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1 Samuel
Chapter Thirty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 31
This
chapter gives an account of the battle between the Philistines and the
Israelites, which had been preparing for, and the issue of it; in which Saul,
his three sons, and his servants, were slain, upon which his army fled, and
several of his cities were taken, 1 Samuel 31:1; what
the Philistines did with his body and his armour, 1 Samuel 31:8; the
former of which, together with the bodies of his sons, the men of Jabeshgilead
rescued, and burnt them, and buried their bones under a tree at Jabesh,
expressing great sorrow and concern, 1 Samuel 31:11.
1 Samuel 31:1 Now the
Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the
Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
YLT
1And the Philistines are
fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel flee from the face of the
Philistines, and fall wounded in mount Gilboa,
Now the Philistines fought against Israel,.... Being
come to Jezreel where Israel pitched, 1 Samuel 29:1; they
fell upon them, began the battle:
and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines; at the first
onset, as it should seem:
and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa; which was near, and
whither fleeing they were pursued and slain, at least great numbers of them.
1 Samuel 31:2 2 Then
the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines
killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.
YLT
2and the Philistines follow
Saul and his sons, and the Philistines smite Jonathan, and Abinadab, and
Malchishua, sons of Saul.
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul,.... Stuck to
him, pushed him close, bore hard upon him in that part of the army where he was
having a design upon his person:
and upon his sons; who were with him:
and the Philistines slew Jonathan; who is mentioned first,
being the eldest son, and perhaps first slain; and this was so ordered by the
providence of God, that David's way to the throne might be more clear and easy;
for though Jonathan would not have opposed him himself, yet the people, fond of
him, would, at least many of them, been for setting him on the throne; and
though he would have refused it, knowing David was the Lord's anointed, and
have made interest for him, this would have looked as if he had made him king,
and not the Lord:
and Abinadab and Malchishua, Saul's sons; these also
were slain; former of these is called Ishui, 1 Samuel 14:49;
Ishbosheth either was not in the battle, being left at home, as unfit for war,
or to take care of the kingdom; or else he fled with Abner, and others, and
escaped, and who was to be a trial to David.
1 Samuel 31:3 3 The
battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely
wounded by the archers.
YLT
3And the battle is hard
against Saul, and the archers find him -- men with bow -- and he is pained
greatly by the archers;
And the battle went sore against Saul,.... Pressed
heavy upon him; he was the butt of the Philistines, they aimed at his person
and life:
and the archers hit him; or "found him"F1וימצאהו "et inveserust cum", Pagninus, Montanus.
; the place where was, and directed their arrows at him:
and he was sore wounded of the archers; or rather
"he was afraid" of them, as the Targum, for as yet he was not
wounded; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, and is the sense
Kimchi and Ben Melech give of the word: he was not afraid of death, as
Abarbinel observes, he chose to die; but he was afraid he should be hit by the
archers in such a way that he should not die immediately, and should be taken
alive and ill used; the Philistines, especially the Cherethites, were famous
for archery; See Gill on Zephaniah 2:5.
1 Samuel 31:4 4 Then Saul said to his
armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these
uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But his armorbearer
would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on
it.
YLT
4and Saul saith to the
bearer of his weapons, `Draw thy sword, and pierce me with it, lest they come
-- these uncircumcised -- and have pierced me, and rolled themselves on me;'
and the bearer of his weapons hath not been willing, for he is greatly afraid,
and Saul taketh the sword, and falleth upon it.
Then said Saul unto his armourbearer,.... Who, the
JewsF2Hieron. Trad. Heb. in lib. Reg. fol. 77. B. say, was Doeg the
Edomite, promoted to this office for slaying the priests:
draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; for if he was
wounded, yet not mortally, and it is certain he did not so apprehend it. It is
much the sword of the armourbearer should be sheathed in a battle; but perhaps
he was preparing for flight, and so had put it up in its scabbard:
lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me; lest they
should not dispatch him at once, but put him to a lingering and torturing
death, and insult him, and mock at him, as they did Samson:
but his armourbearer would not, for he was sore afraid; to lay his
hand on the king the Lord's anointed, to take away his life, being more
scrupulous of doing that, if this was Doeg, than of slaying the priests of the
Lord; or he might be afraid of doing this, since should he survive this action,
he would be called to an account by the Israelites, and be put to death for
killing the king:
therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it; or rather
"the sword", the sword of his armourbearer, and so was a suicide: the
Jews endeavour to excuse this fact of Saul, because he knew he should die in
battle from the words of Samuel; and being pressed sore by the archers, he saw
it was impossible to escape out of their hands and therefore judged it better
to kill himself than to fall by the hands of the uncircumcised; but these
excuses will not do. JosephusF3Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14. sect. 7. denies
he killed himself; that though he attempted it, his sword would not pierce
through him, and that he was killed by the Amalekite, and that that was a true
account he gave to David in the following chapter; though it seems rather to be
a lie, to curry favour with David, and that Saul did destroy himself.
1 Samuel 31:5 5 And when his armorbearer
saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him.
YLT
5And the bearer of his
weapons seeth that Saul [is] dead, and he falleth -- he also -- on his sword,
and dieth with him;
And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead,.... By his
own hands, and not by the hands of the Amalekite, which the armour bearer would
scarcely have suffered:
he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him; some think
that Saul, and his armourbearer, died by the same sword, which was the
armourbearer's; and if he was Doeg, they fell probably by the same sword with
which the priests of the Lord were murdered at Nob, 1 Samuel 22:18; and
it is observed by an historianF4Sucton. Vit. Caesar. c. 89. , that
the murderers of Julius Caesar slew themselves with the same dagger they
destroyed him.
1 Samuel 31:6 6 So Saul, his three sons,
his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.
YLT
6and Saul dieth, and three
of his sons, and the bearer of his weapons, also all his men, on that day
together.
So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer,.... Only with
this difference, his three sons died honourably in the field of battle, but he
and his armourbearer destroyed themselves. Josephus saysF5Antiqu. l.
6. c. 14. sect. 9. he reigned eighteen years in the life of Samuel, and after
his death twenty two years, which make the forty years the apostle ascribes to
him, Acts 13:21;
EupolemusF6Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 3. p. 447. , an
Heathen writer, makes him to reign twenty one years; but of the years of his
reign, both before and after the death of Samuel, chronologers are not agreed,
see 1 Samuel 25:1; and
See Gill on Acts 13:21,
and all his men that same day together; not all the
soldiers in his army; for many of them fled and escaped, and even Abner the
general of the army, but his household servants, or those that were near his
person, his bodyguards.
1 Samuel 31:7 7 And when the men of Israel
who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were
on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that
Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the
Philistines came and dwelt in them.
YLT
7And they see -- the men of
Israel, who [are] beyond the valley, and who [are] beyond the Jordan -- that
the men of Israel have fled, and that Saul and his sons have died, and they
forsake the cities and flee, and Philistines come in, and dwell in them.
And which the men of Israel that were on the other side of
the valley,.... The valley of Jezreel; of which See Gill on Hosea 1:5,
and they that were on the other side Jordan; or rather
"on that side"; for the phrase will bear to be rendered either way,
and so may mean that side of Jordan on which the battle was fought; for as for
the other side, or that beyond it, the Israelites there could not be in such
fear of the Philistines, nor do we ever read of their inhabiting any cities
there; though as the phrase is used of the valley, as well as of the river, it
may be rendered "about the valley, and about Jordan"F7בעבר העמק־בעבר הירדן "circa convellem illiam--circa Jordanem",
Junius & Tremellius, Picator; so Noldius, p. 295. No. 936. , and so
describes such that dwelt near to each of them:
saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were
dead; that is, had information and intelligence of those facts, for it
is not to be supposed they saw them with their eyes:
they forsook, the cities, and fled; fearing they should be
put to the sword, or carried captive:
and the Philistines came and dwelt them; having
nothing more to do than to come and take possession.
1 Samuel 31:8 8 So it happened the next
day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his
three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
YLT
8And it cometh to pass on
the morrow, that the Philistines come to strip the wounded, and they find Saul
and his three sons fallen on mount Gilboa,
And it came to pass on the morrow,.... The day after the
battle, which perhaps was fought till night came on:
when the Philistines came to strip the slain; of their
clothes, and take from them whatever was valuable, as their booty:
that they found Saul and his sons fallen in Mount Gilboa; to which they
had betaken themselves, when the battle went against them in the valley; of
which see 1 Samuel 28:4.
1 Samuel 31:9 9 And they cut off his head
and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the
Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the
people.
YLT
9and they cut off his head,
and strip off his weapons, and send into the land of the Philistines round
about, to proclaim tidings [in] the house of their idols, and [among] the
people;
And they cut off his head,.... And fastened it in
the temple of Dagon, 1 Chronicles 10:10;
perhaps that which was at Ashdod, one of the principalities of the Philistines,
1 Samuel 5:1,
and stripped off his armour; or vesselsF8את כליו "vasa ejus",
Munster, Montanus. , his clothes as well as his armour, and what he had about
him; as for his crown on his head, and the bracelet on his arm, the Amalekite
took them before the Philistines came, 2 Samuel 1:10,
and sent into the land of the Philistines round about: not his head
and his armour, for they were placed in the temple of their idols; unless we
can suppose these were first carried about for show, and as proofs of the
victory: but rather messengers, who were sent express with the news:
to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the
people; that so they might be glad and rejoice, and give praise to their
idols, to whom they ascribed the success they had.
1 Samuel 31:10 10 Then they put his armor in
the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth
Shan.[a]
YLT
10and they place his weapons
[in] the house of Ashtaroth, and his body they have fixed on the wall of
Beth-Shan.
And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth,.... A temple
dedicated to their deities, called by this name; of which See Gill on Judges 2:13;
Nothing was more common with the Gentiles than to place in their temples the
arms they took from their enemies, as is strongly expressed by HomerF9 τευχεα συλησας, Iliad. 7. ver. 83. and
VirgilF11"Multaque praeterea sacris in postibus arma",
&c. Aeneid. 7. ver. 183. So Persius, Satyr. 6. ver. 45. ; and indeed the Jews
did the same, as appears by the sword of Goliath being laid up in the
tabernacle, 1 Samuel 21:9. Here
also the HeathensF12Messal. Corvin. de August. Progen. hung up their
own arms when the war was ended:
and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan; which
JosephusF13Ut supra, (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14.) l. 8. says is the same
which in his time was called Scythopolis, from the Scythians that possessed it,
before called Nysa, according to PlinyF14Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 18.
Vid. Solin. Polyhistor. c. 49. : it was given to the tribe of Manasseh, but
they could not drive out the inhabitants of it, so that it was always in the
possession of others, Joshua 17:11; where
it is called Bethshean; to the wall of the city they fastened the body of Saul
with nails, as it is commonly understood; but it is more likely they hung it on
a gibbet without, and near the walls of the city; so the Targum, they hung his
body; or, as JosephusF15Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14. l. 8.) ,
they crucified it there; and so they did also the bodies of his sons, as
appears from 1 Samuel 31:12.
1 Samuel 31:11 11 Now when the inhabitants
of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
YLT
11And they hear regarding it
-- the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead -- that which the Philistines have done to
Saul,
And the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead,.... Who lived on the
other side Jordan, about eight miles from Bethshan, according to FullerF16Pisgah-Sight
of Palestine, b. 2. ch. 2. p. 82. :
heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; not only that
they had got the victory over him, and routed his army, but had abused his
body, and hung it up by way of reproach and ignominy; which they could not bear
to hear of, remembering with gratitude the kindness he had shown to them, in
delivering them out of the hands of Nahash the Ammonite, 1 Samuel 11:1.
1 Samuel 31:12 12 all the valiant men arose
and traveled 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.
YLT
12and all the men of valour
arise, and go all the night, and take the body of Saul, and the bodies of his
sons, from the wall of Beth-Shan, and come in to Jabesh, and burn them there,
All the valiant men arose,.... Of the city of
Jabeshgilead, fired with indignation at the Philistines' ill usage of Saul and
the bodies of his sons:
and went all night; not only for secrecy, but for haste:
and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall
of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh; brought them with them thither, the
Philistines either having no knowledge of it, or not daring to oppose them:
and burnt them there: that is, the flesh of
them, for the bones they buried, as in 1 Samuel 31:13; and
this they did, contrary to the common usage of the country, which was not to
burn; but this they did, that if the Philistines should come to recover them,
they would not be able to do it: though the Targum is,
"they
burnt over them, as they burn over their kings there;'they made a burning for
them of spices over them; or of their beds, and other household goods, as
Kimchi and Ben Melech observe, though they prefer the other sense; see 2 Chronicles 16:14
perhaps the true reason might be, because they were putrid and infectious.
1 Samuel 31:13 13 Then they took their bones
and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven
days.
YLT
13and they take their bones,
and bury [them] under the tamarisk in Jabesh, and fast seven days.
And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at
Jabesh,.... For though they burned the bodies, yet so as to preserve the
bones; and these, together with the ashes of the parts burnt, they gathered up,
and buried under a tree near this city; this tree is said to be an oak, 1 Chronicles 10:12;
so Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, was buried under an oak, Genesis 35:8. The
Jews generally interred their dead under some oak, as aforementioned writer
observesF17Pisgah-Sight of Palestine b. 2. ch. 2. p. 82. ; pleased
perchance with the parallel, as he expresses it, that as these plants,
seemingly dead in winter, have every spring an annual resurrection, so men's
dry bones shall have new sap put into them at the day of judgment:
and fasted seven days; not that they ate and
drank nothing all that time, but they fasted every day till evening, as the
Jews used to do; so long it seems a man may live without eating, but not
longer; See Gill on Exodus 24:18 and
see Gill on 1 Kings 19:8; this
they did, as Kimchi thinks, in memory of the seven days Nahash the Ammonite gave
them for their relief, in which time Saul came and saved them, 1 Samuel 11:3.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)