1 Samuel 14 · Verse 31

1 Samuel 14:31

And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.
1 Samuel 14:31, King James Version

1 Samuel 14:31 in other translations

BSBThat day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, the people were very faint.
WEBThey struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint;
ASVAnd they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint;
YLTAnd they smite on that day among the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people are very weary,
DARBYAnd they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Ajalon; and the people were very faint.
BBEThat day they overcame the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were feeble from need of food.
WebsterAnd they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Ajalon: and the people were very faint.

What does 1 Samuel 14:31 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 14:31-34
31-34. the people were very faint. And the people flew upon the spoil--at evening, when the time fixed by Saul had expired. Faint and famishing, the pursuers fell voraciously upon the cattle they had taken, and threw them on the ground to cut off their flesh and eat them raw, so that the army, by Saul's rashness, were defiled by eating blood, or living animals; probably, as the Abyssinians do, who cut a part of the animal's rump, but close the hide upon it, and nothing mortal follows from that wound. They were painfully conscientious in keeping the king's order for fear of the curse, but had no scruple in transgressing God's command. To prevent this violation of the law, Saul ordered a large stone to be rolled, and those that slaughtered the oxen to cut their throats on that stone. By laying the animal's head on the high stone, the blood oozed out on the ground, and sufficient evidence was afforded that the ox or sheep was dead before it was attempted to eat it.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 31 They smote the Philistines - from Mishmash to Aijalon - The distance Calmet states to be three or four leagues.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 14:24-35

Saul's severe order was very unwise; if it gained time, it lost strength for the pursuit. Such is the nature of our bodies, that daily work cannot be done without daily bread, which therefore our Father in heaven graciously gives. Saul was turning aside from God, and now he begins to build altars, being then most zealous, as many are, for the form of godliness when he was denying the power of it.

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 14:24-35 →

1 Samuel 14:31 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.

וַיַּכּ֞וּvai.ya.Kuand they defeatedH5221
בַּיּ֤וֹםbai.Yomon the dayH3117
הַהוּא֙ha.Hu'<the> thatH1931
בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔יםba.pe.lish.Tim<in> the PhilistinesH6430
מִמִּכְמָ֖שׂmi.mikh.Masfrom MicmashH4363
אַיָּלֹ֑נָה'ai.ya.Lo.nahAijalon towardsH357
וַיָּ֥עַףvai.Ya.'afand it was wearyH5888
הָעָ֖םha.'Amthe peopleH5971
מְאֹֽד\׃me.'OdexceedinglyH3966

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

Cross references for 1 Samuel 14:31

  • Joshua 10:12

    Then 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.

  • Joshua 19:42

    And Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jethlah,

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
from Michmash.The distance, Calmet states to be three or four leagues.
Aijalon.
Jos 10:12; 19:42

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

Context

  • 1 Samuel 14:30

    How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?

  • 1 Samuel 14:31

    And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.

  • 1 Samuel 14:32

    And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood.

Read all of 1 Samuel 14

1 Samuel 14:31 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		E hirieron aquel día á los Filisteos desde Michmas hasta Ajalón: mas el pueblo se cansó mucho.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et ils frappèrent ce jour-là les Philistins, depuis Micmash jusqu’à Ajalon; et le peuple fut très fatigué.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und sie schlugen die Philister an jenem Tage von Mikmas bis nach Ajjalon; und das Volk war sehr ermattet.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Percusserunt ergo in die illa Philisthæos a Machmis usque in Ajalon. Defatigatus est autem populus nimis: