1 Samuel 14 32

1 Samuel 14:32 kjv

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.

1 Samuel 14:32 nkjv

And the people rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.

1 Samuel 14:32 niv

They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood.

1 Samuel 14:32 esv

The people pounced on the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood.

1 Samuel 14:32 nlt

That evening they rushed for the battle plunder and butchered the sheep, goats, cattle, and calves, but they ate them without draining the blood.

1 Samuel 14 verses

1 Samuel 14 32 Meaning

The people, exhausted and famished from battle, hastily took livestock from the spoils of war. In their desperate hunger, they slaughtered these animals directly on the ground, without properly draining the blood, and then consumed the meat with the blood still in it. This action was a direct violation of God's explicit commands regarding the consumption of blood, signifying a spiritual lapse driven by physical necessity.

1 Samuel 14 32 Context

Chapter 14 of 1 Samuel depicts a day of significant battle between Israel and the Philistines. The narrative highlights the valiant, faith-filled actions of Jonathan, Saul's son, which initiate a great victory. However, Saul's leadership falters significantly when he imposes a rash and severe oath, forbidding anyone from eating until evening (1 Sam 14:24). This oath leaves the army utterly exhausted and famished by the day's end (1 Sam 14:31). This extreme physical state directly leads to the desperate actions described in verse 32. Historically, Israel was living under the Mosaic Law, which contained strict prohibitions against consuming blood, primarily because blood represented life and was reserved for atonement on the altar. The people's actions show a temporary disregard for God's clear commands due to urgent physical need, compounded by Saul's misguided oath. The incident serves as a significant mark against Saul's spiritual leadership.

1 Samuel 14 32 Word analysis

• Then: (וַיַּעַט - vayya'at, "and swooped") Indicates a sudden, immediate reaction following their intense hunger mentioned in verse 31. The verb carries a sense of eager, uncontrolled descent, like a predator upon prey.
• the people: Refers to the Israelite soldiers and camp followers who were part of the exhausted army.
• fell upon: As part of the vayya'at verb, it emphasizes a frantic, uncontrolled rushing forward. They did not calmly acquire food but seized it.
• the spoil: (שָׁלָל - shalal) Refers to the plunder or booty taken from the defeated Philistines, primarily livestock as the following words indicate.
• and took sheep, and oxen, and calves: Specific mention of the type of livestock acquired from the spoil, indicating that their hunger was for substantial sustenance.
• and slew them on the ground: (וַיִּשְׁחֲטוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ - vayyishkhatu el ha'arets) The Hebrew phrase "to the ground" emphasizes that they slaughtered the animals haphazardly, directly letting the blood spill and soak into the earth rather than carefully draining it into a vessel. This practice directly contravened the Levitical command (Lev 17:13; Deut 12:16, 23-24) to drain the blood, as the life was considered to be in the blood and reserved for sacred purposes or proper disposal.
• and the people did eat them with the blood: (עַל הַדָּם - al ha'dam) This is the crux of the sin. The phrase "upon the blood" or "with the blood" clearly denotes consuming the meat before or during the process of the blood fully draining. This directly violated the divine prohibition repeated multiple times in the Law (e.g., Gen 9:4; Lev 3:17, 7:26, 17:10-14; Deut 12:16, 23). The sacredness of blood, representing life, meant it was not to be consumed but was for atonement.

• "fell upon the spoil": This phrase captures the intense desperation and lack of discipline among the troops, driven by physical necessity overriding moral or spiritual considerations.
• "slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood": This combination highlights the direct, twofold violation of Mosaic law. First, the lack of proper, respectful drainage (implied by "on the ground" without collecting), and second, the consumption of the blood, a grave transgression against the sanctity of life as divinely ordained and reserved for sacred atonement. This immediate gratification demonstrates a disregard for God's holiness.

1 Samuel 14 32 Bonus section

The immediate act of "eating with the blood" stemmed from both an intense physical need and a failure of leadership, as Saul's rash vow had placed the people in this dire condition. The emphasis on blood in Mosaic law served as a constant reminder that life belonged to God (Lev 17:11) and foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice where Christ's blood would provide full and final atonement, giving His life for His people. This event also highlights the distinction between a command given for a specific purpose (the oath not to eat) and a fundamental, perpetual command (abstaining from blood). Even in extreme hunger, breaking a foundational divine ordinance had serious implications, revealing the depth of Israel's spiritual state under Saul's early reign, characterized by impulsive actions and a disregard for God's direct guidance.

1 Samuel 14 32 Commentary

Verse 1 Samuel 14:32 describes a moment of profound spiritual failure born out of severe physical extremity. The Israelite army, pushed to the brink of starvation by Saul's impulsive oath, prioritized immediate satiation over divine command. Their act of slaughtering animals carelessly on the ground and consuming them with the blood intact was a direct and serious transgression against the foundational dietary laws given by God to Israel. These laws were not arbitrary; they signified the sanctity of life, which resided in the blood, and pointed to its use for atonement. By consuming the blood, the people not only defied God's expressed will but also violated a principle tied to the very nature of life and its redemptive purpose. This incident reveals the immediate consequences of compromised leadership (Saul's rash oath) leading to popular sin, underscoring the spiritual vulnerability that emerges when physical needs overshadow adherence to divine truth. It led directly to Saul's recognition of the people's sin against God and his building of an altar, the first recorded by him, in an attempt to atone and restore right relationship.