14:33 Now it was reported to Saul, “Look, the army is sinning against the Lord by eating even the blood.” He said, “All of you have broken the covenant! 1 Roll a large stone over here to me.” 14:34 Then Saul said, “Scatter out among the army and say to them, ‘Each of you bring to me your ox and sheep and slaughter them in this spot and eat. But don’t sin against the Lord by eating the blood.” So that night each one brought his ox and slaughtered it there. 2 14:35 Then Saul built an altar for the Lord; it was the first time he had built an altar for the Lord.
14:36 Saul said, “Let’s go down after the Philistines at night; we will rout 3 them until the break of day. 4 We won’t leave any of them alive!” 5 They replied, “Do whatever seems best to you.” 6 But the priest said, “Let’s approach God here.” 14:37 So Saul asked God, “Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.
14:38 Then Saul said, “All you leaders of the army come here. Find out 7 how this sin occurred today.
1 tn Heb “You have acted deceptively.” In this context the verb refers to violating an agreement, in this case the dietary and sacrificial regulations of the Mosaic law. The verb form is second masculine plural; apparently Saul here addresses those who are eating the animals.
2 tn Heb “and all the army brought near, each his ox by his hand, and they slaughtered there.”
3 tn Heb “plunder.”
4 tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”
5 tn Heb “and there will not be left among them a man.”
6 tn Heb “all that is good in your eyes.” So also in v. 40.
7 tn Heb “know and see.”