Jonathan Eats the Honey
Saul places the army under a curse if anyone eats before evening, so the troops pass by honey without touching it. Jonathan, not having heard the oath, eats, is revived, and says his father has troubled the land by weakening the army.
N24ow the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food. 25Then all the troops entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. 26And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. 27Jonathan, however, had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath. So he reached out the end of the staff in his hand, dipped it into the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. 28Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the troops with a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’ That is why the people are faint.” 29“My father has brought trouble to the land,” Jonathan replied. “Just look at how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30How much better it would have been if the troops had eaten freely today from the plunder they took from their enemies! Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been much greater?”
After a long day of fighting, the exhausted troops rush on the plunder and eat meat with the blood still in it. Saul rebukes them, orders proper slaughter, and builds an altar to the LORD.
31That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, the people were very faint. 32So they rushed greedily to the plunder, taking sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them on the ground and ate meat with the blood still in it. 33Then someone reported to Saul: “Look, the troops are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.” 34“You have broken faith,” said Saul. “Roll a large stone over here at once.” Then he said, “Go among the troops and tell them, ‘Each man must bring me his ox or his sheep, slaughter them in this place, and then eat. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.’” 35So that night everyone brought his ox and slaughtered it there. Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had built an altar to the LORD.
Saul proposes a night pursuit to plunder the Philistines until dawn and leave none alive.
36And Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until dawn, leaving no man alive!”