TRV
Translation
King James Version
And Saul built an altar unto the LORD: the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD.
Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul erected an altar to ADONAI; it was the first altar that he erected to ADONAI.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first time he had built an altar to the LORD.
American Standard Version
And Saul built an altar unto Jehovah: the same was the first altar that he built unto Jehovah.
World English Bible Messianic
Saul built an altar to the LORD. This was the first altar that he built to the LORD.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then Saul made an altar vnto the Lord, and that was the first altar that he made vnto the Lord.
Young's Literal Translation
And Saul buildeth an alter to Jehovah; with it he hath begun to build altars to Jehovah.
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Commentary on 1 Samuel 14 verses 24–35
24 ¶ And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.
25 And all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground.
26 And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.
27 But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.
28 Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were faint.
29 Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.
30 How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?
31 And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.
32 And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood.
33 Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against the LORD, in that they eat with the blood. And he said, Ye have transgressed: roll a great stone unto me this day.
34 And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the LORD in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there.
35 And Saul built an altar unto the LORD: the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD.
We have here an account of the distress of the children of Israel, even in the day of their triumphs. Such alloys are all present joys subject to. And such obstructions does many a good cause meet with, even when it seems most prosperous, through the mismanagement of instruments.
I. Saul forbade the people, under the penalty of a curse, to taste any food that day, Sa1 14:24. Here we will suppose, 1. That as king he had power to put his soldiers under this interdict, and to bind it on with a curse; and therefore they submitted to it, and God so far owned it as to discover, by the lot, that Jonathan was the delinquent that had meddled with the accursed thing (though ignorantly), on which account God would not be at that time enquired of by them. 2. That he did it with a good intention, lest the people, who perhaps had been kept for some time at short allowance, when they found plenty of victuals in the deserted camp of the Philistines, should fall greedily upon that, and so lose time in pursing the enemy, and some of them, it may be, glut themselves to such a degree as not to be fit for any more service that day. To prevent this, he forbade them to taste any food, and laid himself, it is likely, under the same restraint. And yet his making this severe order was, (1.) Impolitic and very unwise; for, if it gained time, it lost strength, for the pursuit. (2.) It was imperious, and disobliging to the people, and worse than muzzling the mouth of the ox when he treads out the corn. To forbid them to feast would have been commendable, but to forbid them so much as to taste, though ever so hungry, was barbarous. (3.) It was impious to enforce the prohibition with a curse and an oath. Had he no penalty less than an anathema wherewith to support his military discipline? Death for such a crime would have been too much, but especially death with a curse. Though superiors may chide and correct, they may not curse their inferiors; our rule is, Bless, and curse not. When David speaks of an enemy he had that loved cursing perhaps he meant Saul, Psa 109:17, Psa 109:18.
II. The people observed his order, but it had many inconveniences attending it. 1. The soldiers were tantalized; for, in their pursuit of the enemy, it happened that they went through a wood so full of wild honey that it dropped from the trees upon the ground, the Philistines having perhaps, in their flight, broken in upon the honeycombs, for their own refreshment, and left them running. Canaan flowed with honey, and here is an instance of it. They sucked honey out of the rock, the flinty rock (Deu 32:13); yet, for fear of the curse, they did not so much as taste the honey, Sa1 14:25, Sa1 14:26. Those are worthy of the name of Israelites that can deny themselves and their own appetites even when they are most craving, and the delights of sense most tempting, for fear of guilt and a curse, and the table becoming a snare. Let us never feed ourselves, much less feast ourselves, without fear. 2. Jonathan fell under the curse through ignorance. He heard not of the charge his father had given; for, having bravely forced the lines, he was then following the chase, and therefore might justly be looked upon as exempted from the charge and intended in it. But it seems it was taken for granted, and he himself did not object against it afterwards, that it extended to him, though absent upon so good an occasion. He, not knowing any peril in it, took up a piece of a honey-comb, upon the end of his staff, and sucked it (Sa1 14:27), and was sensibly refreshed by it: His eyes were enlightened, which began to grow dim through hunger and faintness; it made his countenance look pleasant and cheerful, for it was such as a stander-by might discern (Sa1 14:29): See how my eyes have been enlightened. He thought no harm, nor feared any, till one of the people acquainted him with the order, and then he found himself in a snare. Many a good son has been thus entangled and distressed, in more ways than one, by the rashness of an inconsiderate father. Jonathan, for his part, lost the crown he was heir to by his father's folly, which, it may be, this was an ill omen of. 3. The soldiers were faint, and grew feeble, in the pursuit of the Philistines. Jonathan foresaw this would be the effect of it; their spirits would flag, and their strength would fail, for want of sustenance. Such is the nature of our bodies that they soon grow unfit for service if they be not supplied with fresh recruits. Daily work cannot be done without daily bread, which our Father in heaven graciously gives us. It is bread that strengthens man's heart; therefore Jonathan reasoned very well, If the people had eaten freely, there would have been a much greater slaughter (Sa1 14:30); but, as it was, they were very faint, too much fatigued (so the Chaldee), and began to think more of their meat than of their work. 4. The worst effect of all was that at evening, when the restraint was taken off and they returned to their food again, they were so greedy and eager upon it that they ate the flesh with the blood, expressly contrary to the law of God, Sa1 14:32. Two hungry meals, we say, make the third a glutton; it was so here. They would not stay to have their meat either duly killed (for they slew the cattle upon the ground, and did not hang them up, as they used to do, that the blood might all run out of them) or duly dressed, but fell greedily upon it before it was half boiled or half roasted, Sa1 14:32. Saul, being informed of it, reproved them for the sin (Sa1 14:33): You have transgressed; but did not, as he should have done, reflect upon himself as having been accessory to it, and having made the Lord's people to transgress. To put a stop to this irregularity, Saul ordered them to set up a great stone before him, and let all that had cattle to kill, for their present use, bring them thither, and kill them under his eye upon that stone (Sa1 14:33), and the people did so (Sa1 14:34), so easily were they restrained and reformed when their prince took care to do his part. If magistrates would but use their power as they might, people would be made better than they are with more ease than is imagined.
III. On this occasion Saul built an altar (Sa1 14:35), that he might offer sacrifice, either by way of acknowledgment of the victory they had obtained or by the way of atonement for the sin they had been guilty of. The same was the first altar that he built, and perhaps the rolling of the great stone to kill the beasts on reminded him of converting it into an altar, else he would not have thought of it. Saul was turning aside from God, and yet now he began to build altars, being most zealous (as many are) for the form of godliness when he was denying the power of it. See Hos 8:14, Israel has forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. Some read it, He began to build that altar; he laid the first stone, but was so hasty to pursue his victory that he could not stay to finish it.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 24–35. Public domain.
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Commentary on Samuel
Saul built an altar to the Lord. He built an altar to offer a holocaust upon it and to intervene for the sin of the people, which they had rashly committed. Every perfect teacher builds in the hearts of the hearers the faith in the Lord's Passion, where on the altar of the living cross that precious blood was shed for the remission of sins, clearly instructing all by this example; for if the end of the Lord was death, much more should the servants mortify their members which are on earth; fornication, uncleanness, lust, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Colossians III), and such things that are works of the flesh and blood, clearly cannot be associated with the fruit of the Spirit. But also, daily revisiting the sayings or acts of the old fathers and the people, and desiring through these to be spiritually refreshed while struggling against enemies, as many of us who perceive only according to the letter of such great authority we feel, as if killing oxen and sheep on the earth, we eat with the blood; because handling heavenly matters with a carnal and earthly eye. But whoever recognizes that all things are spiritually summed up in Christ and the Church, upon that great rock, which was cut from the mountain without hands and grew, destroying the empire of the world, and filled the whole earth, we kill without harm and feast, constructing an altar of our devotion and pious sense pleasing to the Lord.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
1 Samuel 14:35 meticulously records King Saul's construction of his inaugural altar to the LORD, an act of worship undertaken immediately following a tumultuous day of intense battle against the Philistines. This day was fraught with Saul's impulsive vow, the people's subsequent sin of consuming meat with blood, and his frustrated attempt to seek divine counsel. This seemingly pious endeavor stands as a pivotal, albeit reactive, moment within Saul's reign, profoundly illuminating his evolving leadership paradigm and the persistent tension between outward religious observance and a deeper, consistent commitment to genuine obedience.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The verse employs several potent literary devices that significantly enrich its meaning and contribute to its theological weight. Emphasis is clearly placed on the word "first," drawing the reader's immediate attention to the remarkable novelty of this act for King Saul. This deliberate emphasis creates a subtle yet profound irony: the king of Israel, divinely appointed to lead his people in unwavering devotion to the LORD, is only now, in a moment of acute crisis and in the wake of his people's grave sin, building his inaugural altar. This stands in stark contrast to the spontaneous and foundational altar-building acts of earlier revered biblical figures such as Noah and Abraham, who constructed altars as immediate expressions of worship, gratitude, or covenant establishment. The altar itself serves as powerful symbolism, representing a sacred place of worship, atonement, and the pursuit of divine guidance. However, within the unfolding narrative of Saul's reign, it also subtly symbolizes his increasingly reactive and often superficial approach to spiritual matters, where outward ritual is performed without necessarily reflecting a deeply obedient and surrendered heart, thereby foreshadowing the more severe critiques and divine rejection that will later mark his kingship.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The construction of Saul's first altar, born out of a profound crisis and an urgent need for spiritual correction, powerfully underscores the enduring biblical tension between outward religious observance and genuine, heartfelt obedience. While the altar was a necessary and divinely ordained means of atonement and seeking God's will within the Old Covenant framework, its explicit designation as Saul's "first" highlights a potential disconnect between his royal authority and his personal spiritual initiative. God consistently desires a relationship rooted in steadfast love, unwavering loyalty, and consistent obedience over mere ritualistic performance or expedient religious acts. This incident serves as a poignant and enduring reminder that true worship is not merely about performing prescribed actions or adhering to external rites, but about cultivating a heart fully devoted to God's commands, His character, and His will.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
This seemingly straightforward verse offers profound and timeless lessons for contemporary believers, compelling us to deeply examine the nature and underlying motivations of our own worship and devotion. It prompts us to ask: Is our engagement with God primarily reactive, spurred into action only by moments of acute crisis, personal sin, or urgent need, or is it a consistent, proactive, and deeply ingrained aspect of our daily lives, flowing from a sincere and abiding relationship? Saul's "first altar" suggests a pattern of spiritual expediency and transactional piety rather than sustained communion and heartfelt devotion. For those in positions of leadership, this passage serves as a stark and sobering reminder of the immense spiritual responsibility that inherently accompanies influence. Our decisions, our character, and our spiritual posture can profoundly impact those we lead, either guiding them towards righteousness and deeper faith or inadvertently leading them into spiritual compromise and disobedience. Ultimately, the narrative points us beyond the mere performance of ritual to the very heart of the matter: God desires not just our religious acts, but our surrendered will, our obedient heart, and our authentic love.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was this Saul's first altar, given his prominent position as king of Israel?
Answer: The explicit statement that this was Saul's "first altar" is highly significant and carries considerable interpretive weight. It strongly implies that up to this point in his reign, which had already lasted for some time, Saul had not taken the initiative to build a dedicated, permanent place of worship for the LORD. This suggests a reactive rather than a proactive approach to his spiritual duties and public expressions of piety. Unlike earlier patriarchs (e.g., Noah, Abraham, Jacob) who frequently built altars as spontaneous acts of devotion, thanksgiving, or in response to divine encounters, Saul's altar is constructed in the immediate aftermath of a major national crisis—the people's egregious sin of eating blood and his own failed attempt to inquire of God for guidance. This detail highlights a potential deficiency in Saul's leadership concerning consistent spiritual initiative and underscores a recurring pattern in his reign of addressing spiritual matters primarily when forced by circumstances or transgression, rather than from a heart of consistent, fervent devotion and obedience.
What was the profound significance of building an altar in ancient Israelite worship?
Answer: In ancient Israel, an altar (Hebrew: מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbêach) was a sacred and indispensable structure central to the practice of worship and the maintenance of the covenant relationship with God. It served as the designated place for offering various types of sacrifices, which fulfilled multiple purposes including atonement for sin, expressing thanksgiving, making solemn vows, and seeking divine favor or guidance. Building an altar was a public and profound act of devotion, signifying a commitment to the LORD and establishing a physical place for communion with Him. It was a tangible representation of the people's desire to approach God according to His divinely prescribed ways, as meticulously detailed in the laws found in Leviticus. In this specific instance, Saul's altar was built with the immediate intent to rectify the people's collective sin and to enable him to properly inquire of God, as his previous attempt at divine consultation was hindered by the people's ritual defilement.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Saul's building of an altar, though a necessary and divinely sanctioned act of worship within the Old Covenant, ultimately serves as a poignant illustration of the inherent inadequacy of human efforts, ritualistic performance, and animal sacrifices to fully bridge the chasm between a sinful humanity and a holy God. The persistent need for an altar, a designated place for repeated sacrifice and atonement for the people's transgressions, powerfully foreshadows the ultimate and perfect sacrifice yet to come. The Old Testament altars, with their continual and incomplete offerings, were but temporal shadows, pointing forward to the one, definitive offering of Jesus Christ. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the ultimate High Priest who offered Himself once for all on the cross, thereby becoming both the perfect sacrifice and the true spiritual altar. Through His shed blood, believers are granted bold and unhindered access to the Father, eradicating the need for physical altars or animal sacrifices. Christ perfectly fulfills the deepest longing for reconciliation, atonement, and unhindered divine communication that Saul attempted to achieve through his altar. He establishes a new covenant where true worship is not bound by physical locations or rituals but is offered in spirit and truth, and our relationship with God is direct, intimate, and eternally secured by His perfect and complete redemptive work.