What Does 1 Samuel 14:21 Mean in the King James?
Moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
“Hebrew” is commonly linked to crossing over, and here the people bearing that name cross into a new allegiance.
THE MEANING
Allegiance changes in public: people formerly with the Philistines now stand with the Israelites around Saul and Jonathan. Their previous company does not settle their present belonging; the shift is visible in who stands together now.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie this undoes is that a past affiliation permanently fixes where a person can belong.
THE ROOT
הָעִבְרִים
ha-ʿivrim
GROWS FROM
עבר
ʿ-b-r
To cross over or pass from one side to another.
“Hebrews” in this verse is ha-ʿivrim. The ethnonym עִבְרִי (ʿivri, Hebrew) is commonly linked to עבר (ʿavar, cross over or pass across), with a sense of one from across. Here that root resonates with a change of company: those once with the Philistines now stand with Israel.
ALSO GROWS
ʿēver: The other side, or what lies beyond.
עֵבֶר
The people in this verse move from one side of the conflict to the other.
maʿavar: A place or route for crossing.
מַעֲבָר
Earlier in this chapter, Jonathan crosses a physical passage toward the Philistines; here, the crossing is a change of company.
THE PATTERN
A change of company makes a changed allegiance visible.
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.THE THREAD
And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.The root עבר (ʿ-b-r, cross over) appears in the phrase “go over” as Jonathan crosses toward the Philistine garrison. Here the same crossing root is commonly linked to “Hebrews,” as people move from the Philistines’ company to Israel’s.
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