Michmash

Michmash in the Bible

Michmash appears chiefly in 1 Samuel 13–14. Saul stationed two thousand men in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while his son Jonathan remained at Gibeah with a thousand (1 Samuel 13:2). After Jonathan struck the Philistine garrison at Geba, the Philistines came up with a great army and "pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven" (1 Samuel 13:5). It was also before this battle that Saul offered the burnt offering at Gilgal without waiting for Samuel and was rebuked for it.

In chapter 14, Jonathan and his armorbearer climb between the two crags at the pass of Michmash, named Bozez and Seneh, and attack the Philistine garrison (1 Samuel 14:4-5). Jonathan's words on this occasion are well known: "for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few" (1 Samuel 14:6). When the Philistine camp fell into great confusion, Israel struck them from Michmash to Aijalon (1 Samuel 14:31).

Elsewhere, Isaiah 10:28 depicts the Assyrian army advancing on Jerusalem and laying up its baggage at Michmash. Among those who returned from the Babylonian exile were 122 men of Michmash (Ezra 2:27; Nehemiah 7:31), and after the return, descendants of Benjamin lived there (Nehemiah 11:31).

Background

Michmash lay in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin and faced Geba to the south across a deep ravine. The description in 1 Samuel 14 of steep crags rising on either side of the ravine is thought to reflect this terrain. Scholars generally identify Michmash with the present-day Arab village of Mukhmas, northeast of Jerusalem, although, as with many ancient sites, the identification cannot be regarded as certain. The meaning of the Hebrew name has not been clearly established.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The battle of Michmash is portrayed as a victory that broke Philistine pressure on Israel during the early monarchy. At the same time, the account exposes Saul's hasty burnt offering and rash oath (1 Samuel 14:24), forming part of the sequence of events that leads to his loss of the kingship. Michmash is not mentioned in the New Testament. Nevertheless, the theme of a salvation that does not depend on "many or few" is often read in connection with the broader biblical pattern of God working through what is weak.

Interpretation and Debate

• Saul's burnt offering: Interpreters differ on whether Saul's fault lay in encroaching on the priestly office or in disobeying the command to wait for Samuel (1 Samuel 10:8).
• Jonathan's sign: Jonathan took the Philistines' response as a sign for discerning God's will (1 Samuel 14:9-10). Some read this as an example of faith, while others hold that it is simply a narrated event and cannot be generalized into a method to be followed today.
• A widely told story: A story that circulates widely as a sermon illustration holds that during World War I a British officer read 1 Samuel 14 and, following the route Jonathan had taken, launched a surprise attack on Turkish forces at Michmash. It is said to derive from a British officer's memoir, but it is a later story unrelated to the biblical text, and its details are difficult to verify.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, 1 Samuel 14:6 is frequently cited in sermons and as a motto, as an exhortation to trust God even when few in number. It is also used as a text to encourage church plants and small congregations.