· Translation: KJV

1 Samuel 14:42Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." Jonathan was selected.

The setting

Michmash battlefield, Israel, ~1020 BC. The sacred lots narrow down to father versus son...

The emotion here: watching helplessly as fate narrows to his beloved son

The original word

lakad (לכד) — to capture, seize; Jonathan is 'caught' by the lot

Why it matters

Jonathan had just won a miraculous victory against the Philistines that same day

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Samuel 14:42

This happened on the same day Jonathan saved Israel — victory turned to potential execution

Common misconceptionPeople see this as random chance, but ancient lots were seen as God's direct revelation of His will through the established priesthood.

Bible Genome reading

1 Samuel 14:42 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionanxious
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability50%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance90%
Standalone60%
Themes:divine judgmentfamily crisisfate

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Samuel 14

1 Samuel 14:42 comes from the book of 1 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. The setting is the battlefield. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine judgment, family crisis, fate. Notable phrases: Cast lots between me and Jonathan; Jonathan was selected.

Your reflection

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