Contradictions and Paradoxes in 1 Samuel 13:22

Check out Contradictions Catalog of 1 Samuel 13:22 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts 1 Samuel 13:22. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to the author of 1 Samuel, on the day of the battle, none of the people with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear, except for Saul and his son Jonathan. This means they didn't have many weapons to fight with.

1 Samuel 13:22: So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that [were] with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

Contradiction with 2 Samuel 1:27

This verse laments the loss of weapons, which implies there were once weapons in abundance, contrasting the scarcity of arms in 1 Samuel 13:22.

2 Samuel 1:27: How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

Contradiction with Judges 5:8

This verse mentions the lack of weapons among forty thousand in Israel during the time of Deborah, contradicting the idea that only Saul and Jonathan had weapons in 1 Samuel 13:22.

Judges 5:8: They chose new gods; then [was] war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

Contradiction with 1 Samuel 14:6-7

Jonathan's confidence to attack the Philistines with his armor-bearer implies that they both had weapons, challenging the notion that only he and Saul were armed.

1 Samuel 14:6-7: And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for [there is] no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.

Contradiction with 1 Samuel 17:47-50

David defeats Goliath without a sword, suggesting reliance on unconventional weapons, yet in 1 Samuel 13:22, no one had a sword or spear except Saul and Jonathan.

1 Samuel 17:47-50: And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle [is] the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.

Contradiction with 1 Chronicles 5:18

The mention of the valiant men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, all skilled in using various weapons, contrasts the lack of arms in 1 Samuel 13:22.

1 Chronicles 5:18: The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skilful in war, [were] four and forty thousand seven hundred and threescore, that went out to the war. [valiant...: Heb. sons of valour]

Paradox #1

The difficulty with 1 Samuel 13:22 is that it states only Saul and Jonathan had weapons in the battle, but earlier passages describe the Israelites having weapons and victories in battles. This raises questions about the sudden lack of weapons.

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