1 Samuel 31: Saul and his sons die on Mount Gilboa
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Hebrew. How to read a study
What happens?
The Philistines fight against Israel, and the men of Israel flee and fall dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines kill Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul, and the archers find Saul, and he is badly wounded (or: trembles greatly). Saul asks his armor bearer to run him through, so that the uncircumcised will not make sport of him, but the armor bearer is too afraid, so Saul falls on his own sword, and his armor bearer does the same. The next day the Philistines cut off Saul's head, put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth, and fasten his body to the wall of Beth Shan. The brave men of Jabesh Gilead travel all night, take down the bodies of Saul and his sons, burn them at Jabesh, bury their bones under the tamarisk tree and fast seven days.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words in this chapter. Saul speaks to his armor bearer in verse 4. No one else speaks. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.
In plain English: Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel fled from the Philistines and fell dead (this Bible: fell down slain) on Mount Gilboa.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
2The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
In plain English: The Philistines caught up with (this Bible: overtook) Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
Good to know: names the sons of Saul as "Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua". names "Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal", and tells of the same three deaths as this verse. The text of 1 Samuel does not explain the different names.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
3The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
In plain English: The battle went hard (literally: was heavy) against Saul. The archers (literally: the men with the bow) found him, and he was badly wounded (or: he trembled greatly; this Bible: was greatly distressed) because of the archers.
The Hebrew word: "He was greatly distressed" is from chul, which the dictionary gives as "properly, to twist or whirl" and "to writhe in pain ... or fear".
What changes: Read as writhing in pain, Saul was badly wounded by the archers. Read as writhing in fear, he trembled with fear of them. Either way, in verse 4 he asks his armor bearer to kill him.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
4Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me!” But his armor bearer would not, for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.
In plain English: Then Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come, run me through, and make sport of me (this Bible: abuse me)!" But his armor bearer would not, because he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.
The Hebrew word: "Abuse me" is from alal, which the dictionary gives as "to effect thoroughly ... (in a bad sense) to overdo, i.e. maltreat, be saucy to". The same word is used of the men of Gibeah, who "abused her all night" in .
Good to know: Abimelech, struck by a millstone, also asked his armor bearer to kill him, "that men not say of me, 'A woman killed him'" (). Here the armor bearer will not, and Saul falls on his own sword. The text tells his death plainly and makes no comment on it.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
5When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword, and died with him.
In plain English: When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
6So Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men that same day together.
In plain English: So Saul died that same day, together with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
7When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.
In plain English: The men of Israel on the other side of the valley, and those beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead. So they left their towns and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
8On the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
In plain English: The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
9They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to the house of their idols and to the people.
In plain English: They cut off his head and stripped off his armor. They sent word all around the land of the Philistines, to carry the news to the house of their idols and to the people.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
10They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
In plain English: They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
Good to know: The Ashtaroth are named with Baal as gods Israel served in , and in Israel "removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth". The dictionary gives Ashtaroth as "the name of a Sidonian deity".
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
11When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
In plain English: When the people living in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
Good to know: In chapter 11 Saul rescued Jabesh Gilead from Nahash the Ammonite ( to ). The text here tells what the men of Jabesh did, and does not give their reason.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
12all the valiant men arose, went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
In plain English: all the brave (this Bible: valiant) men got up and traveled all night. They took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan, came to Jabesh, and burned them there.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.
13They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
In plain English: They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
Good to know: The text does not say why the bodies were burned. "Tamarisk" is eshel, which the dictionary gives as "a tamarisk tree". It is in only 3 verses: here, , where Abraham planted one at Beersheba, and , where Saul sat "under the tamarisk tree" with his spear in his hand.
Show the HebrewHide the Hebrew
How to say it (the stressed part in bold), the Hebrew word, and what it means. Tap a word with a dotted line to open its word study.