1 Samuel 13 · Verse 22

1 Samuel 13:22

So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.
1 Samuel 13:22, King James Version

1 Samuel 13:22 in other translations

BSBSo on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hands of the troops with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.
WEBSo it came to pass in the day of battle that neither sword nor spear was found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them.
ASVSo it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.
YLTAnd it hath been, in the day of battle, that there hath not been found sword and spear in the hand of any of the people who are with Saul and with Jonathan--and there is found to Saul and to Jonathan his son.
DARBYAnd it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan; but with Saul and with Jonathan his son there was found.
BBESo on the day of the fight at Michmash, not a sword or a spear was to be seen in the hands of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan: only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
WebsterSo it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

What does 1 Samuel 13:22 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 22 In the day of battle - these was neither sword nor spear - But if the Israelites enjoyed such profound peace and undisturbed dominion under Samuel, how is it that they were totally destitute of arms, a state which argues the lowest circumstances of oppression and vassalage? In answer to this we may observe, that the bow and the sling were the principal arms of the Israelites; for these they needed no smith: the most barbarous nations, who have never seen iron, have nevertheless bows and arrows; the arrow heads generally made of flint. Arrows of this kind are found among the inhabitants of the South Sea islands; and even axes, and different implements of war, all made of stone, cut and polished by stone, are frequent among them. The arms of the aboriginal Irish have been of this kind. I have frequently seen heads of axes and arrows of stone, which have been dug up out of the ground, formed with considerable taste and elegance. The former the common people term thunderbolts; the latter, elf-stones. Several of these from Ireland, from Zetland, and from the South Sea islands, are now before me. Now it is possible that the Israelites had still bows and arrows: these they could have without the smith; and it is as likely that they had slings, and for these they needed none. But then these were missiles; if they came into close fight, they would avail them nothing: for attacks of this kind they would require swords and spears; of these none were found but with Saul and Jonathan. We see, in this chapter, Israel brought to as low a state as they were under Eli; when they were totally discomfited, their priests slain, their ark taken, and the judge dead. After that, they rose by the strong hand of God; and in this way they are now to rise, principally by means of David, whose history will soon commence.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 13:15-23

See how politic the Philistines were when they had power; they not only prevented the people of Israel from making weapons of war, but obliged them to depend upon their enemies, even for instruments of husbandry. How impolitic Saul was, who did not, in the beginning of his reign, set himself to redress this. Want of true sense always accompanies want of grace. Sins which appear to us very little, have dangerous…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 13:15-23 →

1 Samuel 13:22 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהָיָה֙ve.ha.Yahand it wasH1961
בְּי֣וֹםbe.Yomon a day ofH3117
מִלְחֶ֔מֶתmil.Che.metbattleH4421
וְלֹ֨אve.Lo'and notH3808
נִמְצָ֜אnim.Tza'it was foundH4672
חֶ֤רֶבChe.reva swordH2719
וַחֲנִית֙va.cha.Nitand a spearH2595
בְּיַ֣דbe.Yadin [the] hand ofH3027
כָּל\־kol-any ofH3605
הָעָ֔םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834
אֶת\־'et-[was] withH854
שָׁא֖וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand withH854
יוֹנָתָ֑ןyo.na.TanJonathanH3129
וַתִּמָּצֵ֣אva.ti.ma.Tze'and it was foundH4672
לְשָׁא֔וּלle.sha.'Ulto SaulH7586
וּלְיוֹנָתָ֖ןu.le.yo.na.Tanand to JonathanH3129
בְּנֽוֹ\׃be.Noson hisH1121

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 13:22

  • Judges 5:8

    They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

  • 2 Corinthians 4:7

    But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

  • 1 Samuel 17:50

    So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

  • 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

    But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.

  • Zechariah 4:6

    Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

  • 1 Samuel 17:47

    And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
there was neither.
17:47,50; Jud 5:8; Zec 4:6; 1Co 1:27-29; 2Co 4:7

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 13:21

    Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.

  • 1 Samuel 13:22

    So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

  • 1 Samuel 13:23

    And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.

Read all of 1 Samuel 13

1 Samuel 13:22 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Así aconteció que el día de la batalla no se halló espada ni lanza en mano de alguno de todo el pueblo que estaba con Saúl y con Jonathán, excepto Saúl y Jonathán su hijo, que las tenían.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il arriva que, le jour du combat, il ne se trouva ni épée ni lance dans la main de tout le peuple qui était avec Saül et avec Jonathan; il ne s’en trouvait que chez Saül et chez Jonathan, son fils.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und es geschah am Tage des Streites, da wurde kein Schwert noch Speer gefunden in der Hand des ganzen Volkes, das mit Saul und mit Jonathan war; doch bei Saul und seinem Sohne Jonathan fanden sie sich vor.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Cumque venisset dies prælii, non est inventus ensis et lancea in manu totius populi qui erat cum Saule et Jonatha, excepto Saul et Jonatha filio ejus.