Original Word: בּוֹצֵץ
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: Bowtsets
Pronunciation: bo'-tsets
Phonetic Spelling: (bo-tsates')
KJV: Bozez
NASB: Bozez
Word Origin: [from the same as H948 (בּוּץ - fine linen)]

1. shining
2. Botsets, a rock near Michmash

Bozez

From the same as buwts; shining; Botsets, a rock near Michmash -- Bozez.

see HEBREW buwts

Word Origin
from the same as bitstsah
Definition
a rock near Michmash
NASB Translation
Bozez (1).

בּוֺצֵץ proper name, of a location a rock by Michmash 1 Samuel 14:4; — Βωσης Lag^{Onom. 238, 2nd ed. 250}.

Geographical Setting

Bozez designates the northern cliff that flanks the narrow pass between Geba and Michmash in the hill country of Benjamin. The opposite cliff is Seneh. Steep, jagged walls of white limestone rise on either side of a deeply cut wadi, creating a formidable natural barrier. The Hebrew root behind the name conveys “shining,” likely reflecting the sunlit glare of bare rock that stands out against surrounding terrain. Travelers moving east-west through Benjamin’s central ridge route had to negotiate this defile, so it naturally became a strategic choke point in times of war.

Biblical Narrative Context (1 Samuel 14:1-23)

During Saul’s stalled campaign against the Philistines, Jonathan and his armor-bearer secretly leave the Israelite camp at Gibeah and descend into the ravine that lies between the two cliffs:

“Between the passes Jonathan intended to cross toward the Philistine outpost was a cliff on one side and a cliff on the other; one was named Bozez and the other Seneh.” (1 Samuel 14:4)

Scaling Bozez, Jonathan launches a surprise assault on the Philistine garrison. His faith-filled initiative triggers panic in the enemy camp, the earthquake-like trembling of the ground, and eventually a sweeping victory for Israel.

Military and Strategic Importance

1. Natural Fortress: The sheer face of Bozez provided a ready-made fortification for whichever army held the heights.
2. Tactical Disadvantage Overcome: Jonathan’s ascent required exposing himself on a nearly vertical slope (cf. 1 Samuel 14:13). His success underscores that Yahweh’s deliverance does not depend on favorable terrain.
3. Supply Route Control: Control of the Michmash pass meant control of the main artery between the coastal plain and Judean hill country, making Bozez a pivot in Philistine-Israelite conflicts.

Theological Themes

• Divine Sovereignty over Human Odds — Jonathan’s famous confession, “for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6), is spatially anchored in Bozez. The cliff becomes a stage where God’s power is magnified against the backdrop of impossible geography.
• Light versus Darkness — The “shining” cliff contrasts with Seneh (“thorny”), picturing deliverance emerging from light while judgment lurks in thorns; a subtle literary juxtaposition that echoes Exodus imagery of Israel’s deliverance through the Red Sea’s walls of water.
• Covenant Fidelity — Jonathan’s trust in the covenant name of the LORD (Yahweh) at Bozez prefigures David’s later reliance on the same covenant faithfulness in facing Goliath (1 Samuel 17).

Archaeological and Historical Insights

Explorers often identify Bozez with the northern crag known locally as “Kŭrŭn es-Seneh” or by alternate readings “Jebel el-Mŭḳāṭeṭ,” though precise correlation remains debated. Surveys reveal that abrupt chalk cliffs drop twenty to thirty meters to the wadi floor, matching the biblical description of a climb “on his hands and feet” (1 Samuel 14:13). Pottery finds in surrounding terraces date to the Iron Age I-II, confirming Philistine and Israelite activity.

Spiritual Lessons for Contemporary Believers

1. Initiative Birthed in Faith — Waiting for perfect conditions often paralyzes ministry. Bozez reminds the Church that bold obedience, not numerical strength, unleashes God’s intervention.
2. Leadership that Inspires — Jonathan’s armor-bearer answers, “Do all that is in your heart… I am with you, heart and soul” (1 Samuel 14:7). God-given vision rallies others to wholehearted partnership.
3. Shining Testimony — The cliff’s very name encourages believers to reflect the Lord’s light in hostile environments, confident that terrain unfavorable to men is ideal for divine glory.

Foreshadowings of Christ

Jonathan functions as a type of Christ who, alone and unarmed compared with entrenched foes, ascends the impossible height, gains the victory, and draws the covenant people into shared triumph. Bozez thus adumbrates Calvary, where one faithful warrior secures decisive deliverance “by few”—indeed, by One.

Relevance for Ministry Today

• Church planting in resistant regions resembles Jonathan’s climb: steep, risky, but backed by a God who saves by many or by few.
• Pastoral leadership must address “bozez moments,” training congregations to recognize that apparent disadvantages are invitations for God to display His shining strength.
• Mission strategy should remember that geographical or cultural strongholds—modern “cliffs”—are not obstacles but opportunities when approached in covenant reliance on the LORD.

Key Reference

1 Samuel 14:4 — the sole explicit mention of Bozez; see also the broader narrative 1 Samuel 14:1-23 for full theological weight.

בּוֹצֵ֔ץ בוצץ bō·w·ṣêṣ boTzetz bōwṣêṣInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts