1 Samuel 14:15

1Sa 14:15 And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.

Ver. 15. And there was trembling in the host.] The Lord smote them with a panic terror; and hence they fell so fast before Jonathan and his armour bearer: hence also they fell so foul one upon another, and fled so fast before the host of Israel. The like befell the Germans in their war against the Hussites of Bohemia: and the Spaniards at Zutphen in the low countries, A.D. 1586, when and where the Earl of Leicester, General of the English forces, took the fort by the valour of Edward Stanley; who catching hold on a Spaniard’s pike, wherewith he charged him, held it so fast, that by the same he was drawn up into the sconce: wherewith the Spaniards being terrified, as the Philistines were here at the sight of Jonathan, fearfully withdrew themselves, &c. {a}

And the earth quaked.] This added much to their amazement.

So it was a very great trembling.] Heb., A trembling of God: that is, of God’s own sending. Himself was a terror to them; an evil that Jeremiah so much deprecated, {Jer 17:17} as the greatest of all other.

{a} Camden’s Elisab., fol. 205.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

14:15 panic broke out: This parallel with the Gideon story depicts Jonathan as a judge-like figure (cp. Judg 7:19-22). God had not anointed or expressly gifted Jonathan to be leader, yet God used him to rescue his people. • raiding parties: See study note on 1 Sam 13:17-18.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

In that the insensible creatures tremble for fear of God’s judgment, it declareth how terrible his vengeance shall be against his enemies.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 15. There was trembling in the host] They were terrified and panic-struck; the people in general round about, those in the garrison, the spoilers, and the whole country, were struck with terror; the commotion was universal and most extraordinary. The trembling of the earth is probably not to be taken literally, but as a metaphor for a great commotion in the country, though God might have interposed in an extraordinary manner, and produced a real earthquake; but their being panic-struck was sufficient to produce all the requisite confusion and dismay.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(15) And there was trembling in the host.—The rest of the outpost garrison, panic-stricken, escaped to the other camp of the main body of the host, spreading dismay as they fled.

And the earth quaked . . .—To add to the dire confusion, an earthquake was felt, which completed the discomfiture of the Philistines; they perceived that some Divine power was fighting against them, and all the stories of the unseen Helper of the Hebrews would flash across their minds. Some would explain the earthquake as a poetical description of the extreme terror and confusion which prevailed far and near, but the literal meaning is far the best. The Eternal fought for Jonathan and Israel that day, and the powers of nature were summoned to the young hero’s aid, as they had been before, when Pharaoh pursued the people at the Red Sea (Exo_14:26-27), as when Joshua fought the Canaanites at Beth-horon (Jos_10:11), and as when Barak smote Sisera at Kishon (Jdg_5:21).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

15. in the host, in the field] In the camp in the field, the main army as distinguished from the outpost which Jonathan had attacked.

the earth quaked] Perhaps this only describes the tumult and confusion of the Philistine host (cp. 1Sa_4:5), but possibly an earthquake augmented the general panic, as at the Exodus (Psa_77:18). Cp. the storm at Ebenezer (ch. 1Sa_7:10).

so it was a very great trembling] Lit. “And it became a trembling of God,” i.e. a supernatural panic inspired by God. Cp. 2Ki_7:6.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And there was trembling in the host in the field,.... Belonging to Michmash, where the army lay encamped:

and among all the people; the inhabitants of Michmash, or that attended the army, and furnished them with provisions, trafficking with them; the common people, as distinguished from the soldiers:

the garrison; those that were in it, who did not sally out, but perceiving a great slaughter made of their outer scouts, were seized with a panic:

and the spoilers they also trembled; who had been about the country, ravaging and plundering it, and were returned with their booty; see Sa1 13:17.

and the earth quaked; the inhabitants of it thereabout, or the earth itself literally; a real earthquake was caused at the same time, which increased the terror:

so that it was a very great trembling; both with respect to the numbers that were affected with it throughout the camp and garrison, and the causes of it; the terrible apprehension they had of a large army just ready to rush upon them; the earth quaking and opening in various places, threatening to swallow them up; and perhaps suspicions of treachery among themselves, they consisting of various nations, and some among them Hebrews; hence they fell upon and slew one another, Sa1 14:20, or "a trembling of God" (u); either in the same sense to which we translate it, as cedars of God, flame of God, &c. that is, large and great ones; or which came from God; it was he that sent this trembling among them, struck their minds with fear and dread, so that they were in the utmost consternation, and knew not what to do, nor which way to take, and had no heart to oppose the enemy, and defend themselves.

(u) "in trepidationem Dei", Montanus, Drusius, Vatablus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The earth quaked - This naturally increased the panic to the utmost. Compare 1Sa 7:10; Jos 10:11; Psa 114:4.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Miracle. Hebrew charada, "consternation or trembling," a panic fear, as the Philistines imagined that all the army of Israel had got into the camp. "In the terrors sent by demons, (or superior beings) even the sons of the gods flee away." (Pindar. Nem.) The earth quaked (Calmet) to increase the enemies’ apprehensions, so that those who had gone out to plunder, hearing of the disaster, which report had greatly magnified, and all the people feeling this unusual and alarming motion of the earth, perceiving that God was fighting against them, and trembled. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Trembling; a great consternation; partly from this unexpected and prodigious slaughter, which made them suspect there was more than man in the case, and that the Lord (of whose infinite power they had had former experience) was come forth to fight against them; and partly from the Lord, who took away their spirits and strength, and struck them with fear and amazement.

In the field, i.e. in the whole host, which as there in the field.

Among all the people, i.e. among all the rest of their forces, as well those in the garrison (as it is here explained in the following words) at Michmash, as the spoilers, mentioned 1Sa 13:17; the report of this prodigy, and with it the terror of God, speedily passing from one to another.

The earth quaked; either,

1. Metaphorically and hyperbolically, the whole land, i.e. the inhabitants of the land, to wit, of the Philistines, trembled. Or rather,

2. Properly, God sent an earthquake among them, which probably overthrew their tents and chariots, and destroyed many of their persons, and scattered the whole host, making them to flee away for their lives.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

15. Trembling — Fear, consternation, and horror.

The earth quaked — Because of the vast multitude rushing to and fro, and beating one another down. Perhaps, also, an earthquake.

A very great trembling — Rather, as the margin, a trembling of God; a supernatural terror infused by God into the hearts of the Philistines.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Trembling. Ie. "terror," "fright." In the host. Hebrew, "in the camp," i.e. the main camp at Michmash, contrasted with the field, i.e. the open country, in which the soldiers were foraging for supplies. The people. Ie. the camp followers, as opposed to the soldiers. All these were terrified by the garrison rushing down the pass, with tidings of the attack magnified by their fears, and who communicated the alarm to the spoilers, who, having now for a fortnight met with no resistance, had probably discontinued all measures of precaution. The earth quaked. This may be taken literally, but is more probably a poetical description of the widespread terror and confusion which prevailed far and near. So it was a very great trembling. Literally, "and it became a terror of God;" but the name of the deity (Elohim, not Jehovah) is constantly used in Hebrew to express vastness.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Field - That is, in the whole host which was in the field. All - That is, among all the rest of their forces, as well as those in the garrison at Michmash, as the spoilers, mentioned chap. xiii, 17, the report of this prodigy, and with it the terror of God speedily passing from one to another. Trembling - The Hebrew is, a trembling of God, signifying not only a very great trembling, but such as was supernatural, and came immediately from the hand of God. He that made the heart knows how to make it tremble. To complete their confusion, even the earth quaked; it shook under them, and made them fear it was just going to swallow them up. Those who will not fear the eternal God, he can make afraid of a shadow.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

There was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among the people

The abstract noun "panic" can be translated as a verb or as an adjective. AT: "The Philistine soldiers in the camp and in the field, and all the people with them, panicked" or "The Philistine soldiers in the camp and in the field, and all the people with them, became very afraid" (See: Abstract Nouns)

the raiders

the Philistines who were raiding Israelite cities

The earth quaked

It may be helpful to state the cause. AT: "God caused the ground to shake" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

translationWords

people group

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.