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Tuesday, August 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

1 Samuel 14:14

In that first fight Jonathan and his officer killed about twenty Philistines over a half acre of ground.

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 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.
Good News Translation
In that first slaughter Jonathan and the young man killed about twenty men in an area of about half an acre.
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, Saul's son, said to the officer who carried his armor, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine camp on the other side." But Jonathan did not tell his father. 2 Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree at the threshing floor near Gibeah. He had about six hundred men with him. 3 One man was Ahijah who was wearing the holy vest. (Ahijah was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub. Ichabod was the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord 's priest in Shiloh.) No one knew Jonathan had left. 4 There was a steep slope on each side of the pass that Jonathan planned to go through to reach the Philistine camp. The cliff on one side was named Bozez, and the cliff on the other side was named Seneh. 5 One cliff faced north toward Micmash. The other faced south toward Geba. 6 Jonathan said to his officer who carried his armor, "Come. Let's go to the camp of those men who are not circumcised. Maybe the Lord will help us. The Lord can give us victory if we have many people, or just a few." 7 The officer who carried Jonathan's armor said to him, "Do whatever you think is best. Go ahead. I'm with you." 8 Jonathan said, "Then come. We will cross over to the Philistines and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Stay there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are. We won't go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,' we will climb up, and the Lord will let us defeat them. This will be the sign for us."

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
He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and everything they owned, as well as all the servants they had gotten in Haran. They set out from Haran, planning to go to the land of Canaan, and in time they arrived there.
Genesis 12:16
the king was kind to Abram because he thought Abram was her brother. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.
Genesis 13:8
Abram said to Lot, "There should be no arguing between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, because we are brothers.
Genesis 14:1
Now Amraphel was king of Babylonia, Arioch was king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer was king of Elam, and Tidal was king of Goiim.
Genesis 14:2
All these kings went to war against several other kings: Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela. (Bela is also called Zoar.)
Genesis 14:3
These kings who were attacked united their armies in the Valley of Siddim (now the Dead Sea).
Genesis 14:5
Then in the fourteenth year, Kedorlaomer and the kings with him came and defeated the Rephaites in Ashteroth Karnaim, the Zuzites in Ham, and the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim.
Genesis 14:11
Now Kedorlaomer and his armies took everything the people of Sodom and Gomorrah owned, including their food.
Genesis 14:12
They took Lot, Abram's nephew who was living in Sodom, and everything he owned. Then they left.
Genesis 15:3
Abram said, "Look, you have given me no son, so a slave born in my house will inherit everything I have."

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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