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1 SAMUEL 31

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

 NASB  NKJV  NRSV  TEV   NJB
(MT versing)
Saul and His Sons Slain The Tragic End of Saul and His Sons The Battle of Gilboa; Death of Saul and his Older Sons The Death of Saul and His Sons Battle of Mount Gilboa and the Death of Saul
31:1-6 31:1-10 31:1-7 31:1-7 31:1-7
31:7
31:8-13 31:8-13 31:8-10 31:8-10
31:11-13 31:11-13 31:11-13

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

  1. First paragraph
  2. Second paragraph
  3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 31:1-6
  1Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua the sons of Saul. 3The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4Then Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised will come and pierce me through and make sport of me." But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it. 5When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. 6Thus Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.

31:1 YHWH's presence was with David but not with Saul. Chapters 28-31 contrast David's blessing with Saul's curse. The "Spirit of the Lord" had left Saul and abided with David. Disobedience has consequences for kings!

The events of this chapter are parallel to 1 Chronicles 10. This chapter picks up the story of Saul from 1 Samuel 28.

▣ "on Mount Gilboa" This mountain is southeast of Mt. Carmel and the city of Jezreel. It is south of Endor about 8 miles. Apparently Saul and his men were trying to gain the high ground but the Philistine force was too great.

31:2 Saul's sons are named, all of whom were slain in battle.

  1. Jonathan, David's close friend
  2. Abinadab
  3. Malchi-shua

See full note at 1 Chr. 10:2 because it seems Saul had four sons.

31:3
NASB, NKJV, JPSOA  "hit him"
NRSV, LXX  "found him"
TEV  "he himself was hit"
NJB  "came upon him"
REB  "caught up with him"
Peshitta  "overtook him"

The MT has the VERB (BDB 592, KB 619, Qal IMPERFECT with waw) "found," In the second part of the verse we are told they "wounded him" (BDB 296, KB 297, Qal IMPERFECT with waw). The NASB seems to combine both VERBS together.

The LXX even specifies that Saul was hit by an arrow in his abdomen. Josephus, Antiq. 6.14.7,8 describes Saul's valiant fight to the end.

31:4 "these uncircumcised" This was an expression of contempt (cf. Jdgs. 15:18; 1 Sam. 14:6). Philistines were from the Aegean Islands, which was Greek culture and did not circumcise.

▣ "pierce me and make sport of me" Saul's fear was either

  1. public humiliation (v. 9), see following examples
    1. Samson's eyes put out (as were Zedekiah's)
    2. Samson made to do women's or donkey's work
    3. king's thumbs and big toes removed
    4. king forced to eat scraps from victor's table
  2. public, improper burial (vv. 9-10)

See full note at 1 Chronicles 10:4.

▣ "fell on it" There are two suicides here, Saul and his armor-bearer (v. 5). Neither is condemned.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SUICIDE

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 31:7
  7When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; then the Philistines came and lived in them.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 31:8-13
  8It came about on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 10They put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men rose and walked 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. 13They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

31:9 "cut off his head" See note at 1 Sam. 17:51.

▣ "his weapons" As David took Goliath's weapons (and head) as a symbol of victory, so too, here the Philistines did to Saul.

31:9-10 "their idols. . .Ashtaroth" The chief deity of the Philistines was "Dagon," which was an ANE fertility god (cf. Jdgs. 16:23; 1 Sam. 5:2-7). Although the Philistines were Greek in culture, when they settled in southern Canaan, they adopted the Canaanite religion of fertility worship.

Ashtaroth was the female fertility goddess.

SPECIAL TOPIC: FERTILITY WORSHIP OF THE ANE

31:11 Saul had a special relationship with the city of Jabesh-gilead. He had delivered them from an Ammonite raid (cf. 1 Samuel 11).

31:12 "burned them" This chapter gives some biblical information about two modern questions.

  1. What does the Bible say about suicide? (vv. 4-5)
  2. What does the Bible say about cremation?

SPECIAL TOPIC: SUICIDE

SPECIAL TOPIC: CREMATION

31:13 "under the tamarish tree" Trees in this part of the world often showed the presence of underground water. They were considered special sacred sites.

▣ "fasted seven days" This was a cultural sign of respect.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

  1. How many sons did Saul have?
  2. Is suicide a sin?
  3. How much is the Philistine treatment of Saul related to David's treatment of Goliath?
  4. Why did Jabesh-gilead act on Saul's behalf?
  5. Is cremation a sin?

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