The First Book of Samuel, otherwise called the First Book of the Kings
1 Samuel 31
Chapter XXXI · Vol. II, p. 674
1 Saul having lost his army, and his sons slain, he and his armour-bearer kill themselves. 7 The Philistines possess the forsaken towns of the Israelites. 8 They insult over the dead bodies of Saul and his sons. 11 The men of Jabesh-gilead, recovering the bodies by night, burn them, and bury their bones at Jabesh.
1 Now thea Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain1 in mount Gilboa.2
a ch.29.1; 12.25. 1 Ch.10.1-12. De.28.15. Le.26.25,36.
A.M. 2948. B.C. 1056.
1 Heb. thrust through.
2 Still called Djebel-Gilbo. It is placed by Jerome about six miles west of Beth-shan.—C.
2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul, and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew bJonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons.
b 2 Ki.23.27. Ec.9.1,2. De.32.49-52. ch.14.49. 1 Ch.8.33; 9.39; 10.2.
3 And the cbattle went sore against Saul, and the archers3 hit him;4 and he was sore wounded of the archers.
4 Then dsaid Saul unto his armour-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and eabuse me. But his armour-bearer would not;5 for he was sore afraid: therefore Saul ftook a sword, and fell upon it.
e Or, mock me, Ju.16.21; 9.54.
5 The Jews say he was Doeg, and if so, both Saul and Doeg died by the sword with which Saul had ordered him, and Doeg wickedly obeyed, to slay the Lord's priests. Such remarkable retributions of Providence sometimes do occur, even as Haman died on the gallows he had erected for Mordecai.—C.
f 1 Ch.10.4,13,14. ver.6. Mat.27.4. 2 Sa.17.23.
5 And when his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul gdied, and his three sons, and his armour-bearer, 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, hthey forsook the cities, and 6fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
h Ju.6.2. ch.13.6. Le.26.32,36. De.28.33. 1 Ch.10.7.
6 They were now scattered as sheep without a shepherd, and not only forsook the open country, but even the strong cities, which were speedily occupied by the Philistines. But God, who punishes Israel for idolatry, and seeking a king without consulting him, is hereby preparing an occasion for developing the great qualities of David, whose prosperous reign so gloriously contrasts with the disastrous termination of that of Saul.—C.
8 Andi 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.
i 1 Ch.10.8. 2 Ch.20.25.
9 And kthey 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.
k ver.4; ch.17.51,54. 1 Ch.10.9. Ju.16.23,24. 2 Sa.1.20.
10 And they put his armour in the house of lAshtaroth;7 and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.8
l 1 Ch.10.10. Ju.2.13; 1.27. 2 Sa.21.12.
7 The placing of such trophies in temples has been customary in all countries and ages. David himself had placed the sword of Goliath in the tabernacle, where he got it at the time of his flight from Saul.—C.
8 Bethshean lay down the valley of Jezreel, in sight of, and about 5 miles distant from, the field of battle. Jabesh-gilead was situated on the other side of Jordan, nearly opposite Beth-shean, and about 15 miles distant.—P.
11 And when the inhabitants of mJabesh-gilead9 heard of that 1which the Philistines had done to Saul;
m ch.11.1-11. 2 Sa.2.4-7. Ju.21.8-14.
9 Saul had done the Jabesh-gileadites signal service in delivering them from Nahash the Ammonite, ch. xi., and here they display a grateful, a courageous, and a pious generosity.—C.
1 Or, concerning him.
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 Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and nburnt2 them there.
n Je.34.5. 2 Ch.16.14. Am.6.10.
2 Burning the dead has been customary in many nations, of which fact there are many relics and evidences in many parts of western Europe.—C.
13 And they took otheir bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
o 2 Sa.2.4,5; 21.12. Ge.35.8.
Notes
[Ver. 3. Saul's position at this fatal battle was badly chosen. He appears to have been enfeebled in mind as well as in body by the journey to Endor and the interview with the witch. On his return, instead of keeping his commanding position on the mountain side, he descended into the valley to the fountain, ch. 29. 1. The Philistines also changed their position, and took up a better one at Jezreel, from which they were able to fall upon the left flank of the Israelites. On the first assault the Israelites were driven back, and in attempting to climb the steep sides of Gilboa the thick flight of the enemies' arrows killed numbers. Saul himself was wounded. There, still in the agonies of death, the wandering Amalekite found him, and afterwards carried the lying message to David for which he paid with his life. P.]
Reflections.—In what fearful destruction Israel's desire of a king, and Saul's disobedience to God, issue at last! Dreadful is the case of professors when once the Lord has abandoned them. He turns our comforts into crosses; and the death of our children in our punishment may render our own doubly miserable. In what awful power God rules the righteous with the wicked! All things here come alike to all; but eternity will make the difference. God in righteous justice suffers them to be their own murderers who had murdered his priests, or attempted to murder the faithful. But horrid, indeed, is that pride which makes men rush into eternal misery, in order to escape a little infamy. In what shame, and disgrace, and misery do unsanctified honours terminate! And fearful is the fate of those who court the devil's friendship and direction. But gratitude, even to the wicked, must never be neglected.