When the people had come to the forest, behold, honey was dripping, but no one put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.
Parallel translations
- KJV 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.
- BSB 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.
- NKJV 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.
- NASB 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.
- NLT They didn’t dare touch the honey because they all feared the oath they had taken.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Though honey drips before them, the men refuse to eat out of fear of Saul's oath.
Overview
The soldiers' restraint shows their dread of the curse Saul pronounced, even as they grow faint. Their fear of a man-made oath keeps them from God's provision and weakens them for battle. The episode highlights how an unwise vow can bind God's people to their harm rather than their good.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Eccl 9:2All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, to the clean, to the unclean, to him who sacrifices, and to him who doesn’t sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath, as he who fears an oath.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 14:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.