This verse shows how God can confuse the forces against His people, ensuring their deliverance.
“Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.” (v.20)
In this scene, the Philistine forces have been thrown into chaos, and when Saul—Israel’s first king, from the tribe of Benjamin—hears of the tumult, he gathers his men to join the fray. God sovereignly uses the confusion to work against Israel’s enemies, causing them to turn on each other. The verse describes how Saul and his troops find the adversary already locked in self-destructive conflict. This spontaneous disorder illustrates that the Lord remains in control of battles, intervening to preserve His chosen people in alignment with His covenant promises (Deuteronomy 28:7).
Saul, who reigned over Israel for about forty years, had been anointed by the prophet Samuel to establish Israel’s monarchy at the people’s request. By this point in his reign (circa 1050-1010 BC), Saul had seen both victories and conflicts, along with lapses in obedience. Here, despite his own shortcomings, he steps into a miraculous deliverance in which the Israelites barely need to draw their swords, because the Philistines are already fighting themselves. Geographically, these events likely took place in the highlands near Michmash, east of Bethel and north of Jerusalem, in a terrain of ravines and ridges that amplified the turmoil as enemy soldiers scrambled in panic.
In the broader narrative, God often operates in ways that display His power above human military strategy. As in other Old Testament passages, His presence brings confusion upon enemies, showing that genuine trust in Him can eclipse the might of any opposing force (Exodus 14:24). Saul’s leadership at this juncture is secondary to God’s intervention, emphasizing that abiding in the Lord’s will is the real source of security and triumph. In New Testament terms, this foreshadows how Jesus likewise conquered the powers of darkness by divine authority rather than by conventional strength (Mark 1:34).
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1 Samuel 14:20 meaning
“Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.” (v.20)
In this scene, the Philistine forces have been thrown into chaos, and when Saul—Israel’s first king, from the tribe of Benjamin—hears of the tumult, he gathers his men to join the fray. God sovereignly uses the confusion to work against Israel’s enemies, causing them to turn on each other. The verse describes how Saul and his troops find the adversary already locked in self-destructive conflict. This spontaneous disorder illustrates that the Lord remains in control of battles, intervening to preserve His chosen people in alignment with His covenant promises (Deuteronomy 28:7).
Saul, who reigned over Israel for about forty years, had been anointed by the prophet Samuel to establish Israel’s monarchy at the people’s request. By this point in his reign (circa 1050-1010 BC), Saul had seen both victories and conflicts, along with lapses in obedience. Here, despite his own shortcomings, he steps into a miraculous deliverance in which the Israelites barely need to draw their swords, because the Philistines are already fighting themselves. Geographically, these events likely took place in the highlands near Michmash, east of Bethel and north of Jerusalem, in a terrain of ravines and ridges that amplified the turmoil as enemy soldiers scrambled in panic.
In the broader narrative, God often operates in ways that display His power above human military strategy. As in other Old Testament passages, His presence brings confusion upon enemies, showing that genuine trust in Him can eclipse the might of any opposing force (Exodus 14:24). Saul’s leadership at this juncture is secondary to God’s intervention, emphasizing that abiding in the Lord’s will is the real source of security and triumph. In New Testament terms, this foreshadows how Jesus likewise conquered the powers of darkness by divine authority rather than by conventional strength (Mark 1:34).