1 Samuel 31

Saul and Jonathan Die on Mount Gilboa

1 Now [the] Philistines [were] fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before [the] Philistines, and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

2 And [the] Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and [the] Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malki-Shua, the sons of Saul.

3 {Saul was in the thick of the battle}, and {the archers} spotted him, and he [was] badly wounded by the archers.

4 Then Saul said to {his armor bearer}, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised do not come and thrust me through and make a fool of me!" But {his armor bearer} [was] not willing [to do so] because he [was] very afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.

5 And when {his armor bearer} saw that Saul [was] dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.

6 So Saul died, and his three sons, {his armor bearer}, [and] all his men together that [same] day.

7 And when the men of Israel who [were] on the other side of the valley and [those] who were beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the towns and fled. Thus [the] Philistines came and lived in them.

8 {And then} the next day, [the] Philistines came to strip the dead and they found Saul and his three sons lying [dead] on Mount Gilboa.

9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor. Then they sent [messengers] around in the land of [the] Philistines to proclaim [victory in] the temples of their idols and [to] the people.

10 And they put his armor [in] the temple of the Ashtoreth, and they fastened his corpse to the wall of Beth Shan.

11 When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard about it, what [the] Philistines had done to Saul,

12 all of {the valiant men} set out and went all night and took the corpse of Saul and the corpses of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.

13 Then they took their bones and buried [them] under the tamarisk in Jabesh, and they fasted [for] seven days.

1 Samuel 31 Commentary

Chapter 31

Saul's defeat and death. (1-7) Saul's body rescued by the men of Jabesh-gilead. (8-13)

Verses 1-7 We cannot judge of the spiritual or eternal state of any by the manner of their death; for in that, there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked. Saul, when sorely wounded, and unable to resist or to flee, expressed no concern about his never-dying soul; but only desired that the Philistines might not insult over him, or put him to pain, and he became his own murderer. As it is the grand deceit of the devil, to persuade sinners, under great difficulties, to fly to this last act of desperation, it is well to fortify the mind against it, by a serious consideration of its sinfulness before God, and its miserable consequences in society. But our security is not in ourselves. Let us seek protection from Him who keepeth Israel. Let us watch and pray; and take unto us the whole armour of God, that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Verses 8-13 The Scripture makes no mention what became of the souls of Saul and his sons, after they were dead; but of their bodies only: secret things belong not to us. It is of little consequence by what means we die, or what is done with our dead bodies. If our souls are saved, our bodies will be raised incorruptible and glorious; but not to fear His wrath, who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell, is the extreme of folly and wickedness. How useless is the respect of fellow-creatures to those who are suffering the wrath of God! While pompous funerals, grand monuments, and he praises of men, honour the memory of the deceased, the soul may be suffering in the regions of darkness and despair! Let us seek that honour which cometh from God only.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "The battle weighed heavily on Saul"
• [b]. Literally "the shooters, the men with the bow"
• [c]. Hebrew "found"
• [d]. Literally "the carrier of his weapons"
• [e]. Literally "the carrier of his weapons"
• [f]. Literally "the carrier of his weapons"
• [g]. Literally "the carrier of his weapons"
• [h]. Literally, "And it happened"
• [i]. Or "houses"
• [j]. Or "house"
• [k]. Hebrew plural "Ashtaroth" (Ashtoreth was the female consort of Ba'al)
• [l]. Literally "the men of ability"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 31

This chapter gives an account of the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites, which had been preparing for, and the issue of it; in which Saul, his three sons, and his servants, were slain, upon which his army fled, and several of his cities were taken, 1Sa 31:1-7; what the Philistines did with his body and his armour, 1Sa 31:8-10; the former of which, together with the bodies of his sons, the men of Jabeshgilead rescued, and burnt them, and buried their bones under a tree at Jabesh, expressing great sorrow and concern, 1Sa 31:11-13.