1 Samuel 31:1-13 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Reader Related Verse
Bible Comments

1 Samuel 31. Battle of Gilboa. Cf. p. 285, and 2 Samuel 1:6-16 *.

1 Samuel 31:1-7. Israel was routed, Saul's sons slain, and he himself in danger of being taken prisoner. To avoid this he fell upon his own sword.

3. he was greatly distressed: perhaps read, with LXX, he was wounded by the archers.

1 Samuel 31:4. and thrust me through (second occurrence) : omit with 1 Chronicles 10:4. What Saul fears is not mutilation after death, but being taken alive, and, like Samson, being made to provide sport for the Philistines.

1 Samuel 31:7. they that were beyond Jordan: omit with 1 Chronicles 10:7.

1 Samuel 31:8-13. The Philistines announced their victory by sending Saul's head round their land, to carry the tidings to their idols and to the people (1 Chronicles 10:9 and LXX). They put his armour in the House of Ashtaroth, i.e. the temple of Astarte (p. 299), and fastened the bodies of Saul and his sons outside the wall of Bethshan (Judges 1:27 *). The men of Jabesh-gilead (1 Samuel 11:1-11) went by night, brought them away, and buried them. [Robertson Smith (RS 2, p. 373), says, Saul's body was burned possibly to save it from the risk of exhumation by the Philistines, but perhaps rather with a religious intention, and almost as an act of worship, since his bones were buried under the sacred tamarisk at Jabesh. A. S. P.]

1 Samuel 31:10 b. Ch. alters this into and fastened his head in the house of Dagon, and omits from the wall of Beth-shan in 1 Samuel 31:12. The S. text is the more correct.

1 Samuel 31:12. burnt them there: many read and lamented for them there, because burning was incompatible with the established custom of Israel, SBOT. But ICC prefers to retain the present text, otherwise why bones in 1 Samuel 31:13? 1 Chronicles 10:12 omits the clause.

Related Commentaries of 1 Samuel 31:1

1 Samuel 31:1-13

1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slaina in mount Gilboa.

2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archersb hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.

4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abusec me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

7 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.

8 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.

9 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.

10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.

11 And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;

12 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.

13 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.