“The battle crossed beyond Beth-aven.” Beth-aven was east of Michmash, and the main battle moved westward, the Philistines fleeing back to their cities on the coast (cp. 1 Sam. 14:31). Actually, the battle went much further west than Beth-aven. But from 1 Samuel 14:23 we learn that when the Israelites first attacked, the Philistines ran in lots of directions, even to the east.