15 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 31 This chapter gives an account of the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites, which had been preparing for, and the issue of it; in which Saul, his three sons, and his servants, were slain, upon which his army fled, and several of his cities were taken, 1 Samuel 31:1; what the Philistines did with his body...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now the Philistines fought against Israel,.... Being come to Jezreel where Israel pitched, 1 Samuel 29:1; they fell upon them, began the battle: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines; at the first onset, as it should seem: and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa; which was near, and whither fleeing they were pursued and slain, at...
Matthew Henry - Complete Commentary - Matthew Henry
In the foregoing chapter we had David conquering, yea, more than a conqueror. In this chapter we have Saul conquered and worse than a captive. Providence ordered it that both these things should be doing just at the same time. The very same day; perhaps, that David was triumphing over the Amalekites, were the Philistines triumphing over Saul. One...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul,.... Stuck to him, pushed him close, bore hard upon him in that part of the army where he was having a design upon his person: and upon his sons; who were with him: and the Philistines slew Jonathan; who is mentioned first, being the eldest son, and perhaps first slain; and this was so ordered by the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the battle went sore against Saul,.... Pressed heavy upon him; he was the butt of the Philistines, they aimed at his person and life: and the archers hit him; or "found him" (a); the place where was, and directed their arrows at him: and he was sore wounded of the archers; or rather "he was afraid" of them, as the Targum, for as yet he was not...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Then said Saul unto his armourbearer,.... Who, the Jews (b) say, was Doeg the Edomite, promoted to this office for slaying the priests: draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; for if he was wounded, yet not mortally, and it is certain he did not so apprehend it. It is much the sword of the armourbearer should be sheathed in a battle; but...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead,.... By his own hands, and not by the hands of the Amalekite, which the armour bearer would scarcely have suffered: he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him; some think that Saul, and his armourbearer, died by the same sword, which was the armourbearer's; and if he was Doeg, they fell...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
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 (e) 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...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And which the men of Israel that [were] on the other side of the valley,.... The valley of Jezreel; of which [See comments on Hosea 1:5]; and [they] that [were] on the other side Jordan; or rather "on that side"; for the phrase will bear to be rendered either way, and so may mean that side of Jordan on which the battle was fought; for as for the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass on the morrow,.... The day after the battle, which perhaps was fought till night came on: when the Philistines came to strip the slain; of their clothes, and take from them whatever was valuable, as their booty: that they found Saul and his sons fallen in Mount Gilboa; to which they had betaken themselves, when the battle went...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they cut off his head,.... And fastened it in the temple of Dagon, 1 Chronicles 10:10; perhaps that which was at Ashdod, one of the principalities of the Philistines, 1 Samuel 5:1; and stripped off his armour; or vessels (h), his clothes as well as his armour, and what he had about him; as for his crown on his head, and the bracelet on his...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth,.... A temple dedicated to their deities, called by this name; of which [See comments on Judges 2:13]; Nothing was more common with the Gentiles than to place in their temples the arms they took from their enemies, as is strongly expressed by Homer (i) and Virgil (k); and indeed the Jews did the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead,.... Who lived on the other side Jordan, about eight miles from Bethshan, according to Fuller (p): heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; not only that they had got the victory over him, and routed his army, but had abused his body, and hung it up by way of reproach and ignominy; which they could...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
All the valiant men arose,.... Of the city of Jabeshgilead, fired with indignation at the Philistines' ill usage of Saul and the bodies of his sons: and went all night; not only for secrecy, but for haste: and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh; brought them with them thither, the...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And they took their bones, and buried [them] under a tree at Jabesh,.... For though they burned the bodies, yet so as to preserve the bones; and these, together with the ashes of the parts burnt, they gathered up, and buried under a tree near this city; this tree is said to be an oak, 1 Chronicles 10:12; so Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, was...