1 Samuel 31:1-6

Saul's Last Battle, 1 Samuel 31:1-13.

Saul's Death. 1 Samuel 31:1-6

Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
4 Then said Saul to his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, that same day together.

1.

Why did Israel fight in the mountains? 1 Samuel 31:1

The Israelites seemed to prefer the hill country for their battlefield, They were forced to fight Jaban, the king of Hazor, in the lowlands in the days of Joshua (Joshua 11:1). At that time the Canaanites fought with horses and chariots (Joshua 11:4), equipment which the Israelites did not appear to use in the battle until the later days of the kings of Israel (1 Kings 20:25; 2 Kings 9:16; et al.). Israel evidently held a good reputation for fighting in the hill country, and their enemies thought that they were not able to fight in the valleys (1 Kings 20:23). The chariots of their enemies would be able to roll more freely in the plains and the valleys, so Israel would have every advantage as they went into this final battle under Saul. They would have the physical advantage of the terrain as they went into this final battle against the Philistines. The most important advantage was not theirs. They did not have the blessings of God.

2.

Why were Saul's sons with him? 1 Samuel 31:2

In earlier battles Jonathan was the leader of the sons of Saul. On occasions he had been in charge of at least one thousand men. It was his bravery that brought an initial victory as he and his armor-bearers surprised the Philistine garrison. Abinadab and Melchishua may also have been in charge of a detachment of soldiers. Israel needed all her men in this great battle. Her kings-' sons were not exempt from military duty.

3.

How badly was Saul wounded? 1 Samuel 31:3

The Philistines were better equipped in many ways than the Israelites. They used their bowmen with great advantage in the fighting on the mountain slopes. It was these men who finally caught up with Saul and his three sons. Jonathan, Abinadab and Melchishua were evidently mortally wounded by the Philistines themselves. Saul's wounds left him able to converse with his armor-bearers and finally to fall on his own sword, though dying. The Greek translation of the Bible, made some two hundred years before Christ, viewed this situation as one depicting Saul being wounded in the abdomen. He might have expected this wound to be fatal, and it certainly kept him from engaging in further battle. He was not so severely wounded that he could not kill himself. He was wounded so badly that he despaired of living, or else he would have not asked his armor-bearer to slay him. The words used in the various translations as well as in the original text point to his being wounded under the breast cartilage. This would put the wound in his abdomen and bowels and probably would have resulted in his ultimate death.

4.

Why did the armor-bearer refuse to kill Saul? 1 Samuel 31:4

Saul wanted his armor-bearer to kill him so that the Philistines could not make sport of him (Judges 19:25). Cases such as his and that of Abimelech (Judges 9:54) indicate that enemies of the day quite often amused themselves with the helpless but conscious warriors whom they found. Whether the armor-bearer was in a too-distressed state of mind or had too much reverence for his lord cannot be made out with certainty. The latter seems more probable. When the armor-bearer refused to kill Saul, Saul fell on his own sword and died. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died with him.

5.

How did Saul die? 1 Samuel 31:6

The archers of the Philistines overtook him; and when they got him in range, they wounded him. Saul then called upon his armor-bearer to run him through with his sword, but the armor-bearer would not do this. Saul wanted to die at the hands of a friend rather than at the hands of the Philistines who would cool their courage by maltreating him; but the armor-bearer was afraid, since he was supposed to be answerable for the king's life. Saul then inflicted death upon himself with his sword, and the armor-bearer also fell upon his own sword and died with his king, On that day then Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer all died. It is said that all his house, or all the warriors who went out with him as a part of his house or his household, were slain in this battle. Neither Abner nor Saul's son, Ish-botheth, was included: for the latter did not go out to battle, and although the former was Saul's cousin and commander-in-chief, he did not belong to his house nor was he considered his servant. Saul's taking his own sword and falling upon it is one of the very rare instances of suicide in the Old Testament, In view of it, the older commentators discuss the question of Saul's final salvation, generally with an unfavorable verdict.