Matthew Poole and continuators on 1 Samuel 14:4

¶ 4 And between the passages , by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines garison, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side : and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

So these might be two known and common passages, both which Ionathan must cross, or pass over to go to the Philistines, between which the following Rocks lay. But the Words may be rendred thus, In the middle (for so the Hebrew Particle, ben, signifies, as Isa. 44. 4. and beth, in, is understood by a very frequent Ellipsis) of the passage; the Plural Number being put for the Singular, as is frequent.

Which is not so to be understood, as if in this Passage one Rock was on the right hand, and the other on the left; for so he should have gone between both: and there was no need of climbing up to them, which is mentioned below, v. 13. But the meaning is, that the tooth (for prominency) of the one rock, (as it is in the Hebrew) was on the one side, i. e. Northward, looking towards Michmash (the Garison of the Philistines) and the tooth of the other rock was on the other side; i. e. Southward looking towards Gibeah (where Saul's Camp lay) as the next verse informs us: and Ionathan was forced to climb over these two Rocks, because the other and common ways from one Town to the other, might now be obstructed, or were not so fit for his present Design.

Marginal references: Heb. [illegible: 1 word] tooth[illegible: 1+ letters] See [illegible: 1 word]