-clothes, about twenty men fell dead within a small piece of land.
New Revised Standard
In that first slaughter Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed about twenty men within an area about half a furrow long in an acre of land.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the first smiting wherewith Jonathan and his armour-bearer smote, was about twenty men, - within, as it were, half a furrow's length of a yoke of land.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the first slaughter which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was of about twenty men, within half an acre of land, which a yoke of oxen is wont to plough in a day.
Revised Standard Version
and that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, was of about twenty men within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.
THE MESSAGE
In this first bloody encounter, Jonathan and his armor bearer killed about twenty men. That set off a terrific upheaval in both camp and field, the soldiers in the garrison and the raiding squad badly shaken up, the ground itself shuddering—panic like you've never seen before!
New American Standard Bible (1995)
That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land.

Contextual Overview

1 One day Jonathan said to the young man who carried his weapons, "Let's go across to the Philistine camp." But Jonathan did not tell his father Saul, 2 who was camping under a pomegranate tree in Migron, not far from Gibeah; he had about six hundred men with him. 3 (The priest carrying the ephod was Ahijah, the son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub, who was the son of Phinehas and grandson of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh.) The men did not know that Jonathan had left. 4 In Michmash Pass, which Jonathan had to go through to get over to the Philistine camp, there were two large jagged rocks, one on each side of the pass: one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One was on the north side of the pass, facing Michmash, and the other was on the south side, facing Geba. 6 Jonathan said to the young man, "Let's cross over to the camp of those heathen Philistines. Maybe the Lord will help us; if he does, nothing can keep him from giving us the victory, no matter how few of us there are." 7 The young man answered, "Whatever you want to do, I'm with you." 8 "All right," Jonathan said. "We will go across and let the Philistines see us. 9 If they tell us to wait for them to come to us, then we will stay where we are. 10 But if they tell us to go to them, then we will, because that will be the sign that the Lord has given us victory over them."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

an half acre of land: or, half a furrow of an acre of land, The original is obscure and variously understood; but it is probably a proverbial expression for a small space. 1 Samuel 14:14

Reciprocal: Judges 15:15 - slew 2 Samuel 17:9 - some

Cross-References

Genesis 12:5
Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the wealth and all the slaves they had acquired in Haran, and they started out for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan,
Genesis 12:16
Because of her the king treated Abram well and gave him flocks of sheep and goats, cattle, donkeys, slaves, and camels.
Genesis 13:8
Then Abram said to Lot, "We are relatives, and your men and my men shouldn't be quarreling.
Genesis 14:1
Four kings, Amraphel of Babylonia, Arioch of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer of Elam, and Tidal of Goiim,
Genesis 14:2
went to war against five other kings: Bera of Sodom, Birsha of Gomorrah, Shinab of Admah, Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (or Zoar).
Genesis 14:3
These five kings had formed an alliance and joined forces in Siddim Valley, which is now the Dead Sea.
Genesis 14:5
In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and his allies came with their armies and defeated the Rephaim in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham, the Emim in the plain of Kiriathaim,
Genesis 14:11
The four kings took everything in Sodom and Gomorrah, including the food, and went away.
Genesis 14:12
Lot, Abram's nephew, was living in Sodom, so they took him and all his possessions.
Genesis 15:3
You have given me no children, and one of my slaves will inherit my property."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the first slaughter which Jonathan and his armourbearer made was about twenty men,.... Or the first blow they struck, as the Targum, they killed about twenty men; that is, they did not stop smiting, but followed their blows so quickly, that in a very little time, as well as in a very small space of ground, so many were killed:

even within as it were an half acre of land, which a "yoke" of oxen might plough; that is, in one day; the word is used for a furrow, Psalms 129:3 and is supposed by some p to be the length of one furrow; but if so, it must be a circular furrow; so much ground was given to Horatius Cocles as could be ploughed round about in one day, for his brave opposition to Porsena, king of the Etruscans, when he endeavoured to restore the family of the Tarquins q. This was a space of ground which the Romans call "actus", a measure of land one hundred and twenty feet square, which being doubled made an acre, called by them "jugerum", being as much as a yoke of oxen could plough in one day, as Pliny says r; so that an acre was two hundred and forty feet long, and one hundred and twenty broad, and contained an area of 28,800 four square Roman feet; and this space here mentioned, which was half an acre, contained 14,400 Roman feet s; and within this space of ground, without going any further, twenty men were killed, which struck a panic into the whole garrison and host, supposing there was a large army of men behind them coming on, as follows. The Septuagint version renders these words as representing the slaughter made "with darts, and the casts of stones, and flints of the field" t.

p Vid. David. de Pomis Lexic. fol. 129. 1. q Aurel. Victor. de vir. illustr. c. 14. Liv. Hist. l. 2. c. 10. r Nat. Hist. l. 18. c. 3. Vid. Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 2. c. 20. s Vid. Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacr. p. 487. t See Dr. Kennicett's Dissertat. 1. p. 453.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Within as it were an half acre ... - The Hebrew text is extremely obscure. Hence, there is some probability that the true reading is preserved by the Septuagint which translates the clause “with darts and stones and flints of the field.” Others take the words to mean: “in about half the time that a yoke of oxen draw a furrow in the field.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 14:14. A half acre of land — The ancients measured land by the quantum which a yoke of oxen could plough in a day. The original is obscure, and is variously understood. It is probably a proverbial expression for a very small space.


 
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