Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.
But they had to use a file to sharpen their farming tools, their hoes, plowshares, pitchforks, axes, and cattle prods.
The writer is showing how the Israelites had to maintain their own farming tools with just basic sharpening files.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of 1 Samuel, the Israelites were under the heavy oppression of the Philistines, who had strategically forbidden them from having their own blacksmiths to stop them from making weapons and tools. This control left the Israelites dependent on their enemies for sharpening essential items, highlighting their vulnerability in a time of conflict. However, verse 21 shows that they still managed to have a simple file for maintaining basic farming tools like mattocks and axes, symbolizing a small measure of resourcefulness amid domination.
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