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And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.
1 Samuel 14:31 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB They struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint;
  • BSB That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, the people were very faint.
  • NKJV Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint.
  • NASB They attacked the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. But the people were very tired.
  • NLT They chased and killed the Philistines all day from Micmash to Aijalon, growing more and more faint.

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

Israel strikes the Philistines a long way, from Michmash to Aijalon, but the men are utterly exhausted.

Overview

The pursuit covers significant ground, showing the extent of the victory, yet the soldiers' faintness, the fruit of Saul's oath, leaves them depleted. This exhaustion sets up the next crisis, when the famished men sin in their hunger. The verse links Saul's rash vow directly to the trouble that follows.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 2

  • Josh 10:12Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
  • Josh 19:42And Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jethlah,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Samuel 14:31YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 14:31 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.