1 Samuel 31

The death of Saul

Essentially the same as most of 1ch10.

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Text
Comments
 1 ¶ Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain [or "wounded"] 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 archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
  1 - Israel fled Assuming that Israel had been on Mount Gilboa and the Philistines below them, the latter had the weaker position for battle. When Saul rejected the Lord, he also gave up the divine help in battle de2001, le2617.
  3 - Hit him Should read, "found him."
 4 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.
 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.
  4 - Abuse me Saul may well have remembered the experience of Samson 1sa1820ff, jg1620.
  4 - Saul took a sword Like Judas.
 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.   7 - Other side of the valley "probably the valley of Jezreel–the largest and southernmost of the valleys that run between Little Hermon and the ridges of the Gilboa range direct into the Jordan valley. It was very natural for the people in the towns and villages there to take fright and flee, for had they waited the arrival of the victors, they must, according to the war usages of the time, have been deprived either of their liberty or their lives." (JFB).
  The people of Israel who had demanded a king now had evidence that the Lord had indeed directed Samuel to warn against the idea. They could see the error but it was too late 1sa08
.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.
  9 - Cut off his head We see how the Philistines hated the Israelites. And today? Modern Israel is not the Israel of promise, but we can make comparisons.
.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.
  11 - The men of Jabesh-gilead Although Saul had sinned greatly, the Lord's honor had been defamed as seen in v8ff. They were valiant.
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