# 1 Samuel 31 đź“–: The Death of Saul
[[đź“š Explore the Bible Books]]
[[-1 Samuel Overview]] | [[1 Samuel 30]] | [[2 Samuel 01]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#đź’¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đź“‚ Internal Notes]]
## đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### The Death of Saul
[[#Verse 01.]]Â Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel. The men of Israel fled from the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa.Â
[[#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.Â
[[#Verse 03.]] Saul himself was in the thick of the battle; the archers spotted him and wounded him severely.
[[#Verse 04.]] Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and stab me with it! Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come, stab me, and torture me.” But his armor-bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.Â
[[#Verse 05.]]Â When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him.Â
[[#Verse 06.]]Â So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that day.
[[#Verse 07.]]Â When the men of Israel who were in the valley and across the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the 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 three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa.Â
[[#Verse 09.]] They cut off Saul’s head and stripped him of his armor. They sent messengers to announce the news in the temple of their idols and among their people throughout the surrounding land of the Philistines.Â
[[#Verse 10.]] They placed Saul’s armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his corpse on the city wall of Beth Shan.
[[#Verse 11.]]Â When the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,Â
[[#Verse 12.]] all their warriors set out and traveled throughout the night. They took Saul’s corpse and the corpses of his sons from the city wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them.Â
[[#Verse 13.]]Â They took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh; then they fasted for seven days.
## đź“– 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.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The battle took place on Mount Gilboa (31:1), on the eastern side of the Jezreel Valley.
2. Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, three of Saul's sons, died in the battle (31:2).
3. Saul was badly wounded by archers (31:3).
4. Saul's armor-bearer refused to kill him because he was terrified (31:4).
5. 2 Samuel 1:6-10 gives an Amalekite's different account of Saul's death, which many scholars think was a lie told to win David's favor.
6. The Philistines put Saul's armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths (31:10).
7. 1 Chronicles 10:10 adds that the Philistines fastened Saul's head in the temple of Dagon.
8. Saul's body was fastened to the wall of Beth-shan (31:10), a major city that archaeologists have extensively excavated.
9. The men of Jabesh-gilead traveled all night to recover the bodies (31:12), remembering how Saul had rescued them (11:1-11).
10. They buried the bones under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh and fasted seven days (31:13).
## 🧠Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the King who died on a hill in victory, not defeat. Saul died on Mount Gilboa because of his unfaithfulness (31:4; 1 Chronicles 10:13), but Jesus died for our sins and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź’¬ Discussion Questions
1. Saul's life ended in defeat and shame (31:3-4). Looking back over his story, where did things begin to go wrong?
2. Jonathan died alongside his father, though his heart was right with God (31:2). How do we make sense of faithful people suffering because of others' choices?
3. The men of Jabesh-gilead risked their lives to honor Saul (31:11-13). Why do you think they remembered his kindness?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- đź“– verse 4: Saul takes his own sword and falls on it.
- đź“– verse 6: Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men die together that day.
- đź“– verses 12-13: The brave men of Jabesh-gilead recover the bodies, bury them, and fast seven days.
## đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đź”— [[1 Chronicles 10#Verse 01.|1 Chronicles 10:1-14]] - The account of Saul's death retold.
- đź”— [[2 Samuel 01#Verse 17.|2 Samuel 1:17-27]] - David's lament for Saul and Jonathan.
- đź”— [[1 Samuel 11#Verse 01.|1 Samuel 11:1-11]] - Saul rescues Jabesh-gilead.
- đź”— [[Proverbs 14#Verse 12.|Proverbs 14:12]] - There is a way that seems right but ends in death.
- đź”— [[1 Corinthians 15#Verse 03.|1 Corinthians 15:3-4]] - Christ died for our sins and was raised.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
📝 SOAP: [[1 Samuel 31 - SOAP|The Wise Don’t “Pile On”]]
## đź“‚ Internal Notes