1 Samuel 14:44 kjv
And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.
1 Samuel 14:44 nkjv
Saul answered, "God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan."
1 Samuel 14:44 niv
Saul said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan."
1 Samuel 14:44 esv
And Saul said, "God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan."
1 Samuel 14:44 nlt
"Yes, Jonathan," Saul said, "you must die! May God strike me and even kill me if you do not die for this."
1 Samuel 14 44 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Num 30:2 | If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath... he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. | Gravity of vows and oaths. |
| Deut 23:21 | When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin in you. | Importance of fulfilling vows. |
| Judg 11:30-35 | Jephthah made a vow to the LORD... he sacrificed her as a burnt offering... | Rash vow leading to human sacrifice; parallel to Saul's severity. |
| 1 Sam 13:13-14 | Saul, you have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD... now your kingdom shall not continue. | Saul's past foolishness and its consequences. |
| 1 Sam 15:22-23 | To obey is better than sacrifice... rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also... | Saul's ultimate rejection for disobedience; prioritizes obedience over ritual. |
| Prov 20:25 | It is a snare for a person to devote rashly something as holy and afterward to reconsider his vows. | Warns against rash vows. |
| Eccl 5:4-5 | When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it... it is better not to vow than to vow and not pay. | Caution against vows and emphasis on fulfilling them. |
| Mt 15:1-9 | Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? ...Thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. | Condemns prioritizing human traditions (like rigid oaths) over God's commands. |
| Mk 7:9-13 | You neatly set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! ...You make the word of God of no effect through your tradition... | Jesus criticizing legalism that nullifies God's law. |
| Acts 23:12-14 | Some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. | Illustrates dangerous and misguided oaths. |
| Rom 10:2-3 | For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own... | Saul's misplaced zeal. |
| Gal 5:1 | It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. | Contrast with legalism and rigid adherence to external laws. |
| Gal 3:10 | For all who are of works of the Law are under a curse... | Legalism bringing curses, not blessing. |
| Hos 6:6 | For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. | Prioritizes mercy and knowledge of God over strict religious ritual. |
| Isa 1:11-17 | "What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?" says the LORD... Cease to do evil, learn to do good; Seek justice, rebuke the oppressor, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. | God values righteousness and justice over empty ritual. |
| Mic 6:6-8 | He has told you, O mankind, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? | Divine priorities: justice, kindness, humility over rigid rules. |
| Mt 9:13 | But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. | Jesus quotes Hos 6:6, emphasizing mercy. |
| Mt 12:7 | But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. | Jesus applying the principle of mercy to Sabbath observance. |
| Heb 9:14 | How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? | Christ's perfect sacrifice contrasts with futile human efforts or misguided laws. |
| Col 2:16-17, 20-23 | Therefore, no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink... Why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourselves to decrees... | Freedom from rigid rules and regulations, contrasting with human tradition. |
| Ps 116:18 | I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people... | Emphasizes keeping proper vows, but Saul's vow was problematic. |
| Lk 6:9 | Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?” | Highlights God's priority for saving life over strict legalism. |
1 Samuel 14 verses
1 Samuel 14 44 Meaning
This verse records King Saul's solemn and emphatic declaration, binding himself with a divine curse if his son Jonathan was not executed for unwittingly breaking a rash oath Saul had imposed during a battle against the Philistines. It reveals Saul's misdirected zeal and misplaced authority, where human oath-keeping takes precedence over divine mercy or strategic victory, demonstrating his flawed kingship and impending rejection by God.
1 Samuel 14 44 Context
1 Samuel 14 narrates a pivotal moment in Saul's reign, immediately following a military stalemate with the Philistines. Jonathan, without his father's knowledge or approval, initiates a daring attack on a Philistine outpost with only his armor-bearer, driven by faith that "nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few" (1 Sam 14:6). This courageous act, empowered by God, ignites a rout among the Philistines and leads to a decisive Israelite victory. However, Saul had previously made a rash oath: "Cursed be the man who eats food until evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies" (1 Sam 14:24). This vow, likely made out of religious zeal but lacking wisdom or consultation with God, severely weakened his troops and caused Jonathan to unknowingly break it by tasting honey in the woods, revitalizing him. When lots were cast to discover who had transgressed, Jonathan was identified. Verse 1 Samuel 14:44 directly follows this revelation, capturing Saul's firm intention to execute his own son based on his vow, demonstrating a legalistic adherence to an oath above the well-being of his son or the common sense of the victory just achieved.
1 Samuel 14 44 Word analysis
- Saul: The first king of Israel. His character is marked by an initial obedience and potential, but increasingly by insecurity, disobedience to God's specific commands, and a reliance on external, sometimes superstitious, actions (like rigid oaths and divination) rather than true dependence on the Lord. Here, he acts more like a self-righteous monarch than a Spirit-led king.
- said: waî-yō’·mer (וַיֹּאמֶר). This marks a solemn declaration, often preceding an important command or oath in biblical narrative. In this context, it carries the weight of a royal decree and a religious vow.
- "God do so to me and more also,": kōh yaʿăśeh lî ʾĕlōhîm wəḵōh yôsīp (כֹּה יַעֲשֶׂה לִּי אֱלֹהִים וְכֹה יֹסִף). This is a common and powerful Old Testament oath formula. It means, "May God punish me with death (or a specific calamity, implicitly understood as the speaker's destruction if they do not uphold their word) and even greater misfortunes beyond measure, if I do not do as I say." It invokes divine judgment upon oneself for failure to keep the promise, binding the swearer to their word by calling on God as a witness and executioner. Saul places himself under this curse if he does not execute Jonathan.
- Jonathan: The firstborn son of Saul and a highly commendable figure. His character is defined by his unwavering faith in God's power (1 Sam 14:6), his courage, his deep loyalty to David, and his genuine humility. In this narrative, he is the unwitting victim of his father's foolish oath and is depicted as innocent of any willful sin against God.
- surely die: mōṯ yûmāṯ (מֹות יוּמָת). This is a strong Hebrew idiom (infinitive absolute + finite verb), emphasizing certainty and severity: "he shall surely, truly die," or "he shall die the death." It underscores the non-negotiable nature of the intended execution in Saul's eyes, reflecting a perceived necessity to uphold the vow at all costs, even human life.
1 Samuel 14 44 Bonus section
- Polemics Against Contemporary Beliefs: In the ancient Near East, vows were extremely binding, often considered to possess inherent power. Saul's unwavering stance, despite the obvious detrimental outcome, could be seen as reflecting this cultural emphasis. However, the biblical narrative implicitly critiques this rigid adherence when it clashes with wisdom, divine favor, or mercy. Unlike some pagan religions where deities might demand harsh personal sacrifice for propitiation, Yahweh often shows compassion and emphasizes obedience and mercy over blind ritual. The fact that God allows the people to save Jonathan underscores this contrast.
- Divine Intervention vs. Human Vows: The preceding narrative shows God's clear favor on Jonathan. The divine signs (trembling of the Philistine camp) indicated God's blessing on Jonathan's action. Saul's oath and its attempted execution thus stand in direct opposition to God's unfolding plan, revealing a profound lack of spiritual discernment on Saul's part.
- Jonathan as a Type: Jonathan, an innocent man designated for death by his own king due to a rigid, flawed system (Saul's law/oath), could be seen as a foreshadowing of innocent figures, and even subtly point towards the ultimate innocent one (Christ), who would be condemned under an imperfect legal system, but whose sacrifice would bring salvation. However, unlike Jonathan, Christ did die, to perfectly fulfill God's just requirements and redeem humanity.
1 Samuel 14 44 Commentary
1 Samuel 14:44 encapsulates a moment of profound moral and spiritual failure for King Saul, starkly contrasting his human, legalistic understanding of God's law with divine mercy and wisdom. Saul's declaration, made with an oath formula reserved for the most solemn vows, highlights his desperate attempt to control an outcome and impress upon the people his zealous devotion, even as he was demonstrably out of step with God's Spirit. He prioritized the rigid adherence to his own rash oath, a human tradition, above the value of his son's life, the morale of his army, and the very victory God had just granted through Jonathan's faith.
This act showcases Saul's escalating flaws as a king:
- Misguided Zeal: His zeal for God was "not according to knowledge" (Rom 10:2). He sought to gain divine favor through a vow that ultimately harmed his own people and obstructed the full benefit of God's deliverance.
- Legalism over Life: He rigidly enforced a humanly concocted rule over a divine principle of mercy and the sanctity of life. His actions resemble later Pharisees who would prioritize human traditions over the spirit of God's law (Mt 15:3-6).
- Pride and Control: The oath served to assert his authority and perhaps demonstrate his perceived piety, rather than to genuinely glorify God. He failed to see that the real victory came from Jonathan's God-inspired faith, not his own imposed asceticism.
Ultimately, the people intervened to save Jonathan, understanding that his life was a gift from God, vital to Israel's victory. This intervention by the people further undermines Saul's authority and wisdom, demonstrating his kingdom was being progressively alienated from both divine favor and popular support. The verse thus serves as a powerful illustration of the dangers of rash vows and legalism, warning against zeal that lacks understanding, love, and compassion.