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Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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Bible in Basic English

1 Samuel 14:25

And there was honey on the face of the field, and all the people came to the honey, the bees having gone from it;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Honey;   Jonathan;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies of Israel, the;   Forests;   Honey;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Honey;   Philistines;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Food;   Jonathan;   Oath;   Philistia, philistines;   Saul, king of israel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Land (of Israel);   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Forest;   Honey;   Philistines;   Saul;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Adjuration;   Bee;   Honey;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Honey;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;   Israel;   Jonathan;   Michmash;   Philistines;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Urim and Thummim;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Honey;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jonathan ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jonathan;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Bee;   Honey;   Jon'athan,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Canaan;   Jephthah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Forest;   Honey;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ban;   Bee;   Forest;   Jonathan, Jehonathan;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Everyone went into the forest, and there was honey on the ground.
Hebrew Names Version
All the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground.
King James Version
And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground.
Lexham English Bible
(Now all the people of the land used to go into the forest, for there was honey on the surface of the ground.)
English Standard Version
Now when all the people came to the forest, behold, there was honey on the ground.
New Century Version
Now the army went into the woods, where there was some honey on the ground.
New English Translation
Now the whole army entered the forest and there was honey on the ground.
Amplified Bible
All the people of the land came to a forest, and there was honey on the ground.
New American Standard Bible
All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And all they of the land came to a wood, where hony lay vpon the ground.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now all the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.
Contemporary English Version
The army and the people who lived nearby had gone into a forest, and they came to a place where honey was dripping on the ground. But no one ate any of it, because they were afraid of being put under the curse.
Complete Jewish Bible
Now the people came to a forest where there was a honeycomb on the ground.
Darby Translation
And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey on the ground.
Easy-to-Read Version
Because of the fighting, the people went into some woods. Then they saw a honeycomb on the ground. The Israelites went up to the honeycomb, but they didn't eat any of it. They were afraid to break the promise.
George Lamsa Translation
And they went throughout all the land and came into a forest; and, behold, there was honey in the forest on the ground.
Good News Translation
They all came into a wooded area and found honey everywhere.
Literal Translation
And all those of the land came into a forest, and there was honey on the ground.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And all the people of the londe came in to the wodd. But there laye hony vpon the felde:
American Standard Version
And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And al they of the land came to a wood, where honie lay vpon the grounde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground.
King James Version (1611)
And all they of the land came to a wood, and there was honie vpon the ground.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Jaal was a wood abounding in swarms of bees on the face of the ground.
English Revised Version
And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground.
Berean Standard Bible
Then all the troops entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And al the puple ete not breed. And al the comyn puple of the lond cam in to a forest, in which was hony on the `face of erthe.
Young's Literal Translation
And all [they of] the land have come into a forest, and there is honey on the face of the field;
Update Bible Version
And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground.
Webster's Bible Translation
And all [they of] the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground.
World English Bible
All the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground.
New King James Version
Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground.
New Living Translation
even though they had all found honeycomb on the ground in the forest.
New Life Bible
And all the people came among the trees, and there was honey on the ground.
New Revised Standard
All the troops came upon a honeycomb; and there was honey on the ground.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, all the land, had entered into the forest, - and there was honey upon the face of the ground.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And all the common people came into a forest, in which there was honey upon the ground.
Revised Standard Version
And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground.
THE MESSAGE
There were honeycombs here and there in the fields. But no one so much as put his finger in the honey to taste it, for the soldiers to a man feared the curse. But Jonathan hadn't heard his father put the army under oath. He stuck the tip of his staff into some honey and ate it. Refreshed, his eyes lit up with renewed vigor.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.

Contextual Overview

24 And all the people were with Saul, about twenty thousand men, and the fight was general through all the hill-country of Ephraim; but Saul made a great error that day, by putting the people under an oath, saying, Let that man be cursed who takes food before evening comes and I have given punishment to those who are against me. So the people had not a taste of food. 25 And there was honey on the face of the field, and all the people came to the honey, the bees having gone from it; 26 But not a man put his hand to his mouth for fear of the curse. 27 But Jonathan, having no knowledge of the oath his father had put on the people, stretching out the rod which was in his hand, put the end of it in the honey, and put it to his mouth; then his eyes were made bright. 28 Then one of the people said to him, Your father put the people under an oath, saying, Let that man be cursed who takes any food this day. And the people were feeble, needing food. 29 Then Jonathan said, My father has made trouble come on the land: now see how bright my eyes have become because I have taken a little of this honey. 30 How much more if the people had freely taken their food from the goods of those who were fighting against them! would there not have been much greater destruction among the Philistines? 31 That day they overcame the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were feeble from need of food. 32 And rushing at the goods taken in the fight, the people took oxen and sheep and young oxen, and put them to death there on the earth, and had a meal, taking the flesh with the blood in it. 33 Then it was said to Saul, See, the people are sinning against the Lord, taking the blood with the flesh. And he said to those who gave him the news, Now let a great stone be rolled to me here.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

all they: Deuteronomy 9:28, Matthew 3:5

honey: This was wild honey, which to this day abounds in Judea; and bursting from the comb, runs down the hollow trees, rocks, etc. Exodus 3:8, Numbers 13:27, Matthew 3:4

Reciprocal: Judges 14:9 - General Psalms 81:16 - honey Proverbs 25:16 - Hast

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And all they of the land came to a wood,.... Which lay between Bethaven and Aijalon; by whom are meant not all the inhabitants of the land of Israel, but all that came with Saul and Jonathan, and that joined them in the pursuit:

and there was honey upon the ground; which dropped upon it, as in the following verse, or where it was produced by bees; for Aristotle r reports, that bees in some places make their combs upon the ground; this was wild honey, which Diodorus Siculus s speaks of as common in Arabia, and which perhaps John the Baptist ate of, Matthew 3:4. Jarchi says, this was the honey of canes, or sugar canes, which grew in the land of Israel; and affirms from Nathan an Ishmaelite, that in the Ishmaelitish or Arabic language they call honey, sugar; but neither of these can be proved.

r Hist. Animal. l. 5. c. 22. s Bibliothec. l. 19. p. 731.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

All they of the land - literally, all the land, probably meaning all those named in 1 Samuel 14:21-22, who now flocked to the wood as a rendezvous.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 14:25. There was honey upon the ground — There were many wild bees in that country, and Judea is expressly said to be a land flowing with milk and honey.


 
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