King James Version
1 Samuel 31
13 verses with commentary
Saul's Death
Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. slain: or, wounded
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KJV Study Commentary
The final chapter of 1 Samuel brings the interwoven narratives to their tragic conclusion. While David recovered his families and distributed spoil, the battle at Gilboa decided Israel's immediate future. The Hebrew 'wayyanusu' (fled) and 'wayyippelu chalalim' (fell slain) describe military disaster. The contrast between David's victory and Israel's defeat could not be sharper. As David rises, Sau...
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(1) **Now the Philistines fought against Israel.**—The narrator here is very abrupt. No doubt a devoted patriot, it was very bitter for him to write the story of the fatal day of Gilboa. Yet there were certain things belonging to that fated day which were necessary for every child of Israel to know. It was right that the punishment of the rejected king should be known; right too that the people sh...
Read full commentary →And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Philistines' pursuit specifically targets Saul's sons, eliminating the succession. Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua fall together. The Hebrew 'wayyabhiqqu' (followed hard, stuck close to) indicates determined pursuit, not random battlefield death. Jonathan's death creates particular pathos: David's closest friend and covenant partner dies fighting against the Philistines David was supposed ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons.**—“The details of the battle are but seen in broken snatches, as in the short scene of a battle acted upon the stage, or beheld at remote glimpses by an accidental spectator. But amidst the showers of arrows from the Philistine archers, or pressed hard even on the mountain side by their charioteers, the figure of the king emerges...
Read full commentary →And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers . and the archers: Heb. and the shooters, men with bows hit: Heb. found him
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KJV Study Commentary
The narrative focuses on Saul's personal fate: 'the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him.' The Hebrew 'hammorim anashim baqqasheth' (men who shoot with the bow) identifies the weapon causing Saul's mortal wounds. The description 'wayyachel me'od' (was greatly wounded, in anguish) indicates he was incapacitated but not immediately killed. His suffering precedes his final decision....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **And the battle went sore against Saul.**—That is, after the death of Jonathan and his brothers. The great warrior king no doubt fought like a lion, but one by one his brave defenders fell in harness by his side; and the enemy seems to have directed their principal attention, at this period of the fight, to killing or capturing the famous Saul.
**And the archers hit him.**—It would seem as th...
Read full commentary →Then said Saul unto his armourbearer , Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. abuse: or, mock me
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KJV Study Commentary
Saul's request that his armor-bearer kill him and the servant's refusal create his final crisis. His fear of being 'abused' (Hebrew: 'hith'allelu-vi') by the uncircumcised Philistines reveals concern for dignity in death. The armor-bearer's terror at killing the king echoes David's own refusal throughout the narrative. Saul's final act, 'he fell upon it' (his own sword), ends his life by his own h...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **His armourbearer.**—Jewish tradition tells us that this faithful armourbearer was Doeg*, *the Edomite, and that the sword which Saul took apparently from the hand of the armourbearer was the sword with which Doeg had massacred the priests at Gibeon and at Nob.
**Lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me.**—“Even in Saul’s dying speech there is something of that religious formalism which ma...
Read full commentary →And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
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KJV Study Commentary
The armor-bearer's suicide following Saul's death reveals the depth of loyalty Saul commanded from his immediate attendant. The Hebrew 'wayyamot immo' (died with him) emphasizes their shared fate. This servant's faithfulness unto death contrasts with those who fled and survived. His act, while not endorsed, demonstrates that Saul retained the devotion of those nearest him. Even failed leaders may ...
Read full commentary →So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer , and all his men, that same day together.
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KJV Study Commentary
The summary statement 'So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together' emphasizes completeness of destruction. The phrase 'all his men' may refer to his immediate retinue rather than the entire army. The Hebrew 'yacdaw' (together) stresses their common fate. One day ends the house of Saul as a ruling force, though one son survives to briefly contest...
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(6) **And all his men.**—We must not interpret this statement quite literally; 1Chronicles 10:6 explains it by “all his house.” Ishbosheth, his son, for instance, and Abner, the captain of the host, we know were not among the slain on that fatal day. The meaning is that all his *“fideles,” *his personal staff, as we should say, with his three sons fell fighting round him. The lines of the chivalro...
Read full commentary →And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
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KJV Study Commentary
The aftermath extends beyond the battle as Israelites in surrounding territories flee, abandoning their cities to Philistine occupation. The Hebrew 'wayyya'azvu' (forsook) and 'wayyanusu' (fled) describe panic abandonment. The Philistines 'came and dwelt in them,' establishing long-term occupation. The battle's impact spreads far beyond Gilboa, affecting civilians who had not fought. Leadership fa...
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(7) **On the other side of the valley.**—The words “on the other side of the valley” denote the country opposite to the battle-field in the valley of Jezreel, on which the writer supposes himself to be standing, the land occupied especially by the tribes of Issachar, Zabulon, and Napthali. The expression “on the other side of Jordan,” is the usual phrase for the country east of the River Jordan. I...
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**19. when thou hast stayed three days--**either with your family at Beth-lehem, or wherever you find it convenient.
**come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand--**Hebrew, "in the day," or "time of the business," when the same matter was under inquiry formerly (1Sa 19:22).
**remain by the stone Ezel--**Hebrew, "the stone of the way"; a sort of milestone whic...
Read full commentary →And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
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The Philistine discovery of the royal corpses the day after the battle enables their desecration. The Hebrew 'lepashet' (to strip) indicates removal of valuable armor and weapons. Finding Saul and his sons 'fallen in mount Gilboa' completes the geographic note: they died where the battle raged, not fleeing. The exposure of their bodies to enemy discovery sets the stage for the humiliations to foll...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **They found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount Gilboa.**—It is expressly stated that the Philistines only found the royal corpses on the morrow of the great fight. So desperate had been the valour with which the King and his gallant sons had defended their last positions on the hill, that night had fallen ere the din of battle ceased. Nor were the enemy aware of the completeness of their...
Read full commentary →And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Philistines' treatment of Saul's body serves both religious and propagandistic purposes. Cutting off his head mirrors David's treatment of Goliath, creating ironic reversal. The armor sent to 'the house of their idols' (Hebrew: 'bet 'atsabbehem') dedicates spoils to Philistine gods. Publishing news 'among the people' proclaims victory throughout Philistia. What began with Goliath's head in Dav...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour.**—Only *Saul’s *head and armour is mentioned here, but on comparing 1Samuel 31:12, where the bodies of his sons are especially mentioned, it is clear that this act was not confined to the person of the king. The sense of the passage there is, the heads of the king and his three sons were cut off, and their armour stripped from their bod...
Read full commentary →And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth : and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.
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KJV Study Commentary
The placement of Saul's armor 'in the house of Ashtaroth' specifically honors the Philistine goddess, while fastening his body to Beth-shan's wall publicly displays the corpse. Ashtaroth (Astarte) was the fertility and war goddess of Canaanite religion, making this dedication a theological statement. The public display at Beth-shan, a strategic city in the Jezreel Valley, ensured maximum humiliati...
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(10) **The house of Ashtaroth.**—Literally, *of “the Ashtaroth.” *The expression may signify that the pieces of armour belonging to the four men were divided between the different shrines of Astarte in the land, or placed together in the famous Astarte Temple, at Askelon, which Herodotus (i. 105) describes as the most ancient of the temples dedicated to the worship of the Syrian Venus. The latter ...
Read full commentary →And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; of that: or, concerning him that
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KJV Study Commentary
The transition to Jabesh-gilead's inhabitants hearing the news recalls Saul's first act as king: rescuing them from Nahash the Ammonite (chapter 11). Their response to Saul's dishonor repays his earlier deliverance with later loyalty. The Hebrew 'wayyishme'u' (they heard) indicates news traveled across the Jordan. Gratitude remembered across decades motivates their risky intervention. Their courag...
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(11) **The inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.**—The memory of the splendid feat of arms of their young king Saul, when he gallantly rescued their city (1Samuel 11:1-11) years before, when they were threatened with deadly peril by the Ammonites, was still fresh in the city of Jabesh-Gilead, and they burned to rescue the body of their hero from shame. It was singular how that first deed of splendid patri...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of--**The plan being concerted, the friends separated for a time, and the amiable character of Jonathan again peers out in his parting allusion to their covenant of friendship.
1Sa 20:24-40. Saul, Missing David, Seeks to Kill Jonahan.
All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
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KJV Study Commentary
The all-night march by Jabesh-gilead's valiant men demonstrates courage and loyalty that honors Saul in death as he honored them in life. Their retrieval of the bodies from Beth-shan's wall, burning them at Jabesh, and proper burial represents significant risk. The burning (unusual for Israelite practice) may have been necessary due to decomposition or to prevent further desecration. Their courage...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **And burnt them there**.—This “burning the corpse” was never the custom in Israel, and was restricted to criminals convicted of a crime of the deepest dye (Leviticus 20:14). The Jews in all cases buried their dead. The Chaldee therefore interpret the words relating this act of the men of Jabesh-Gilead, in the case of Saul and the princes, as referring to the solemn burning of spices, a cerem...
Read full commentary →And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
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KJV Study Commentary
The final verse provides dignified conclusion: proper burial 'under a tree at Jabesh' and seven-day fast. The Hebrew 'eshel' (tamarisk tree) marked the grave site, creating a memorial. The week of fasting demonstrates genuine mourning, not merely formal observance. Despite Saul's failures, these men honored his memory. First Samuel ends not with David's triumph but with honorable men mourning Isra...
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(13) **A tree in Jabesh.**—A tree, that is “the well-known” tamarisk (*êshel*)*. *For Saul’s love for trees see as an instance 1Samuel 22:6. The men of Jabesh-Gilead well remembered this peculiar fancy of their dead king, and under the waving branches of their own beautiful and famous tamarisk they tenderly laid the remains of their dead hero and his princely sons.
Evidently King David, at a subse...
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**25. the king sat upon his seat, as at other times ... by the wall--**The left-hand corner at the upper end of a room was and still is in the East, the most honorable place. The person seated there has his left arm confined by the wall, but his right hand is at full liberty. From Abner's position next the king, and David's seat being left empty, it would seem that a state etiquette was observed a...
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