The First Book of the Chronicles
1 Chronicles 10
Chapter X · Vol. II, pp. 820–821
1 Saul's overthrow and death. 8 The Philistines triumph over Saul. 11 The kindness shown by the men of Jabesh-gilead toward Saul and his sons. 13 Saul's sin, for which the kingdom was translated from him to David.
1 Now1 the aPhilistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain2 in mount Gilboa.
B.C. 1056.
1 The chief design of this book was to preserve the records of the house of David, which, though to a common eye much diminished by the captivity, yet grew more and more illustrious in the eyes of those who lived by faith, by the nearer approach of the Son of David. The writer therefore repeats not the history of Saul's reign, but only of his death, which paved the way for David's accession. The reader will find the same history in almost the same words in 1 Sa.31.1-13.—I.
a 1 Sa.28.1; xxxi. 2 Sa.1.1-10.
2 Heb. thrust through.
2 And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew bJonathan, and cAbinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
b 1 Sa.31.2. 2 Ki.23.29. Ec.9.1.
c Or, Ishui, 1 Sa.14.49.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the 2archers dhit him, and he was wounded of the archers.
4 Then said Saul to his armour-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and eabuse me. But his armour-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid.3 So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword,4 and died.
4 The Jewish tradition is, that this was Doeg, and if so, then both now fell by the same sword with which Doeg, at the command of Saul, had formerly murdered the priests of the Lord, 1 Sa.22.18. An instance of retribution frequently exemplified in history. So Haman died by the lofty gallows of his own erecting.—C.
6 So Saul fdied, and his three sons, and all his house died together.5
f 1 Sa.31.6,7. Ex.20.5; 34.7. Nu.14.18.
5 Not all his descendants, but according to 1 Sa.31.6, 'all his men,' that is all his adults that were with him in the battle. C.——This does not mean his family, but his household servants (for Ishbosheth remained), or 'all his men,' as they are called in 1 Sa.31.6, that is, all who were present with him in the battle; and his family had received such a blow that it never recovered itself again.—I.
7 And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8 Andg it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
9 And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto htheir idols, and to the people.
10 And they put his armour in the house of itheir gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.6
11 And when all kJabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,
k 1 Sa.11.1-11; 31.11-13. 2 Sa.2.5,6, with Ju.21.8-12.
12 They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the loak in Jabesh, and fastedm seven days.7
13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed8 against the LORD, neven against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to oinquire of it;
8 That sickness and death are 'the wages of sin,' is the invariable doctrine of the Scripture. See 1 Co.11.30. 1 Jn.5.16. Even God's dear children die, because 'sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned,' Ro.5.12. To them, however, it is deliverance; to the impenitent a judgment.—C.
n 1 Sa.13.13; 15.3,23.
o 1 Sa.28.7-20. 2 Ki.21.6; 1.2. Ex.22.18. Le.19.26,31; 20.6. De.18.10-14. Is.8.19.
Notes
[Ver. 12. The narrative of the defeat of Israel at Gilboa, and of the death of Saul and Jonathan, is almost verbatim the same as that in 1 Sa. xxxi. It is introduced here simply as a preface to the history of David's reign in Jerusalem. The anointing of David in Hebron, and his coronation and reign of seven years there, are dismissed in a very few words. The main object of the historian evidently is to narrate the achievements of David and his band of heroic followers, commencing with the siege and capture of Jerusalem. P.]
Reflections.—Behold how God stains the pride of human glory! He is sovereign, but righteous and terrible, in all his judgments! The hands of sinners often make the snares with which themselves are caught. And disobedience to God, and intimacy with the devil, most certainly bring to ruin persons, families, and nations.