And the men of Israel were distressed that day. — The LXX., between the 23rd and 24th verses, has a somewhat long addition: “And the whole people was with Saul, about ten thousand men; and the battle spread in the whole city, in the mountains of Ephraim; and Saul committed a great error.” The number 10,000 is not an improbable one, as the original small force which had kept with Saul and Jonathan had been joined by the Hebrew auxiliaries in the Philistine camp, and also by many of the fugitives from the villages around. They were, we read, “distressed,” that is, were wearied out by the long pursuit on the Ephraim hills.
For Saul had adjured the people. — Better, And Saul, &c.; that is, the king was so intent upon his vengeance — so bent upon pursuing to the uttermost these Philistines who so long had defied his power, and who had brought him so low — that he grudged his soldiers the necessary rest and refreshment, and, with a terrible vow, devoted to death any one who should on that day of blood slack his hand for a moment, even to take food.