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1 Samuel 13:19-22

Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”; but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his own plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle. The price was one payim each to sharpen mattocks, plowshares, pitchforks, axes, and goads. So 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.

World English Bible · Public Domain
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1 Samuel 13:19-22 sits inside this longer paragraph.

Samuel arose, and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. The raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual; another company turned the way to Beth Horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looks down on the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”; but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his own plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle. The price was one payim each to sharpen mattocks, plowshares, pitchforks, axes, and goads. So 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. The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

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Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”;

    but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his own plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle.

    The price was one payim each to sharpen mattocks, plowshares, pitchforks, axes, and goads.

    So 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.

  • KJV King James Version

    Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:

    But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.

    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.

    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.

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  • JPS JPS Tanakh (1917)

    Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said: 'Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears';

    but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.

    And the price of the filing was a pim for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks with three teeth, and for the axes; and to set the goads.

    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.

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Cross-references (10)

  • Judges 5:8 (vv19, 22) They chose new gods. Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
  • 2 Kings 24:14 (v19) He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and…
  • Jeremiah 24:1 (v19) Yahweh showed me, and behold, two baskets of figs were set before Yahweh’s temple, after Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away…
  • 1 Samuel 17:47 (v22) and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and he will give you into…
  • 1 Samuel 17:50 (v22) So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; but there was no sword in…
Show all 9 cross-references
  • Isaiah 54:16 (v19) “Behold, I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame, and forges a weapon for his work; and I have created the destroyer to…
  • Zechariah 4:6 (v22) Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, “This is Yahweh’s word to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’…
  • 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (v22) but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he…
  • 2 Corinthians 4:7 (v22) But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.

9 distinct cross-references across this passage (10 total citations).

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

Explain this passage (17 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v22 To declare that the victory only came of God,…

To declare that the victory only came of God, and not by their force.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.

John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv19–22 1Sa 13:19 Now there was no smith found throughout…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv19–22 This was a politic course of the Philistines, which…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv19–22 Now there was no smith found throughout all the…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv20, 22 Philistines - Not to the land of the Philistines,…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv19–22 Verse 19. Now there was no smith found] It…
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv19, 20, 22 1Sa 13:19. There was no smith found throughout all…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv19, 20, 22 There was no smith - This was the result…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv19–21 Smith. The Philistines had taken these precautions before Samuel…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv19, 21 Now there was no smith found throughout . .…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv19–21 19. No smith — חרשׁ, a graver, a workman:…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv19–21 19–23. The disarmament of the Israelites
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv19–22 (19) Now there was no smith found.—We must allow…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv19–22 DESCRIPTION OF ISRAEL"S EXTREME STATE OF OPPRESSION (vers. 19-23).
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v19 Now there was no smith found throughout all the…
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv19, 22 General Information:
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v19 13:19-22 no blacksmiths: The Philistines kept the Israelites unarmed…
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