1 Samuel 31:6

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 31:1-7

The day of recompence has now come, in which Saul must account for the blood of the Amalekites which he had sinfully spared, and that of the priests which he had more sinfully spilt; that of David too, which he would have spilt, must come into the account. Now his day has come to fall, as David foresaw, when he should descend into battle and perish, 1 Sam. 26:10. Come and see the righteous judgments of God. I. He sees his soldiers fall about him, 1 Sam. 31:1. Whether the Philistines were more... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 31:6

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 says F5 Antiqu. 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 ; Eupolemus F6 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 3. p. 447. , an Heathen writer,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 31:6

And all his men - Probably meaning those of his troops which were his life or body guards: as to the bulk of the army, it fled at the commencement of the battle, 1 Samuel 31:1 . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 31:1-6

Judgment at last. The facts are— 1 . In the battle at Gilboa the men of Israel suffer a defeat from the Philistines. 2 . His sons being slain, the conflict presses hard on Saul. 3 . Dreading to fall by the hand of a Philistine, and failing to find death through the hand of his armour bearer, he falls on his own sword, his example being followed by his armour bearer. Here we have the closing scene in the tragedy of Saul's life, verifying the prediction of Samuel. Our heart... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 31:3-6

The bitter end. The tragic element, so conspicuous in this history, is intense in the last scene of all. I. SAUL 'S DEATH . 1 . His despair. When the battle went against him, and the Philistines, keeping beyond reach of his long arm and terrible sword, hit him from a distance with their arrows, the king's spirit suddenly failed and died within him. "He trembled sore because of the archers." Always fitful in his moods, liable to sudden elation and sudden depression, he gave up... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 31:5-6

His armour bearer. The Jewish tradition says that he was Doeg the Edomite, and that the sword on which Saul fell was that with which he had massacred the priests. This is not very probable; but whoever he was, his horror on being asked to slay his master, and his devotion to him, are deserving of admiration. All his men. In 1 Chronicles 10:6 " all his house." But Ishbosheth and Abner survived, and the meaning probably is not that his whole army, but that his personal attendants, all... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 31:6

All his men - This and similar expressions must not be taken too literally (compare 1 Chronicles 10:6). We know that Abner, and Ish-bosheth, and manymore survived the day of Gilboa. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 31:1-13

David’s victory and Saul’s defeat (30:1-31:13)When David’s men returned to Ziklag, they found it a deserted, burnt out ruin. The Amalekites had raided the cities of Philistia and Judah while all the fighting men were away at war. The shock of losing everything - wives, families and possessions - drove David to total dependence on God. It was the kind of dependence that seems to have been lacking during his sixteen months in Philistia (30:1-8).Assisted by some capable Israelite military... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Samuel 31:6

So Saul died . Compare 1 Chronicles 10:13 , 1 Chronicles 10:14 . Here, history from human standpoint; in Chronicles, God's standpoint, and reasons of the history. See notes on 1 Chronicles 10:13 , and App-55 . If Saul was thirty years of age when anointed, he would now be seventy; and Jonathan fifty-three or fifty-four. See note on 1 Samuel 13:1 . and. Some codices, with two early printed editions, Syriac, and Vulgate, read "yea, and". read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Samuel 31:6

1 Samuel 31:6. So Saul died— Josephus runs out into high encomiums upon Saul, who, knowing that he was to die, thus gallantly exposed himself for his country. But, in truth, there is not the least room for panegyrick. He died, not gallantly fighting, but by his own hand. He died, not as a hero, but as a deserter. Self-murder is demonstrably the effect of cowardice, and it is as irrational and iniquitous as it is base. God, whose creatures we are, is the sole arbiter, as he is the sole author of... read more

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