1 Samuel 31

Israel is routed by the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, and Saul and his three sons die. The Philistines display Saul’s body in shame, but the men of Jabesh-gilead bravely rescue it and give the royal family an honorable burial. The chapter closes the sad story of Saul and prepares for David’s reign.

1 Samuel 31:1

The long conflict with the Philistines ends in a crushing defeat. Israel’s army runs, and many are cut down on Mount Gilboa. The battle Saul feared (28:4-5) now comes, and the man who had been chosen to deliver Israel from the Philistines cannot do it.

BSA: fled (“quickly left, escaped”): The army’s panic shows how completely Israel’s courage had collapsed without God’s help.

See also: 1 Samuel 28:4-6.

1 Samuel 31:2

The Philistines press hard after the royal family and kill three of Saul’s sons, including Jonathan. Jonathan, the loyal friend of David, falls beside a father who had rejected God’s word. It is a sorrowful picture of how one man’s sin can bring grief on those around him.

BSA: followed hard (“closely, relentlessly”): The enemy gave the royal house no room to escape.

Hebrew: וַיַּדְבְּקוּ (wayyadbeqû, H1692) — “and they clung, stuck close.” The Hebrew word means to cling or stick to something. The Philistines stayed right on the heels of Saul’s family and would not let go.

1 Samuel 31:3

As the fighting grows fierce, Philistine archers find Saul and wound him badly. The mighty king, taller than any man in Israel, is now helpless. The strength he once leaned on cannot protect him.

BSA: archers (“men with bows, skilled marksmen”): Saul is brought down from a distance, by men he could not even fight face to face.

1 Samuel 31:4

Saul fears being tortured and mocked by the “uncircumcised,” a name for those outside God’s covenant. He asks his armor-bearer to kill him. The man is too afraid to do it, so Saul falls on his own sword. The text simply reports it without approving it. It is the sad end of a king who stopped listening to God.

BSA: uncircumcised (“heathen, those who do not know God”): Saul sees the Philistines as outside God’s covenant, yet he does not see how far he himself has strayed. torture (“to abuse, to revile”): He dreads being mocked and abused while still alive.

See also: Judges 9:54.

1 Samuel 31:5-6

The armor-bearer, seeing the king dead, also takes his own life. Saul, three sons, the armor-bearer and his men all die in one day. The house of Saul is brought low at a single stroke, and the kingdom must now pass to another.

BSA: together (“united, in unity”): They fall as one company, a stark picture of the whole royal house ending in a single day.

1 Samuel 31:7

News of the defeat spreads, and Israelites in the valley and across the Jordan leave their towns in terror. The Philistines simply move in. One failed king leaves the whole land exposed, and ordinary families lose their homes.

BSA: abandoned (“forsaken, left behind”): People left their homes and fields in fear, and the enemy took them over.

1 Samuel 31:8-9

The next day the Philistines come to plunder the dead and find Saul. They cut off his head, take his armor, and send word everywhere. They want to celebrate the victory as the work of their gods. It is a bitter humiliation for the man who had been Israel’s anointed king.

BSA: proclaim (“publish, announce”): They made the news public so that Saul’s fall would be a cause for celebration across their land.

See also: 1 Samuel 17:51-54.

1 Samuel 31:10

Saul’s armor is placed in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and his body is fastened to the wall of Beth-shan. The Philistines give credit to their gods and put the king on display. It is a shameful sight, yet the Lord is not defeated by it, and he will raise up another king.

BSA: wall (“barrier, protection”): The city wall, meant to protect, is turned into a place of shame for Israel’s king.

See also: 1 Samuel 5:1-5.

1 Samuel 31:11-12

The men of Jabesh-gilead hear what has happened and act. Early in his reign, Saul had rescued their city from a cruel enemy. Now their bravest men travel all night to bring back the bodies of Saul and his sons. It is a costly act of gratitude and faithfulness.

BSA: valor (“strength, might, or power”): These were strong, proven warriors, and they risked their lives to honor their king.

See also: 1 Samuel 11:1-11.

1 Samuel 31:13

The people of Jabesh bury the bones under a tamarisk tree and fast for seven days. Their quiet mourning gives Saul a decent burial. Later, David will honor them for this kindness and move the bones to the family tomb.

BSA: fasted (“abstained from food, devoted themselves to prayer”): Going without food was a way of showing deep grief and humility before God.

See also: 2 Samuel 2:4-6; 2 Samuel 21:12-14.