1 Samuel 13:15-23 Meaning: When All You Have Is Not Enough
15Samuel arose, and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
16Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
17The 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;
18another 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.
19Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”;
20but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his own plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle.
21The price was one payim each to sharpen mattocks, plowshares, pitchforks, axes, and goads.
22So 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.
23The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
15And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.
16And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
17And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual:
18And another company turned the way to Beth–horon: and another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
20But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.
21Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.
22So 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.
23And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.
15And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.
16And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
17And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual;
18and another company turned the way to Beth-horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looketh down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
20but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock;
21yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads.
22So 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.
23And the garrison of the Philistines went out unto the pass of Michmash.
15And Samuel riseth, and goeth up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin; and Saul inspecteth the people who are found with him, about six hundred men,
16and Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who are found with them, are abiding in Gibeah of Benjamin, and the Philistines have encamped in Michmash.
17And the destroyer goeth out from the camp of the Philistines--three detachments; the one detachment turneth unto the way of Ophrah, unto the land of Shual;
18and the one detachment turneth the way of Beth-Horon, and the one detachment turneth the way of the border which is looking on the valley of the Zeboim, toward the wilderness.
19And an artificer is not found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, `Lest the Hebrews make sword or spear;'
20and all Israel go down to the Philistines, to sharpen each his ploughshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock;
21and there hath been the file for mattocks, and for coulters, and for three-pronged rakes, and for the axes, and to set up the goads.
22And it hath been, in the day of battle, that there hath not been found sword and spear in the hand of any of the people who are with Saul and with Jonathan--and there is found to Saul and to Jonathan his son.
23And the station of the Philistines goeth out unto the passage of Michmash.
15And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were found with him, about six hundred men.
16And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were found with them, abode in Geba of Benjamin; and the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
17And the ravagers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned the way of Ophrah, into the land of Shual;
18and another company turned the way to Beth-horon; and the other company turned the way to the district that looks over the ravine of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19Now there was no smith found throughout the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears.
20And all Israel went down to the Philistines, every man to get his ploughshare, and his hoe, and his axe, and his sickle sharpened,
21when the edges of the sickles, and the hoes, and the forks, and the axes were blunted; and to set the goads.
22And 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 there was found.
23And a garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.
Meaning in one sentence
Israel’s army is reduced to 600 men with no weapons. This passage shows God’s power working through human weakness, preparing for an unlikely victory.
Context
The chapter takes a dark turn. Samuel has just told Saul that his kingdom will not last because of his disobedience. Then Samuel leaves, and Saul is left with just six hundred men. The Philistines control the land, sending raiders in three directions to plunder and terrorize. Worse still, the Philistines have made sure no blacksmith works in Israel. Any farmer who needs a plowshare or an axe sharpened must go to the enemy and pay for it. So when the day of battle comes, not a single sword or spear can be found among Saul's troops, only Saul and his son Jonathan carry weapons. This is the lowest point for Israel, a moment of total vulnerability that sets the stage for what comes next.
Key Words
Three words stand out in this passage, each pointing to the same uncomfortable truth. First, the word for blacksmith in verse 19 is charash, a craftsman, a skilled worker. The text says no charash could be found in all Israel. Skilled labor had been stripped away, forcing the people into total dependence on their oppressors even for farm tools.
Second, the verb found (matsa) appears again and again: no smith found, no sword or spear found among the troops. The repetition makes you feel the emptiness. Everything Israel needed was missing. But the same verb appears one more time, weapons were found with Saul and Jonathan. A small, crucial reserve.
Third, the word for sharpen is latash, which can mean to hammer or forge. Israel had to go down to the Philistines just to sharpen their tools. The irony is sharp: the people who once conquered the land with God's help now had to beg their enemies for an edge.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read this passage as a lesson in dependence. Matthew Henry saw it as God humbling Israel so they would learn to rely on Him alone. The low numbers and lack of weapons were not a sign of abandonment but a setup for grace. Barnes' Notes points out that the Philistine strategy of disarming Israel was a common military tactic, but one that backfired when Jonathan's faith moved God to act. Across traditions, readers agree on the main point: when human strength is gone, God's power becomes visible. The next chapter will show that with just one man and his armor-bearer, God can rout an army, because the battle belongs to Him.
A common misunderstanding
Some readers assume that because the troops had no swords or spears, they were completely defenseless. In fact, the text only mentions the absence of these specific weapons. Other arms like bows, slings and clubs may have been available (Judges 20:16 mentions slingers). The real point is the severe limitation Israel faced. Their resources were stripped so drastically that victory could only come from God, not from their own military strength.
Living This Out
You may feel that way right now, cut off from resources, outnumbered, unable to see how you can face what is coming. Maybe a relationship has no good options left. Maybe your health or finances have drained away the margin you once had. This passage asks you to stop measuring the size of your army. God does not look at the swords you carry; He looks at the faith He gives. The army of six hundred men goes into the next chapter with nothing but two swords and a promise. And that was enough.
Main takeaway: God does not wait until we have enough resources; He works when all we have is Him.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Imagine you have to play a game, but you have no toys. That’s how Israel felt, they had no swords at all. But God helped them anyway, because He is strong even when we are weak.
For ages 9, 12
The Philistines took away all the blacksmiths from Israel, so nobody could make swords or spears. Only King Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons. An army of six hundred men faced the enemy with almost no weapons. But in the next chapter, God gives them a great victory through Jonathan’s courage. Sometimes God lets us feel weak so we remember that He is the one who fights for us.
Questions People Ask
Why did Samuel leave Saul right after the judgment?
Samuel had finished delivering God's message that the kingdom would be taken from Saul. He left because his prophetic work at Gilgal was complete, and Saul was now left to face the consequences of his disobedience. Samuel's departure also symbolizes that Saul was being left to himself.
How many men were with Saul at this point?
Only six hundred men remained with Saul. Earlier in the chapter, Saul had gathered an army of three thousand (chapter 13:2), but many had deserted out of fear when the Philistine threat grew. The six hundred are a tiny force compared to the vast Philistine army.
What is a 'payim' in verse 21?
A payim (or pim) was a weight of about two-thirds of a shekel. It was the price the Philistines charged for sharpening tools. This detail shows how the Philistines controlled even everyday life, forcing Israelites to pay their enemies for basic services like sharpening farm tools.
Did the Israelites have other weapons besides swords and spears?
While the text says no sword or spear was found among the troops, other weapons such as bows, slings, and clubs were common in ancient Israel (see Judges 20:16). The absence of swords and spears specifically was a severe disadvantage but not total disarmament. The point is that their military capacity was drastically limited, making any victory clearly God's work.
For pastors & researchers
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