# 1 Chronicles 10 📖: The Death of Saul [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-1 Chronicles Overview]] | [[1 Chronicles 09]] | [[1 Chronicles 11]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ## Saul’s Death [[#Verse 01.]] Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The Israelites fled before the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa.  [[#Verse 02.]] The Philistines stayed right on the heels of Saul and his sons. They struck down Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.  [[#Verse 03.]] The battle was thick around Saul; the archers spotted him and wounded him.  [[#Verse 04.]] Saul told his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and stab me with it. Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come and torture me.” But his armor-bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.  [[#Verse 05.]] When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died.  [[#Verse 06.]] So Saul and his three sons died; his whole household died together.  [[#Verse 07.]] When all the Israelites who were in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. The Philistines came and occupied them. [[#Verse 08.]] The next day, when the Philistines came to strip loot from the corpses, they discovered Saul and his sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa.  [[#Verse 09.]] They stripped his corpse, and then carried off his head and his armor. They sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines proclaiming the news to their idols and their people. [[#Verse 10.]] They placed his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.  [[#Verse 11.]] When all the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul,  [[#Verse 12.]] all the warriors went and recovered the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their remains under the oak tree in Jabesh and fasted for seven days. [[#Verse 13.]] So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord and did not obey the Lord’s instructions; he even tried to conjure up underworld spirits.  [[#Verse 14.]] He did not seek the Lord’s guidance, so the Lord killed him and transferred the kingdom to David son of Jesse. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Chronicles begins its story with Saul's death and skips almost all of his reign. 2. The battle took place on Mount Gilboa (10:1), overlooking the Jezreel Valley. 3. Three of Saul's sons, including Jonathan, died in the battle (10:2). 4. Saul's armor-bearer refused to kill him because he was afraid (10:4). 5. "All his family died together" (10:6) points to the end of Saul's dynasty. His son Ish-Bosheth briefly ruled afterward (2 Samuel 2:8-10). 6. The Philistines hung Saul's head in the temple of Dagon (10:10). 1 Samuel 31:10 adds that his body was fastened to the wall of Beth Shan. 7. The men of Jabesh Gilead remembered how Saul had rescued their city (1 Samuel 11:1-11). 8. They buried the bones of Saul and his sons and fasted seven days (10:12). 9. The medium Saul consulted (10:13) is the woman at Endor (1 Samuel 28:7-19). 10. Even though Saul fell on his own sword, 10:14 says the Lord killed him, showing that Chronicles sees God's hand over all events. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the faithful King who always seeks the Father. Saul died because he did not seek the Lord (10:13-14), but Jesus always does what pleases the Father (John 8:29). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. Chronicles sums up Saul's life in two verses (10:13-14). What would two verses say about your walk with God? 2. What does it mean to seek the Lord instead of other sources of guidance (10:13-14)? Where are you tempted to look elsewhere? 3. The men of Jabesh Gilead honored Saul in his death (10:11-12). How can we show loyalty and gratitude even to imperfect leaders? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 4: Saul falls on his own sword when his armor-bearer refuses to kill him. - 📖 verse 13: Saul died because he was unfaithful, did not obey the Lord's word, and consulted a medium. - 📖 verse 14: Saul did not seek the Lord, so the kingdom was turned over to David. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[1 Samuel 31|1 Samuel 31]] - The parallel account of Saul's death. - 🔗 [[1 Samuel 28#Verse 07.|1 Samuel 28:7-19]] - Saul consults a medium. - 🔗 [[1 Samuel 11#Verse 01.|1 Samuel 11:1-11]] - Saul rescues Jabesh Gilead. - 🔗 [[1 Samuel 15#Verse 22.|1 Samuel 15:22-23]] - To obey is better than sacrifice. - 🔗 [[Jeremiah 29#Verse 13.|Jeremiah 29:13]] - Seek the Lord with all your heart. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[1 Chronicles 10 - SOAP|How Will You Be Remembered?]] ## 📂 Internal Notes