1 Samuel 31:3

3 totumque pondus proelii versum est in Saul et consecuti sunt eum viri sagittarii et vulneratus est vehementer a sagittariis

1 Samuel 31:3 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 31:3

And the battle went sore against Saul
Pressed heavy upon him; he was the butt of the Philistines, they aimed at his person and life:

and the archers hit him;
or "found him" ^F1; the place where was, and directed their arrows at him:

and he was sore wounded of the archers;
or rather "he was afraid" of them, as the Targum, for as yet he was not wounded; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, and is the sense Kimchi and Ben Melech give of the word: he was not afraid of death, as Abarbinel observes, he chose to die; but he was afraid he should be hit by the archers in such a way that he should not die immediately, and should be taken alive and ill used; the Philistines, especially the Cherethites, were famous for archery; (See Gill on Zephaniah 2:5).

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (whaumyw) "et inveserust cum", Pagninus, Montanus.

1 Samuel 31:3 In-Context

1 Philisthim autem pugnabant adversum Israhel et fugerunt viri Israhel ante faciem Philisthim et ceciderunt interfecti in monte Gelboe

2 inrueruntque Philisthim in Saul et filios eius et percusserunt Ionathan et Abinadab et Melchisue filios Saul

3 totumque pondus proelii versum est in Saul et consecuti sunt eum viri sagittarii et vulneratus est vehementer a sagittariis

4 dixitque Saul ad armigerum suum evagina gladium tuum et percute me ne forte veniant incircumcisi isti et interficiant me inludentes mihi et noluit armiger eius fuerat enim nimio timore perterritus arripuit itaque Saul gladium et inruit super eum

5 quod cum vidisset armiger eius videlicet quod mortuus esset Saul inruit etiam ipse super gladium suum et mortuus est cum eo