Chapter 31

1 Saul having lost his army, and his sons slain, he and his armourbearer kill themselves. 7 The Philistines possess the forsaken towns of the Israelites. 8 They triumph over the dead carcases. 11 They of Jabesh-gilead, recovering the bodies by night, burn them at Jabesh, and mournfully bury their bones.

1. Israel fled. The armies of Israel appeared to have the tactical advantage in choosing Mt. Gilboa for their stand. It was difficult, from a military point of view, for the Philistines to cross the river Jalud and fight their way up Mt. Gilboa. Nevertheless Israel fell. The apostasy of Saul, who sought help from a familiar spirit, had precipitated the disaster. Israel had been forewarned that in the day of their refusal to be guided by the Lord’s statutes and covenant, they would “flee when none pursueth” (Lev. 26:17).

Fell down slain. Or, “fell down wounded.” The primary meaning of the Hebrew verb chalal, from which is derived the noun here translated “slain,” is “to pierce.” It may mean to wound fatally, or merely to wound without inflicting immediate death, as is its meaning in v. 3.

2. Followed hard. The disastrous defeat taught the Israelites the folly of adopting the ways of the world in demanding a king. When that king became a tyrant, the whole nation became a party to his shortcomings, and shared responsibility with him.

Slew Jonathan. The question naturally arises, Why did the Lord permit Jonathan to be slain along with his father when his attitudes were totally contrary to those of Saul? Why could not he, a spiritual-minded soul, disavowing his father’s ideals, and sympathetically knitting himself with David in following the opening providences of the Lord, have been permitted to live? Why could not Ishbosheth have gone in his place, instead of living on to follow in his father’s footsteps? This is a question beyond the ability of man to answer (see GC 47). The records of sacred history reveal that persecution and death have been the lot of the righteous in all ages. Because of the implications of the great controversy Satan must be granted an opportunity to afflict the righteous. But the Christian’s comfort is that though the adversary may be able to destroy the body, he is not able to destroy the soul (Matt. 10:28). Once the relationship of the soul to God has been unalterably decided upon, the continuance or discontinuance of this present life is not of prime importance. We may magnify Christ “by life, or by death” (Phil. 1:20–23).

3. Hit him. Literally, “found him.”

Sore wounded. The Philistines realized the advantage of slaying Israel’s king. Probably a specially trained detachment was commissioned to search out Saul. A similar maneuver was carried out by the Syrians in their battle with Ahab and Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 18:28–34).

4. Abuse me. Or, “deal wantonly [or ruthlessly] with me.” Saul was fearful lest the Philistines treat him in much the same way that they had treated Samson. He had shown no such concern for David, but had plotted at one time to have him fall into the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines (ch. 18:21–25).

Feel upon it. Like Judas, he took his own life. Perhaps, influenced by the tauntings of the evil spirit that he was going to die, he lost his reason and sought suicide in order to escape enemy abuse.

Opinions differ as to the exact method of his death. Presumably basing his narrative on the Amalekite’s story (2 Sam. 1:1–10), Josephus says that the Amalekite actually killed him when he found him still alive after falling on his sword (Antiquities vi. 14. 7). However, it appears evident that the young man invented his story for the purpose of winning the approbation of David (see PP 682, 695).

6. Saul died. See 1 Chron. 10:13, 14. Thus ended a life once so bright with promise. The ruin of Saul’s career and the loss of his soul were the results of his own fateful choice. Men are not pieces of inanimate clay in the hands of an arbitrary potter, but sentient beings who voluntarily offer themselves to the guidance of one or the other of two diametrically opposed powers. Saul, by his own volition, had invited the prince of darkness to control him. His master had paid him his wages.

7. The other side. On the north side of the Valley of Jezreel were the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun, and part of the tribe of Issachar. East of the Jordan were the half tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Gad. By occupying the valleys of Esdraelon, Jezreel, and Jordan, the Philistines had made a complete line of cleavage through the center of Israel’s domain. The people who had so loudly demanded a king now had opportunity to view the results of their decision. In the face of such an ignominious defeat, they were made to realize how much better it would have been to await the word of the Lord than to run ahead of Him. Royalty and commoners alike were sharers in the woes that now had come.

A survey of Saul’s inglorious reign shows that whereas Samuel’s administration of law had been helpful, Saul’s was the reverse. Under his rule there had been no such things as security of life or property. Freedom from foreign aggression and strength of international relationships were unheard of. Through the hard lesson of experience, Israel had to learn the futility of placing in power a king who was mainly concerned with the enrichment of his own home and the enforcement of his arbitrary desires. The people had erred in judgment; Saul had erred in executive wisdom.

9. Cut off his head. The treatment shows the disdain the Philistines had for Israel, and reflects the degree to which Saul had been successful in throwing off the Philistine yoke. The decapitation was in accordance with the customs of the times and probably partially in retaliation for the manner in which Israel had treated Goliath (ch. 17:51–54). Saul’s head was placed in the temple of Dagon (1 Chron. 10:10), a shrine probably located in Ashdod (1 Sam. 5:2–7). This act would indicate that the Philistines gave Dagon credit for the great victory at Mt. Gilboa. They did not realize that they would have had no power at all, except it had been given them from above (John 19:11). The Philistines had had abundance of evidence of the superiority of Jehovah over Dagon (see 1 Sam. 5), but they preferred to depend on their own ability and rejected God.

10. Ashtaroth. The plural form of Ashtoreth, a goddess otherwise known as Astarte, and often confused with the other similar Canaanite goddesses Asherah and Anath. The goddesses is often mentioned in the Bible in connection with the Canaanite god Baal (also called Hadad). To the Philistines, putting Saul’s head in the temple of Dagon and his armor in the house of Ashtaroth meant victory over Israel’s God, Yahweh.

Beth-shan. At the eastern end of the Valley of Jezreel, Beth-shan, now Tell elРHusn, near modern Beisan, was 8 or 10 mi. (13 or 16 km.) from the battlefield. It is uncertain whether the town had been occupied by the Philistines previously or had been taken subsequent to the battle.

11. Jabesh-gilead. See on ch. 11:1–11. Remembering that Saul had wrought so wonderfully for the deliverance of this city, the elders felt it a privilege to do honor to the body of their rescuer. Misfortune, defeat, and death all bring to light the hidden sympathies in the hearts of men, and reveal their noblest sentiments.

Fasted seven days. The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead demonstrated unabated loyalty to their fallen leader. Having accorded his body and the bodies of his sons a respectable burial, they observed a brief period of mourning.

Ellen G. White comments

1–13PP 681, 682

1–4PP 681

5, 7–10, 12, 13PP 682