1 Samuel 31 Study Notes: Saul Dies on Mount Gilboa
The Philistines defeat Israel on Mount Gilboa, killing Jonathan and two of his brothers, and the badly wounded Saul takes his own life. The Philistines dishonor his body and celebrate in their temples, but the brave men of Jabesh-gilead recover the bodies, bury them, and fast seven days.
General
The king, three of his sons and his men all died on the same day. Whose earlier word did this fulfill (1 Samuel 31:6)?
Answer: Samuel’s word to Saul at Endor in the night
When he saw that his master had died, the armor-bearer took his own life the same way (31:5). The narrator sums up: the king, three of his sons, the young man who carried his weapons, and his troops all perished together that day (31:6). This was what Samuel had foretold to Saul at Endor: tomorrow the king and his sons would join him among the dead (28:19). Chronicles adds God’s verdict: the LORD ended Saul’s life because of his unfaithfulness and handed the throne to David (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). Saul was fully responsible for his sins, and the LORD was carrying out the judgment He had announced long before (15:28).
- 1 Samuel 31:5-6 (BSB)“When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him. So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.”The armor-bearer dies with Saul, and Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer and all his men die on the same day.
- 1 Samuel 28:19 (BSB)“Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.””Samuel had foretold that tomorrow Saul and his sons would join him among the dead.
- 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 (BSB)“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”Chronicles explains that the LORD put Saul to death for his unfaithfulness and gave the kingdom to David.
- 1 Samuel 15:28 (BSB)“So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.”Samuel had long before announced that the kingdom was torn from Saul and given to another.
Theological
The deaths of Saul, his sons and his men on one day fulfilled whose prediction (1 Samuel 31:6)?
Answer: Samuel’s word to Saul at Endor in the night
The armor-bearer followed Saul in death (31:5), and the narrator’s summary records that the king, three sons, his weapon-bearer and his troops all perished together that day (31:6), precisely as Samuel had announced at Endor (28:19). Chronicles supplies the divine verdict: it was the LORD who ended Saul’s life for his unfaithfulness and transferred the throne to David (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). Saul’s culpability is real, and the outcome is the LORD’s sovereign execution of the sentence first pronounced in 15:28.
- 1 Samuel 31:5-6 (BSB)“When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him. So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.”The armor-bearer dies with Saul, and Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer and all his men die on the same day.
- 1 Samuel 28:19 (BSB)“Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.””Samuel had foretold that tomorrow Saul and his sons would join him among the dead.
- 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 (BSB)“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”Chronicles explains that the LORD put Saul to death for his unfaithfulness and gave the kingdom to David.
- 1 Samuel 15:28 (BSB)“So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.”Samuel had long before announced that the kingdom was torn from Saul and given to another.
General
How did Saul’s armor-bearer respond when the wounded Saul asked him to kill him (1 Samuel 31:4)?
Answer: He was too afraid, so he would not do it
As the fighting grew fierce around Saul, the Philistine archers reached him and badly wounded the king (31:3). Saul asked his armor-bearer, the young man who carried his weapons, to kill him so that the uncircumcised Philistines would not do it and abuse him. But the armor-bearer was too afraid and would not, so Saul ended his own life with his sword (31:4). Chronicles gives the same account (1 Chronicles 10:4). David had once said that the LORD Himself would strike Saul down, whether his time came or he died in battle (26:10), and David never raised his hand against him. In 2 Samuel 1 an Amalekite later gives David a different account of Saul’s death.
- 1 Samuel 31:3-4 (BSB)“When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.”Badly wounded by archers, Saul asks his armor-bearer to kill him; when the man refuses, Saul falls on his own sword.
- 1 Chronicles 10:4 (BSB)“Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.”Chronicles gives the same account of Saul’s death.
- 1 Samuel 26:10 (BSB)“David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.”David had said that the LORD Himself would strike Saul down, whether his day simply came or he fell in battle.
Theological
What did Saul’s armor-bearer do when the wounded king asked to be killed (1 Samuel 31:4)?
Answer: He was too afraid, so he would not do it
With the battle pressing on him, Saul was badly wounded by the archers (31:3). He asked his armor-bearer to kill him rather than leave him to the uncircumcised Philistines, but the armor-bearer, overcome with fear, would not, and the king ended his own life (31:4; 1 Chronicles 10:4). David’s earlier words came true: the LORD would strike Saul, whether by his appointed day or in battle, without David’s hand being raised against him (26:10). The Amalekite who comes to David in 2 Samuel 1 gives an account that differs from the narrator’s here.
- 1 Samuel 31:3-4 (BSB)“When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.”Badly wounded by archers, Saul asks his armor-bearer to kill him; when the man refuses, Saul falls on his own sword.
- 1 Chronicles 10:4 (BSB)“Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.”Chronicles gives the same account of Saul’s death.
- 1 Samuel 26:10 (BSB)“David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.”David had said that the LORD Himself would strike Saul down, whether his day simply came or he fell in battle.
General
True or False: After Saul’s death, Israelites in the valley and across the Jordan left their towns, and the Philistines moved in.
Answer: True
This is true. When Israelites living in the valley region and east of the Jordan learned that the army had been routed and the king and his sons killed, they left their towns and ran, and the Philistines moved in and occupied them (31:7). The defeat was not only personal for Saul; it left the land open to the enemy. This is a sad end for a king who had first been anointed to save Israel from the Philistines (9:16), and it recalls the fear of the people early in his reign (13:6).
- 1 Samuel 31:7 (BSB)“When the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.”Israelites in the valley and across the Jordan abandon their towns, and the Philistines occupy them.
- 1 Samuel 13:6 (BSB)“Seeing that they were in danger because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns.”Early in Saul’s reign, Israelites had also hidden in fear of the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 9:16 (BSB)““At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.””Saul had been anointed to save Israel from the Philistines.
Theological
True or False: Following Saul’s death, Israelites in the valley and beyond the Jordan fled their towns, which the Philistines then occupied.
Answer: True
This is true. Seeing the army routed and the royal house fallen, Israelites in the valley region and east of the Jordan deserted their cities, and the Philistines occupied them (31:7). Saul’s reign thus ends as it had gone early on, with Israel cowering before the Philistines (13:6), a bitter reversal for the king anointed to deliver Israel from them (9:16).
- 1 Samuel 31:7 (BSB)“When the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.”Israelites in the valley and across the Jordan abandon their towns, and the Philistines occupy them.
- 1 Samuel 13:6 (BSB)“Seeing that they were in danger because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns.”Early in Saul’s reign, Israelites had also hidden in fear of the Philistines.
- 1 Samuel 9:16 (BSB)““At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him ruler over My people Israel; he will save them from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.””Saul had been anointed to save Israel from the Philistines.
General
How did the valiant fighters of Jabesh-gilead respond once they learned how Saul’s body had been treated (1 Samuel 31:11-13)?
Answer: They recovered the bodies, buried the bones at Jabesh, and fasted
When word reached Jabesh-gilead of how Saul had been treated, its bravest men traveled through the night, took down the royal bodies from the town wall at Beth-shan, and brought them home (31:11-12). There the bodies were burned, the bones buried beneath a tamarisk, and the men fasted seven days (31:12-13). Chapter 31 does not state their reason, but early in his reign Saul had rescued this very town from the Ammonites (11:9-11). David later blessed that town’s men for this loyal kindness (2 Samuel 2:4-5).
- 1 Samuel 31:11-12 (BSB)“When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.”The valiant men of Jabesh-gilead travel all night and retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons from Beth-shan.
- 1 Samuel 31:13 (BSB)“Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.”They bury the bones under the tamarisk at Jabesh and fast seven days.
- 1 Samuel 11:9-11 (BSB)“So they said to the messengers who had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’” And when the messengers relayed this to the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced. Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do with us whatever seems good to you.” The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions, and during the morning watch they invaded the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them, until the hottest part of the day. And the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.”At the start of his reign, Saul had rescued Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites besieging it.
- 2 Samuel 2:4-5 (BSB)“Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, “The LORD bless you, because you showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.”David later blessed the men of Jabesh-gilead for their kindness in burying Saul.
Theological
How did the town of Jabesh-gilead respond to the Philistines’ treatment of Saul (1 Samuel 31:11-13)?
Answer: They recovered the bodies, buried the bones at Jabesh, and fasted
Hearing of Saul’s treatment, the valiant fighters of Jabesh-gilead marched through the night, recovered the royal bodies from the wall at Beth-shan, brought them home, burned them, buried the bones beneath the tamarisk, and fasted seven days (31:11-13). The chapter gives no motive, but the act recalls Saul’s early deliverance of Jabesh from Ammon (11:9-11). David would commend their loyal kindness to Saul (2 Samuel 2:4-5). The book of 1 Samuel thus ends with this town honoring its fallen king.
- 1 Samuel 31:11-12 (BSB)“When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.”The valiant men of Jabesh-gilead travel all night and retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons from Beth-shan.
- 1 Samuel 31:13 (BSB)“Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.”They bury the bones under the tamarisk at Jabesh and fast seven days.
- 1 Samuel 11:9-11 (BSB)“So they said to the messengers who had come, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Deliverance will be yours tomorrow by the time the sun is hot.’” And when the messengers relayed this to the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced. Then the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will come out, and you can do with us whatever seems good to you.” The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions, and during the morning watch they invaded the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them, until the hottest part of the day. And the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.”At the start of his reign, Saul had rescued Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites besieging it.
- 2 Samuel 2:4-5 (BSB)“Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead to tell them, “The LORD bless you, because you showed this kindness to Saul your lord when you buried him.”David later blessed the men of Jabesh-gilead for their kindness in burying Saul.
General
Where did the Philistines spread the news of Saul’s defeat (1 Samuel 31:9)?
Answer: In their idols’ shrines and to their own people
The day after the battle, the Philistines went out to plunder the fallen and came upon the bodies of the king and his sons on Mount Gilboa (31:8). They dishonored Saul’s body, stripped the armor, and spread the report throughout their land, announcing the victory to their people and in the shrines of their gods (31:9). They placed the armor in a shrine of the Ashtoreths, Canaanite goddesses, and displayed the corpse on the town wall at Beth-shan (31:10). By announcing the victory in their temples, they gave the credit to their gods, as they had done when Samson was captured (Judges 16:23-24) and when they put the captured ark in Dagon’s temple (5:2). The scene is a humiliation for Israel’s first king.
- 1 Samuel 31:8 (BSB)“The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.”The next day the Philistines come to strip the dead and find Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa.
- Judges 16:23-24 (BSB)“Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.””When the Philistines captured Samson, they likewise praised their god for delivering their enemy to them.
- 1 Samuel 5:2 (BSB)“carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue.”After capturing the ark, the Philistines had placed it in the temple of their god Dagon.
Theological
Where did the Philistines announce their victory over Saul (1 Samuel 31:9)?
Answer: In their idols’ shrines and to their own people
Plundering the slain the next day, the Philistines came upon the bodies of the king and his sons on Gilboa (31:8). They dishonored the king’s body, took the armor, and spread the report throughout Philistia, to their people and to the houses of their idols (31:9), depositing the armor in a shrine of the Ashtoreths, then displaying the body on the town wall at Beth-shan (31:10). The proclamation in their temples ascribes the triumph to their gods, as with Samson’s capture (Judges 16:23-24) and the ark set in Dagon’s house (5:2). Israel’s first king ends with his armor displayed as a trophy in a pagan shrine.
- 1 Samuel 31:8 (BSB)“The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.”The next day the Philistines come to strip the dead and find Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa.
- Judges 16:23-24 (BSB)“Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.” And when the people saw him, they praised their god, saying: “Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy who destroyed our land and multiplied our dead.””When the Philistines captured Samson, they likewise praised their god for delivering their enemy to them.
- 1 Samuel 5:2 (BSB)“carried it into the temple of Dagon, and set it beside his statue.”After capturing the ark, the Philistines had placed it in the temple of their god Dagon.
General
Which of these men was killed in the battle on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:2)?
Answer: Jonathan
The Philistines defeated Israel on Mount Gilboa, and many Israelites fell as the rest fled (31:1). The Philistines pursued the king and his sons closely and killed three of the sons, Jonathan along with Abinadab and Malchishua (31:2; see also 1 Chronicles 10:2). This fulfilled what Samuel had told Saul at Endor, that tomorrow the king and his sons would be with him (28:19). Jonathan, David’s faithful friend, died in the same battle as his father. Ish-bosheth, another son, survived and was later made king by Abner (2 Samuel 2:8-9). Abner, the general who led Saul’s troops, also survived, and Joab was the brother of David’s follower Abishai (26:6).
- 1 Samuel 31:1-2 (BSB)“Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines hotly pursued Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.”Israel flees from the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, and three of Saul’s sons, including Jonathan, are killed.
- 1 Samuel 28:19 (BSB)“Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.””Samuel had foretold at Endor that tomorrow Saul and his sons would be with him.
- 1 Chronicles 10:2 (BSB)“The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.”Chronicles records the deaths of the same three sons.
- 2 Samuel 2:8-9 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, moved him to Mahanaim, and made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin—over all Israel.”Another son, Ish-bosheth, survived and was later made king by Abner.
Theological
Which of the following fell with Saul on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:2)?
Answer: Jonathan
Israel broke before the Philistines on Mount Gilboa (31:1), and the Philistines, pursuing the royal family closely, killed Jonathan together with his brothers Abinadab and Malchishua (31:2; 1 Chronicles 10:2), fulfilling Samuel’s announcement of 28:19. Jonathan, bound to David by covenant, dies alongside his father. Ish-bosheth survived to be set up as king by Abner (2 Samuel 2:8-9); Abner, the general over Saul’s troops, also survived, and Joab was the brother of David’s follower Abishai (26:6).
- 1 Samuel 31:1-2 (BSB)“Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines hotly pursued Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.”Israel flees from the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, and three of Saul’s sons, including Jonathan, are killed.
- 1 Samuel 28:19 (BSB)“Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.””Samuel had foretold at Endor that tomorrow Saul and his sons would be with him.
- 1 Chronicles 10:2 (BSB)“The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.”Chronicles records the deaths of the same three sons.
- 2 Samuel 2:8-9 (BSB)“Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, moved him to Mahanaim, and made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin—over all Israel.”Another son, Ish-bosheth, survived and was later made king by Abner.