Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary: 1 Kings
Ver. 27. Enlightened. Extreme hunger and fatigue hurt the eyes, Jeremias xiv. 6. Sanctius saw a man who through fasting lost his sight, and recovered it again as soon as he had eaten. This is conformable to the observations of Hippocrates, and to nature. (Calmet) --- Tenebræ oboriuntur, genua inediâ succedunt. Perii, prospicio parum. "Through hunger....I see but little." (Plautus.) (Haydock)
Ver. 29. Land. Chaldean, "the people of the land." (Menochius) --- He speaks his sentiments freely. But we ought not to find fault, in public, with the conduct of the prince. (Calmet) --- The people might have eaten a little without stopping the pursuit, as they generally carried provisions with them, or might find some easily on the road, so as to run with fresh vigour, (See Josue x.) and make ample amends for the time that they had delayed. (Haydock)
Ver. 31. Aialon, in the tribe of Dan. It might be about ten miles from Machmas.
Ver. 32. Blood, contrary to a two-fold law, Genesis ix. 4., and Leviticus xvii. 14. The blood ought to have been carefully extracted and buried. (Calmet) --- This was another bad effect of Saul's rash oath. (Worthington)
Ver. 34. With the blood, as you have done. (Menochius)
Ver. 35. First. Saul begins to exercise himself in acts of religion, which only belonged to a prophet, &c. He thought he might do so in quality of king, thus consecrating a monument of his victory to the God of armies. It was perhaps the very stone on which the oxen had been just before killed for the people. (Calmet)
Ver. 36. God, to consult him, whether the enterprise met with his approbation. Saul is too eager to follow his own prudence. (Haydock) --- He would not before wait for God's answer; (ver. 19) now he can get none. (Worthington)
Ver. 38. Corners, to the very last; or all the princes, Judges xviii. 9.
Ver. 39. Gainsayed him, out of respect. Saul gives another proof of his precipitation, in swearing; and the people, by this silence, acquiesce, not suspecting that Jonathan could have offended in what he had done. (Calmet) --- One of them, at least, knew that he had transgressed the order of his father, ver. 28. But extreme necessity might plead his excuse. (Haydock) --- They might be silent through fear, or reverence, without giving their consent. (Salien)
Ver. 41. A sign, (judicium;) "pass sentence;" declare why, &c. (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "give purity." Shew who is innocent. (Calmet) --- Septuagint, "give the proofs" by the Thummim, which they seem to have read. (Calmet)
Ver. 42. Jonathan was taken. Though Jonathan was excused from sin, through ignorance of the prohibition, yet God was pleased on this occasion to let the lot fall upon him, to shew to all, the great obligation of obedience to princes and parents, (Challoner) the sacred nature of an oath, and at the same time to give Saul a warning not to swear rashly. (Calmet) --- How must he have been afflicted, when he saw that he had brought his beloved son into such danger! (Menochius)
Ver. 44. Die. We may here admire the respect which the ancients had for an oath, without seeking for any modification; and the blindness of Saul, who condemns his son with as much haste as he had pronounced the curse, thinking thus to honour God. The thing surely required some deliberation, and he ought to have consulted the Lord about it. The action of Jonathan was not criminal, and the former silence of God did not prove that he deserved death. (Calmet) --- If it had, the people would never have been able to have rescued him, no more than the unhappy Achan, Josue vii. (Haydock) --- If Saul had been more enlightened, and more humble, he would have concluded that God was displeased at him, and not at Jonathan. (Calmet) --- Yet Cajetan and Serarius find fault with the latter. (Menochius)
Ver. 45. The people, directed probably by the high priest, who pronounced the oath null. (Salien) --- Ground. He shall not be hurt. (Menochius) --- With God. He has been visibly "the minister of God's mercy." (Septuagint) --- Die. They obtained his pardon. They ought not to have permitted the king's oath to be put in execution, as it was so horribly unjust. (Grotius, Jur. ii. 13, 6.) (Calmet)
Ver. 47. Soba, in the north. (Menochius) --- Rohob was the capital of another part of Cœlosyria, 1 Paralipomenon xviii. 3., and 2 Kings x. 6. --- Overcame. We are not to judge of the virtue of a man from his success in the world. (Calmet) --- Under the reign of Saul, the tribe of Ruben overcame the Agarites, 1 Paralipomenon v. 10, 18. (Salien, the year of the world 2965.)
Ver. 48. Amalec. The particulars of this war will be given [in] chap. xv., as it explains the cause of Saul's rejection, and David's advancement to the throne. (Salien)
Ver. 49. Sons, who accompanied Saul in his wars. Isboseth was too young. --- Jessui is called Abinadab, 1 Paralipomenon viii. 33. (Calmet)
Ver. 50. Achinoam. After he came to the throne, he had Respha, 2 Kings iii. 7. (Menochius)
Bible Text & Cross-references:
Jonathan attacketh the Philistines. A miraculous victory. Saul's unadvised oath, by which Jonathan is put in danger of his life, but is delivered by the people.
1 Now it came to pass one day that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man that bore his armour: Come, and let us go over to the garrison of the Philistines, which is on the other side of yonder place. But he told not this to his father.
2 And Saul abode in the uttermost part of Gabaa, under the pomegranate-tree, which was in Magron: and the people with him were about six hundred men.
3 And Achias, the son of Achitob, brother to Ichabod, the son of Phinees, *the son of Heli, the priest of the Lord in Silo, wore the ephod. And the people knew not whither Jonathan was gone.
4 Now there were between the ascents, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the garrison of the Philistines, rocks standing up on both sides, and steep cliffs like teeth on the one side, and on the other, the name of the one was Boses, and the name of the other was Sene:
5 One rock stood out toward the north, over-against Machmas, and the other to the south, over-against Gabaa.
6 And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armour: Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised, it may be the Lord will do for us: because it is easy for the Lord to save either by many, or by few.
7 And his armour-bearer said to him: Do all that pleaseth thy mind: go whither thou wilt, and I will be with thee wheresoever thou hast a mind.
8 And Jonathan said: Behold we will go over to these men. And when we shall be seen by them,
9 If they shall speak thus to us: Stay till we come to you: let us stand still in our place, and not go up to them.
10 But if they shall say: Come up to us: let us go up, because the Lord hath delivered them into our hands, this shall be a sign unto us.
11 So both of them discovered themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said: Behold the Hebrews come forth out of the holes wherein they were hid.
12 And the men of the garrison spoke to Jonathan, and to his armour-bearer, and said: Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said to his armour-bearer: Let us go up, follow me: *for the Lord hath delivered them into the hands of Israel.