KJV ORIGINAL
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.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
When the people entered the forest, they could see honey dripping from the trees, but no one reached out to taste it because they were afraid of breaking the oath.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is showing how the Israelite soldiers were so afraid of breaking Saul's oath that they wouldn't even eat honey that was right there for the taking.
📚 Historical Context
King Saul had made a rash oath forbidding his army from eating any food until they had defeated their enemies, the Philistines. This happened during a battle where God was giving Israel victory, but Saul's oath was actually weakening his own troops. The honey was likely wild honey from bees that had made their hives in the forest trees.
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