1 Samuel 13:20

Contemporary English Version

Whenever the Israelites wanted to get an iron point put on a cattle prod, they had to go to the Philistines. Even if they wanted to sharpen plow-blades, picks, axes, sickles, and pitchforks they still had to go to them. And the Philistines charged high prices.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So all the Israelites went to the Philistines to sharpen their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles.

Hebrew Names Version
but all the Yisra'elites went down to the Pelishtim, to sharpen every man his plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle;

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

Lexham English Bible
So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to have his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his iron plowshare sharpened.

English Standard Version
But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,

New Century Version
So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to have their plows, hoes, axes, and sickles sharpened.

New English Translation
So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles sharpened.

Amplified Bible
So all [the men of] Israel went down to the Philistines, each to get his plowshare, pick, axe, or sickle sharpened.

New American Standard Bible
So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wherefore all ye Israelites went downe to the Philistims, to sharpen euery man his share, his mattocke, and his axe, and his weeding hooke.

Legacy Standard Bible
So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his goad.

Complete Jewish Bible
So whenever any of the people of Isra'el wanted to sharpen his hoe, plowshare, axe or pick, he had to go down to the P'lishtim,

Darby Translation
And all Israel went down to the Philistines, every man to get his ploughshare, and his hoe, and his axe, and his sickle sharpened,

Easy-to-Read Version
Only the Philistines could sharpen iron tools. So if the Israelites needed to sharpen their plows, hoes, axes, or sickles, they had to go to the Philistines.

George Lamsa Translation
But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen every man his sickle and his ploughshare and his axe and his mattock.

Good News Translation
(The Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their plows, hoes, axes, and sickles sharpened;

Literal Translation
And all Israel went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his plowshare, and his mattock, and his axe, and his plowshare.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And all Israel were fayne to go downe to the Philistynes, whan eny man had a plowshare, a mattock, an axe, or a sythe to sharpe:

American Standard Version
but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock;

Bible in Basic English
But all the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their ploughs and blades and axes and hooks made sharp;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But all the Israelites went downe to the Philistines, to mende euery man his share, his mattocke, his axe, & weeding hooke.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.

King James Version (1611)
But all the Israelites went downe to the Philistines, to sharpen euery man his share and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattocke.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And all Israel went down to the Land of the Philistines to forge every one his reaping-hook and his tool, and every one his axe and his sickle.

English Revised Version
but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock;

Berean Standard Bible
Instead, all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor al Israel yede doun to Filisteis, that ech man schulde scharpe his schar, and picoise, and ax, `and sarpe;

Young's Literal Translation
and all Israel go down to the Philistines, to sharpen each his ploughshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock;

Update Bible Version
but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, and his coulter, and his ax, and his mattock;

Webster's Bible Translation
But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his colter, and his ax, and his mattock.

World English Bible
but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle;

New King James Version
But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man's plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle;

New Living Translation
So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith.

New Life Bible
So each one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to get his plow, his pick, his ax, or his grain cutter sharpened.

New Revised Standard
so all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, or sickles;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So all Israel went down to the Philistines, - to sharpen every man his share, and his mattock, and his axe, and his sickle.

Douay-Rheims Bible
So all Israel went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his ploughshare, and his spade, and his axe, and his rake.

Revised Standard Version
but every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe.

Contextual Overview

¹⁵ Then Samuel left Gilgal. Part of Saul's army had not deserted him, and he led them to Gibeah in Benjamin to join his other troops. Then he counted them and found that he still had six hundred men. ¹⁶ Saul, Jonathan, and their army set up camp at Geba in Benjamin. The Philistine army was camped at Michmash. ¹⁷ Each day they sent out patrols to attack and rob villages and then destroy them. One patrol would go north along the road to Ophrah in the region of Shual. ¹⁸ Another patrol would go west along the road to Beth-Horon. A third patrol would go east toward the desert on the road to the ridge that overlooks Zeboim Valley. ¹⁹ The Philistines would not allow any Israelites to learn how to make iron tools. "If we allowed that," they said, "those worthless Israelites would make swords and spears." ²⁰Whenever the Israelites wanted to get an iron point put on a cattle prod, they had to go to the Philistines. Even if they wanted to sharpen plow-blades, picks, axes, sickles, and pitchforks they still had to go to them. And the Philistines charged high prices. ²² So, whenever the Israelite soldiers had to go into battle, none of them had a sword or a spear except Saul and his son Jonathan. ²³ The Philistines moved their camp to the pass at Michmash,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 17:10 - And since 2 Chronicles 34:6 - mattocks Proverbs 27:17 - Iron Jeremiah 24:1 - smiths

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines,.... Were obliged to go into Palestine, into some one or other of the cities of the Philistines, or to their garrisons, where the trade of a smith was exercised:

to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter; which are the parts of the plough made of iron, with which the earth is cut and thrown up:

and his axe and his mattock; or pick axe; with the one wood is felled and cut, and with the other stones are dug; and each of these for their several uses needed sharpening; and when they did, they were obliged to go to the Philistines to have them done, they having no smiths among them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The best rendering of the passage is perhaps as follows: “But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen etc. 1 Samuel 13:21, whenever there was bluntness of edge to their shares and coulters and prong-forks and axes, and to point their goads.” Coulters and mattocks were cutting instruments of the type of the share.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 13:20. But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines — We find from this that they did not grant them as much as Porsenna did to the Romans; he permitted the people to manufacture the implements of husbandry.