1 Samuel 31

1Sa 31:1-7.

SAUL

HAVING

LOST

HIS

ARMY AT

GILBOA, AND

HIS

SONS

BEING

SLAIN,

HE AND

HIS

ARMOR-BEARER

KILL

THEMSELVES.

1. Now the Philistines fought against Israel--In a regular engagement,

in which the two armies met

(1Sa 28:1-4),

the Israelites were forced to give way, being annoyed by the arrows of

the enemy, which, destroying them at a distance before they came to

close combat, threw them into panic and disorder. Taking advantage of

the heights of Mount Gilboa, [the Israelites] attempted to rally, but

in vain. Saul and his sons fought like heroes; but the onset of the

Philistines being at length mainly directed against the quarter where

they were, Jonathan and two brothers, Abinadab or Ishui

(1Sa 14:49)

and Melchishua, overpowered by numbers, were killed on the spot.

3-5. the battle went sore against Saul, &c.--He seems to have bravely

maintained his ground for some time longer; but exhausted with fatigue

and loss of blood, and dreading that if he fell alive into the enemy's

hands, they would insolently maltreat him

(Jos 8:29; 10:24;

Jud 8:21),

he requested his armor bearer to despatch him. However, that officer

refused to do so. Saul then falling on the point of his sword killed

himself; and the armor bearer, who, according to Jewish writers, was

Doeg, following the example of his master, put an end to his life also.

They died by one and the same sword--the very weapon with which they

had massacred the Lord's servants at Nob.

6. So Saul died--(see on

1Ch 10:13;

Ho 13:11).

and his three sons--The influence of a directing Providence is

evidently to be traced in permitting the death of Saul's three eldest

and most energetic sons, particularly that of Jonathan, for whom, had

he survived his father, a strong party would undoubtedly have risen and

thus obstructed the path of David to the throne.

and all his men, that same day together--his servants or bodyguard

(1Ch 10:6).

7. the men of Israel that were on the 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.

1Sa 31:8-10.

THE

PHILISTINES

TRIUMPH OVER

THEIR

DEAD

BODIES.

8, 9. on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that

they found Saul and his three sons fallen--On discovering the corpses

of the slaughtered princes on the battlefield, the enemy reserved them

for special indignities. They consecrated the armor of the king and his

sons to the temple of Ashtaroth fastened their bodies on the temple of

Shen, while they fixed the royal heads ignominiously in the temple of

Dagon

(1Ch 10:10);

thus dividing the glory among their several deities.

10. to the wall--

(2Sa 21:12)

--"the street" of Beth-shan. The street was called from the temple

which stood in it. And they had to go along it to the wall of the city

(see

Jos 17:11).

1Sa 31:11-13.

THE

MEN OF

JABESH-GILEAD

RECOVER THE

BODIES AND

BURY

THEM AT

JABESH.

11-13. the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the

Philistines had done--Mindful of the important and timely services

Saul had rendered them, they gratefully and heroically resolved not to

suffer such indignities to be inflicted on the remains of the royal

family.

12. valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul

and the bodies of his sons--Considering that Beth-shan is an hour and a

half's distance, and by a narrow upland passage, to the west of the

Jordan (the whole being a journey from Jabesh-gilead of about ten

miles), they must have made all haste to travel thither to carry off

the headless bodies and return to their own side of the Jordan in the

course of a single night.

burnt them--This was not a Hebrew custom. It was probably resorted to

on this occasion to prevent all risk of the Beth-shanites coming to

disinter the royal remains for further insult.

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