1st Samuel Chapter 13 verse 20 Holy Bible
but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock;
read chapter 13 in ASV
But all the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their ploughs and blades and axes and hooks made sharp;
read chapter 13 in BBE
And all Israel went down to the Philistines, every man to get his ploughshare, and his hoe, and his axe, and his sickle sharpened,
read chapter 13 in DARBY
But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.
read chapter 13 in KJV
But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his colter, and his ax, and his mattock.
read chapter 13 in WBT
but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, mattock, axe, and sickle;
read chapter 13 in WEB
and all Israel go down to the Philistines, to sharpen each his ploughshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock;
read chapter 13 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 20. - The Israelites went down to the Philistines. I.e. to their land. This could only have applied to the districts near the Philistines, unless we suppose that they set up forges also at their garrisons. To sharpen. The verb chiefly refers to such work as required an anvil and hammer. As regards the implements, not only do the versions disagree in their renderings, but the Septuagint has a very curious different reading, to the effect that at harvest time the Israelites had to pay the Philistines three shekels for repairing and whetting their tools. The share is more probably a sickle. The coulter is certainly a ploughshare, as rendered in Isaiah 2:4; Joel 3:10. Of the ax there is no doubt; and the mattock is a heavy hoe for turning up the ground, as spades for that purpose are scarcely anywhere used, except in our own country.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(20) To sharpen every man his share, and his coulter.--Porsenna, we read, in the time of the wars of the Republic, allowed the Romans iron implements for agriculture only. Coulter.--In Isaiah 2:4, Joel 3:10, this word is rendered "ploughshares "; so most of the older versions. We cannot now with any precision distinguish between these two implements of tillage.And his mattock.--Jerome renders the Hebrew word here by "hoe" (sarculum). It was probably a kind of heavy hoe, used for turning up the ground.
