2 And the Philistines H6430 followed hard H1692 upon Saul H7586 and upon his sons; H1121 and the Philistines H6430 slew H5221 Jonathan, H3083 and Abinadab, H41 and Malchishua, H4444 Saul's H7586 sons. H1121
And Ner H5369 begat H3205 Kish, H7027 and Kish H7027 begat H3205 Saul, H7586 and Saul H7586 begat H3205 Jonathan, H3083 and Malchishua, H4444 and Abinadab, H41 and Eshbaal. H792
Now the sons H1121 of Saul H7586 were Jonathan, H3129 and Ishui, H3440 and Melchishua: H4444 and the names H8034 of his two H8147 daughters H1323 were these; the name H8034 of the firstborn H1067 Merab, H4764 and the name H8034 of the younger H6996 Michal: H4324
Thou shalt not bow down H7812 thyself to them, nor serve H5647 them: for I the LORD H3068 thy God H430 am a jealous H7067 God, H410 visiting H6485 the iniquity H5771 of the fathers H1 upon the children H1121 unto the third H8029 and fourth H7256 generation of them that hate H8130 me;
Saul H7586 chose H977 him three H7969 thousand H505 men of Israel; H3478 whereof two thousand H505 were with Saul H7586 in Michmash H4363 and in mount H2022 Bethel, H1008 and a thousand H505 were with Jonathan H3129 in Gibeah H1390 of Benjamin: H1144 and the rest H3499 of the people H5971 he sent H7971 every man H376 to his tent. H168
And Saul, H7586 and Jonathan H3129 his son, H1121 and the people H5971 that were present H4672 with them, abode H3427 in Gibeah H1387 of Benjamin: H1144 but the Philistines H6430 encamped H2583 in Michmash. H4363
Now it came to pass upon a day, H3117 that Jonathan H3129 the son H1121 of Saul H7586 said H559 unto the young man H5288 that bare H5375 his armour, H3627 Come, H3212 and let us go over H5674 to the Philistines' H6430 garrison, H4673 that is on the other side. H5676 H1975 But he told H5046 not his father. H1 And Saul H7586 tarried H3427 in the uttermost H7097 part of Gibeah H1390 under a pomegranate tree H7416 which is in Migron: H4051 and the people H5971 that were with him were about six H8337 hundred H3967 men; H376 And Ahiah, H281 the son H1121 of Ahitub, H285 Ichabod's H350 brother, H251 the son H1121 of Phinehas, H6372 the son H1121 of Eli, H5941 the LORD'S H3068 priest H3548 in Shiloh, H7887 wearing H5375 an ephod. H646 And the people H5971 knew H3045 not that Jonathan H3129 was gone. H1980 And between the passages, H4569 by which Jonathan H3129 sought H1245 to go over H5674 unto the Philistines' H6430 garrison, H4673 there was a sharp H8127 rock H5553 on the one side, H5676 and a sharp H8127 rock H5553 on the other side: H5676 and the name H8034 of the one H259 was Bozez, H949 and the name H8034 of the other H259 Seneh. H5573 The forefront H8127 of the one H259 was situate H4690 northward H6828 over against H4136 Michmash, H4363 and the other H259 southward H5045 over against H4136 Gibeah. H1387 And Jonathan H3083 said H559 to the young man H5288 that bare H5375 his armour, H3627 Come, H3212 and let us go over H5674 unto the garrison H4673 of these uncircumcised: H6189 it may be that the LORD H3068 will work H6213 for us: for there is no restraint H4622 to the LORD H3068 to save H3467 by many H7227 or by few. H4592 And his armourbearer H5375 H3627 said H559 unto him, Do H6213 all that is in thine heart: H3824 turn H5186 thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. H3824 Then said H559 Jonathan, H3083 Behold, we will pass over H5674 unto these men, H582 and we will discover H1540 ourselves unto them. If they say H559 thus unto us, Tarry H1826 until we come H5060 to you; then we will stand still H5975 in our place, and will not go up H5927 unto them. But if they say H559 thus, Come up H5927 unto us; then we will go up: H5927 for the LORD H3068 hath delivered H5414 them into our hand: H3027 and this shall be a sign H226 unto us. And both H8147 of them discovered H1540 themselves unto the garrison H4673 of the Philistines: H6430 and the Philistines H6430 said, H559 Behold, the Hebrews H5680 come forth H3318 out of the holes H2356 where they had hid H2244 themselves. And the men H582 of the garrison H4675 answered H6030 Jonathan H3129 and his armourbearer, H5375 H3627 and said, H559 Come up H5927 to us, and we will shew H3045 you a thing. H1697 And Jonathan H3129 said H559 unto his armourbearer, H5375 H3627 Come up H5927 after H310 me: for the LORD H3068 hath delivered H5414 them into the hand H3027 of Israel. H3478 And Jonathan H3129 climbed up H5927 upon his hands H3027 and upon his feet, H7272 and his armourbearer H5375 H3627 after H310 him: and they fell H5307 before H6440 Jonathan; H3129 and his armourbearer H5375 H3627 slew H4191 after H310 him. And that first H7223 slaughter, H4347 which Jonathan H3129 and his armourbearer H5375 H3627 made, H5221 was about twenty H6242 men, H376 within as it were an half H2677 acre H4618 of land, H7704 which a yoke H6776 of oxen might plow.
Likewise all the men H376 of Israel H3478 which had hid H2244 themselves in mount H2022 Ephraim, H669 when they heard H8085 that the Philistines H6430 fled, H5127 even they also followed hard H1692 after H310 them in the battle. H4421
And it came to pass, when he had made an end H3615 of speaking H1696 unto Saul, H7586 that the soul H5315 of Jonathan H3083 was knit H7194 with the soul H5315 of David, H1732 and Jonathan H3083 loved H157 him as his own soul. H5315 And Saul H7586 took H3947 him that day, H3117 and would let H5414 him go no more home H7725 to his father's H1 house. H1004 Then Jonathan H3083 and David H1732 made H3772 a covenant, H1285 because he loved H160 him as his own soul. H5315 And Jonathan H3083 stripped H6584 himself of the robe H4598 that was upon him, and gave H5414 it to David, H1732 and his garments, H4055 even to his sword, H2719 and to his bow, H7198 and to his girdle. H2289
And the young man H5288 that told H5046 him said, H559 As I happened H7136 by chance H7122 upon mount H2022 Gilboa, H1533 behold, Saul H7586 leaned H8172 upon his spear; H2595 and, lo, the chariots H7393 and horsemen H1167 H6571 followed hard H1692 after him.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 1 Samuel 31
Commentary on 1 Samuel 31 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 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.