1 Samuel 14:45 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And the people said unto Saul— Lowman, speaking of the authority of the congregation or general assembly of the people of Israel, observes, that "like the popular assemblies of other governments, they had some jurisdiction in criminal causes. When Saul had adjudged Israel not to eat any food till the evening, his own son Jonathan transgressed his order; and upon his confession, Saul his father, then king and general, determines to put him to death. And Saul answered, God do so to me, and more also; for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan. This sentence passed by Saul might appear to be without appeal, and that there was no authority to reverse it; however, the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation for Israel? God forbid! As the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day: so the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not. Bishop Patrick justly observes, that 'the people did not rescue Jonathan by violence or force.' It was not a mutinous act of an army: yet the expressions of the history will no ways suit with his further supposition, that 'they delivered him by petition to Saul;' or as Grotius, 'not by authority, but entreaty.' As the Lord liveth, there shall not an hair of his head fall to the ground, has very little of the style of an humble petition: it seems a very full resolution, and which it appears they understood to be their right. And why may it not be so understood, when the authority of condemning or absolving criminals is known to have belonged to the assembly of the people in the most celebrated governments of Greece and Rome? Josephus mentions, indeed, that 'they offered prayers to God, that he would forgive Jonathan's sin:' he makes no mention, however, of any petition that they made to his father Saul; but that 'they rescued him from his father's anger and rash curse:' which words can hardly, I think, be understood of a petition, but must mean either force or authority. And the words in the original seem to mean neither force nor petition, but an act of their own authority, whereby Jonathan was redeemed from the sentence of death, or whereby he was pardoned, and the sentence of death passed upon him was reversed in the general court of Israel. This interpretation is greatly favoured, as judgment in criminal cases is given to the congregation by an express law on some occasions." See Numbers 35:24-25 and Lowman's Civ. Gov. of the Hebrews, p. 145.