1st Samuel Chapter 13 verse 19 Holy Bible
Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
read chapter 13 in ASV
Now there was no iron-worker in all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, For fear the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears:
read chapter 13 in BBE
Now there was no smith found throughout the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears.
read chapter 13 in DARBY
Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
read chapter 13 in KJV
Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: (for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:)
read chapter 13 in WBT
Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
read chapter 13 in WEB
And an artificer is not found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, `Lest the Hebrews make sword or spear;'
read chapter 13 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 19. - There was no smith. This accounts for the contemptuous disregard of Saul by the Philistines. The people were disarmed, and resistance impossible. Apparently this policy had been long followed; but we need fuller information of what had happened between Samuel's victory at Mizpah and Saul's appointment as king, to enable us to understand the evident weakness of Israel at this time. But probably this description applies fully only to the districts of Benjamin, near the Philistines, The people further away had arms with which they defeated the Ammonites, and Saul and his men would have secured all the weapons which the enemy then threw away. But evidently no manufacture of weapons was allowed, and no one as far as possible permitted either to wear or possess arms.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(19) Now there was no smith found.--We must allow a year, perhaps two or three, to have elapsed while "Saul and Jonathan . . . abode in Gibeah," during which period the Philistine raids went on unchecked, the Israelitish forces being too weak to venture with any hope of success into the open country. The statement respecting the destruction of the smithies probably only specially refers to the southern districts of Canaan--especially the territory of Benjamin, whence Saul and Jonathan, in the earlier years of the former's reign, drew, no doubt, the majority of their men of war. These devastating forays are alluded to in 1Samuel 13:17-18.
