Year of the Bible

1 Samuel 13

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Commentary on the First Book of Samuel, Chapter 13:

One of an ancient king’s responsibilities is to lead the army in battle, and chapter 13 opens with King Saul bringing victory over the Philistines. We are introduced to his heir, Jonathan, also a military leader. When the Philistines return, some of the Israelites hide. This is the catalyst for Saul’s first great error of his reign. Samuel’s meeting with Saul is delayed, so Saul takes it upon himself to offer sacrifices even though it is against the Law for him to do so. When Samuel arrives, he explains that, because of Saul’s transgression, God’s favor for Saul's family to reign over an ever-lasting Kingdom will no longer come to pass. The chapter ends by explaining how the Philistine army is superior to the Israelites, reminding us that victory can only be achieved with God’s help.

 

The First Book of Samuel, Chapter 13:

Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

1 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. 3 Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines which was at Geba; and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and troops like the sand on the seashore in multitude; they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Bethaven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in straits (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, 7 or crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and salute him. 11 Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 12 I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal and I have not entreated the favor of the Lord’; so I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which he commanded you; for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel for ever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart; and the Lord has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 15 And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 another company turned toward Bethhoron, and another company turned toward the border that looks down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

Preparations for Battle

19 Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”; 20 but every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle; 21 and the charge was a pim for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads. 22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

 

*Daily Lectio Divina Question:

Lord, like Saul when Samuel was delayed in his arrival, are there areas of my life outside my purview that I try to control because it seems like you are not acting? Lead me to the peace that can only be found inside your will.

 

Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.

Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.

If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further.

1 Samuel 13

1 Saúl era ya de edad madura
cuando comenzó a reinar, y reinó
varios años sobre Israel. 2 Eligió Saúl
tres mil hombres de Israel: dos mil estaban
con él en Micmás y en las montañas
de Betel, y mil con Jonatán en Guibeá
de Benjamín; a los demás los envió
a cada uno a su casa. 3 Jonatán venció a
la guarnición de los filisteos que había
en Gueba, y los filisteos se enteraron.
Saúl, por su parte, hizo sonar la trompeta
por todo el país:
–¡Que la oigan los hebreos!
4 Todo el pueblo escuchó la noticia:
–Saúl ha vencido a la guarnición de
los filisteos; Israel se ha hecho odioso a
los filisteos.
Y el pueblo se congregó en torno a
Saúl en Guilgal.
5 Los filisteos se reunieron para luchar
contra Israel: treinta mil carros,
seis mil caballos y un ejército tan numeroso
como las arenas del mar. Subieron
y acamparon en Micmás, al este de Bet-
Aven. 6 Los de Israel, al verse en peligro
porque se estrechaba el cerco, se refugiaron
en las cuevas, en las cavernas, en
las peñas, en los subterráneos y en las
cisternas.
7 Algunos hebreos atravesaron el Jordán
hacia Gad y Galaad. Saúl permanecía
en Guilgal y todo el pueblo temblaba
junto a él. 8 Esperó siete días, según
el plazo señalado por Samuel, pero éste
no llegó a Guilgal; así que el pueblo se
dispersó abandonando a Saúl. 9 Entonces
dijo Saúl:
–Traedme las víctimas del holocausto
y de los sacrificios de comunión.
Y ofreció el holocausto.
10 Terminaba de ofrecer el holocausto
cuando llegó Samuel. Saúl salió a su
encuentro para saludarle, 11 pero Samuel
le dijo:
–¿Qué has hecho?
Saúl respondió:
–Al ver que el pueblo se dispersaba
y me abandonaba, que tú no venías
en el plazo señalado y que los filisteos
estaban congregados en Micmás, 12 me
dije: «Ahora bajarán los filisteos a Guilgal
contra mí y todavía no he aplacado
al Señor». Así que me sentí obligado a
ofrecer el holocausto.
13 Entonces Samuel dijo a Saúl:
–Has obrado como un necio. No has
guardado los preceptos que el Señor, tu
Dios, te ordenó. El Señor habría consolidado
tu reinado sobre Israel para
siempre, 14 pero ahora tu reinado no se
mantendrá. El Señor se ha buscado un
hombre según su corazón y le ha constituido
guía de su pueblo porque tú no
has guardado lo que el Señor te había
ordenado.
15 Se levantó Samuel y subió desde
Guilgal siguiendo su camino. El resto
del pueblo siguió a Saúl para enfrentarse
al enemigo: subieron desde Guilgal
hasta Guibeá de Benjamín. Saúl pasó
revista al pueblo que había permanecido
junto a él: eran unos seiscientos
hombres.
16 Saúl, su hijo Jonatán y el pueblo
que había permanecido con ellos estaban
en Gueba de Benjamín, mientras
que los filisteos estaban acampados en
Micmás. 17 Del campamento filisteo salió
una ofensiva en tres columnas: una
tomó el camino de Ofrá, hacia la región
de Saúl; 18 otra se dirigió a Bet-Jorón, y
la tercera tomó el camino de los límites
que dominan el valle de Seboim hacia
el desierto.
19 No había herreros en todo el país
de Israel porque los filisteos habían decidido
que los hebreos no se hicieran ni
espadas ni lanzas; 20 así que los israelitas
tenían que bajar hasta los filisteos para
afilar su reja, su azada, su hacha y su
hoz. 21 El precio del afilado era de medio
siclo por las rejas y por las azadas, y de
un cuarto de siclo por las hachas o por
retocar las hoces.
22 Ocurrió, pues, que el día del combate
ningún hombre de Saúl o de Jonatán
tenía espada ni lanza; sólo la tenían
Saúl y Jonatán, su hijo.
23 Un destacamento de filisteos salió
hacia el paso de Micmás.

 

Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy

Señor, al igual que Saúl cuando Samuel se demoró en su llegada, ¿hay áreas de mi vida que están fuera de mi alcance y que trato de controlar porque parece que tú no actúas? Condúceme a la paz que sólo puede encontrarse dentro de tu voluntad.

 

 

La Biblia de Navarra

Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra

para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo 

dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).

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