Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan told him, and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand, and, lo, I must die.
Then Saul said to Jonathan, 'Tell me what you have done.' And Jonathan told him, saying, 'I only tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand, and now I must die.'
Jonathan confesses to his father Saul that he unknowingly broke Saul's oath by tasting honey, and now faces death as the penalty.
📚 Historical Context
Earlier in this chapter, Saul had made a rash oath that no one should eat food until evening while they were fighting the Philistines, calling down a curse on anyone who broke it. Jonathan, who hadn't heard this oath, ate some honey during the battle and gave the Israelites strength to fight. When Saul cast lots to find out why God wasn't answering him, the lot fell on Jonathan.
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