Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Webster's Bible Translation

1 Samuel 14:20

And Saul and all the people that [were] with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, [and there was] a very great discomfiture.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Panic;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Philistines, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Philistines;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jonathan;   Philistia, philistines;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - War, Holy War;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Philistines;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Michmash;   Philistines, the;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;   Israel;   Jonathan;   Michmash;   Philistines;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Urim and Thummim;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jonathan ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jonathan;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Chariot;   Discomfit;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jonathan, Jehonathan;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Saul and all the troops with him assembled and marched to the battle, and there the Philistines were, fighting against each other in great confusion!
Hebrew Names Version
Sha'ul and all the people who were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, [and there was] a very great confusion.
King James Version
And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
Lexham English Bible
Then Saul and all the troops who were with him were assembled on command and came up to the battle, and look! Each Philistine's sword was against his friend; and there was a very great confusion.
English Standard Version
Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, every Philistine's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.
New Century Version
Then Saul gathered his army and entered the battle. They found the Philistines confused, striking each other with their swords!
New English Translation
Saul and all the army that was with him assembled and marched into battle, where they found the Philistines in total panic killing one another with their swords.
Amplified Bible
Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle; and behold, every [Philistine] man's sword was against his companion, in wild confusion.
New American Standard Bible
Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow Philistine, and there was very great confusion.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Saul was assembled with all the people that were with him, and they came to the battell: and behold, euery mans sworde was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.
Contemporary English Version
Saul quickly called his army together, then led them to the Philistine camp. By this time the Philistines were so confused that they were killing each other.
Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul and the entire force with him assembled and went to battle, but they found the P'lishtim all fighting each other in utter confusion.
Darby Translation
And Saul and all the people that were with him were called together, and they came to the battle; and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, a very great confusion.
Easy-to-Read Version
Saul gathered his army together and went to the battle. The Philistine soldiers were very confused. They were even fighting each other with their swords.
George Lamsa Translation
Then Saul and all the people who were with him shouted together, and they came to the battle; and, behold, every mans sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great confusion.
Good News Translation
Then he and his men marched into battle against the Philistines, who were fighting each other in complete confusion.
Literal Translation
And Saul and all the people with him gathered together and went to the battle. And, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, a very great panic!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Saul cried, and all the people that was with him, and came to the battayll. And beholde, euery mans swerde was agaynst another, and there was a very greate rumoure.
American Standard Version
And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
Bible in Basic English
And Saul and all the people with him came together and went forward to the fight: and every man's sword was turned against the man at his side, and there was a very great noise.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Saul ioyned him selfe vnto al the people that were with him, & they came to the battell, and behold euery mans sword was against his felow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle; and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
King James Version (1611)
And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselues, and they came to the battel, and behold, euery mans sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Saul went up and all the people that were with him, and they come to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his neighbour, a very great confusion.
English Revised Version
And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, [and there was] a very great discomfiture.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Saul and all his troops assembled and marched to the battle, and they found the Philistines in total confusion, with each man wielding the sword against his neighbor.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Saul criede, and al the puple that was with hym; and thei camen `til to the place of batel, and, lo! the swerd of ech man was turned to his neiybore, and a ful grete sleynge was.
Young's Literal Translation
And Saul is called, and all the people who [are] with him, and they come in unto the battle, and, lo, the sword of each hath been against his neighbour -- a very great destruction.
Update Bible Version
And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and saw that every man's sword was against his fellow, [and there was] a very great panic.
World English Bible
Saul and all the people who were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, [and there was] a very great confusion.
New King James Version
Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed every man's sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion.
New Living Translation
Then Saul and all his men rushed out to the battle and found the Philistines killing each other. There was terrible confusion everywhere.
New Life Bible
Then Saul and all the people with him gathered together and went into the battle. Every man's sword was against the man next to him. It was as if no one knew what to do.
New Revised Standard
Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle; and every sword was against the other, so that there was very great confusion.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Saul and all the people that were with him gathered themselves together, and came as far as the host, - and lo! the sword of every man was against his fellow, an exceeding great confusion.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Saul, and all the people that were with him, shouted together, and they came to the place of the fight: and behold every man’s sword was turned upon his neighbour, and there was a very great slaughter.
Revised Standard Version
Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle; and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.
THE MESSAGE
Saul immediately called his army together and they went straight to the battle. When they got there they found total confusion—Philistines swinging their swords wildly, killing each other. Hebrews who had earlier defected to the Philistine camp came back. They now wanted to be with Israel under Saul and Jonathan. Not only that, but when all the Israelites who had been hiding out in the backwoods of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were running for their lives, they came out and joined the chase. God saved Israel! What a day! The fighting moved on to Beth Aven. The whole army was behind Saul now—ten thousand strong!—with the fighting scattering into all the towns throughout the hills of Ephraim.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.

Contextual Overview

16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down [one another]. 17 Then said Saul to the people that [were] with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer [were] not [there]. 18 And Saul said to Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel. 19 And it came to pass while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise that [was] in the host of the Philistines went on, and increased: and Saul said to the priest, Withdraw thy hand. 20 And Saul and all the people that [were] with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, [and there was] a very great discomfiture. 21 Moreover the Hebrews [that] were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp [from the country] around, even they also [turned] to be with the Israelites that [were] with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise all the men of Israel who had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, [when] they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over to Beth-aven.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

assembled themselves: Heb. were cried together

every man's: 1 Samuel 14:16, Judges 7:22, 2 Chronicles 20:23, Isaiah 9:19-21, Isaiah 19:2

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 28:20 - vexation 1 Samuel 7:13 - against 1 Samuel 30:10 - so faint 1 Kings 20:21 - went out 2 Chronicles 20:22 - to sing and to Isaiah 9:21 - Ephraim Ezekiel 38:21 - every

Cross-References

Genesis 9:26
And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Genesis 14:3
All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
Genesis 14:4
Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
Genesis 14:5
And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that [were] with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emins in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
Genesis 14:6
And the Horites in their mount Seir, to El-paran, which [is] by the wilderness.
Genesis 14:9
With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
Genesis 14:17
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that [were] with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which [is] the king's dale.
Genesis 14:19
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed [be] Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
Genesis 24:27
And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left my master destitute of his mercy and his truth: I [being] in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren.
Genesis 28:22
And this stone, which I have set [for] a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth to thee.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Saul, and all the people that were with him, assembled themselves,.... The six hundred men that were with him, unless we can suppose the 1000 that had been with Jonathan in Gibeah were here still, see 1 Samuel 13:2

and they came to the battle; to the field of battle, the place where the army of the Philistines had lain encamped:

and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow; taking one another for Hebrews, or treacherous and disaffected persons; so that, though the Israelites had neither swords nor spears, they needed none, for the Philistines destroyed one another with their own swords; and there was a

very great discomfiture; noise, tumult, confusion, slaughter, and destruction.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Assembled themselves - See marg. Many versions give the sense “shouted,” which is far preferable, and only requires a different punctuation.


 
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