10. to the wall— ( :-) —"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 :-). :-. THE MEN OF JABESH-GILEAD RECOVER THE BODIES AND BURY THEM AT JABESH. read more
The death of Saul ch. 31The scene shifts back to Mt. Gilboa in the North and Saul. Saul’s battle with the Philistines in this chapter may have been simultaneous with David’s battle against the Amalekites in the previous one."Chapters 30 and 31 gain in poignancy and power if we regard their events as simultaneous. In the far south, David is anxious about his own and about spoil, while in the far north Saul and the Israelite army perish. . . . While David smites (hikkah) [’fought,’ 1 Samuel... read more
The aftermath of the battle 31:7-13The other Israelite soldiers retreated when they heard that Saul and his sons had died. This left towns in the region open for Philistine seizure. Instead of driving the native inhabitants out of the land, Saul had made it possible for them to drive the Israelites out and to reestablish themselves in Galilee (cf. Joshua 1:2-9).The Philistines cut off Saul’s head, as David had earlier cut off the head of Goliath, the Philistine champion (1 Samuel 17:51). They... read more
Defeat of the Israelites at Mt. Gilboa. Death of Saul6. And all his men] LXX omits. 7. The valley] of Jezreel. 10. The house of Ashtaroth] at Askelon: cp. 2 Samuel 1:20.Bethshan] between the Gilboa and little Hermon ranges. 11. They thus showed their gratitude for former kindness: see 1 Samuel 11.12. Burnt them] The action of the men of Jabesh was probably due to their fear that the Philistines would remove the bodies.13. Under a tree] RV ’under the tamarisk tree.’ It was evidently some... read more
(9) And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour.—Only Saul’s head and armour is mentioned here, but on comparing 1 Samuel 31:12, where the bodies of his sons are especially mentioned, it is clear that this act was not confined to the person of the king. The sense of the passage there is, the heads of the king and his three sons were cut off, and their armour stripped from their bodies. The heads and armour were sent as trophies round about the different towns and villages of... read more
(10) The house of Ashtaroth.—Literally, of “the Ashtaroth.” The expression may signify that the pieces of armour belonging to the four men were divided between the different shrines of Astarte in the land, or placed together in the famous Astarte Temple, at Askelon, which Herodotus (i. 105) describes as the most ancient of the temples dedicated to the worship of the Syrian Venus. The latter supposition seems the more probable, as Askelon is specially mentioned by David in the funeral hymn of... read more
The Death of Israel's First King 1 Samuel 31:0 Saul's death was neither more nor less than suicide; the death of all deaths the most loathsome and despised of men: of all deaths the only one that men call cowardly. It was a great historical event, meaning much to the nation which saw its first king thus sadly fall. It was the end of Saul's kingdom: his sons and all his family, and with them, all his hopes, died with him that night on Mount Gilboa. And it is still a conspicuous moral, as well... read more
CHAPTER XXXVITHE DEATH OF SAUL.1 Samuel 31:1-13.THE plain of Esdraelon, where the battle between Saul and the Philistines was fought, has been celebrated for many a deadly encounter, from the very earliest period of history. Monuments of Egypt lately deciphered make it very plain that long before the country was possessed by the Israelites the plain had experienced the shock of contending armies. The records of the reign of Thotmes III, who has sometimes been called the Alexander the Great of... read more
9. The Death of Saul CHAPTER 31 1. Saul wounded in battle (1 Samuel 31:1-3 ) 2. Saul a suicide (1 Samuel 31:4-6 ) 3. The victorious Philistines (1 Samuel 31:7-10 ) 4. The bodies recovered and burnt (1 Samuel 31:11-13 ) A sad ending to one of the saddest stories of the Bible. Jonathan, Abinadab and Melchi-shua, Saul’s sons, fall first. Then Saul is wounded. He asks his armour bearer to make an end of his sufferings. There is no evidence whatever of his repentance and turning unto the... read more
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E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Samuel 31:10
his body . This is additional to 1 Chronicles 10:10 ; and "his head", there, is additional to 1 Samuel 31:10 . The two books and accounts are independent, supplementary, and complementary by Figure of speech Hysteresis ( App-6 ). See App-55 . Beth-shan. It had remained Canaanite, and therefore friendly to Philistines (Judges 1:27 ). read more