[5] This is within a section comprising 1 Samuel 7–15 which records the rise of the monarchy in Israel and the account of the first years of King Saul.

[8][9][10][12] Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B;

Jonathan and his armour-bearer bravely clambered up from the ravine through hard-to-climb rock formations, as indicated by their names, Bozez ('slippery one') and Seneh ('thorny one'), and succeeded in defeating a group of Philistine soldiers (verses 1–15).

[16] Believing that it will ensure success, Saul placed an oath on his troops to refrain from eating until evening, a rash act (as noted in verse 24 of the Greek Septuagint version, although not found in the Hebrew Masoretic Text), which would make the troops to be too famished to achieve a complete victory, and even become a threat to Jonathan's life (verses 24–26).

Nonetheless, Saul believed the failure to wipe out the Philistines was due to lack of divine support, so investigation was made by means of a sacred lot to find whose fault it was found.