Charles Ellicott Commentary 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." — 1 Samuel 13:22 (ASV)

There was neither sword nor spear. —These words must not be taken too literally. The general result of the raids alluded to in 1 Samuel 13:16–17 was that in the open valleys of Southern Canaan, especially in the Benjamite territory, the districts from which Saul and Jonathan could most easily recruit their thinned and dispirited forces, there was an absence of arms. This fact is especially emphasized, for the Philistines appear to have armed their fighting men to the teeth. (Compare the description of their champion, Goliath, who is described as “clad in armour.”)

But with Saul. —These words probably indicate that the companies of regulars, who throughout this disastrous period were always with the king and prince, were—in contrast to the country people around—fully armed. (See allusion, for instance, to Jonathan and his armour-bearer in the next chapter.)