But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.
But all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to sharpen their farm tools - their plowshares, their plows, their axes, and their hoes.
The Israelites were completely dependent on their enemies, the Philistines, even for basic maintenance of their farming equipment.
📚 Historical Context
During Saul's early reign, the Philistines had established such complete military and economic control over Israel that they prohibited the Israelites from having blacksmiths. This forced the Israelites to rely on Philistine craftsmen for all metalwork, including sharpening their agricultural tools. This arrangement kept Israel economically dependent and militarily weak, as they couldn't make or maintain weapons.
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