1 Samuel 31

The Death of Saul And His Sons

The final section of this book records a tragic defeat for Israel and the end of Saul’s reign and dynasty.  All that Samuel had prophesied came to pass, and the king the people demanded would soon be replaced by the king God had prepared. 

The Philistines Fought Against Israel

Israel’s Men

Vs. 1 - The Philistines fought against Israel, and Israel’s men fled from them and were killed on Mount Gilboa.

This was the battle for which David had agreed to fight with the Philistines alongside King Achish.  Again, we are not told whether David planned to fight for or against his people once the actual battle began, whether or not he was completely honest about his intentions. 

Either way, because he was not permitted to participate, David and his men were able to be present at Ziklag to rescue their people and to be absent from Mount Gilboa where so many of Israel’s leaders were killed. 

Jonathan

Vs. 2 - The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed his sons

Though the author passes quickly over Jonathan’s name and death in this section, David would grieve greatly over the loss of his best friend.  

2 Samuel 1:26 - I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother. You were such a friend to me. Your love for me was more wondrous than the love of women.

Tragically, Saul’s sons were affected in the judgment of God against their father Saul. The brave and worthy Jonathan died as we might expect him to – loyally fighting for his God, his country, and his father the king to the very end.  Their death was tragic, yet important in God’s plan. In taking the logical heirs to Saul’s throne, God cleared the way for David to become the next king of Israel. We know that if Jonathan had survived he would have gladly yielded the throne to David (1 Samuel 18:1-4). But the same could not be said of Saul’s other sons. As it was, David had to deal with Ishbosheth, the one surviving son of Saul before taking the undisputed throne of Israel (2 Samuel 2:8 through 4:12).         - David Guzik

Saul

Vs. 4 - Then Saul took his sword and fell on it.

Commentators speculate that Saul was likely mortally wounded at this point in the battle and requested that his armor bearer end his life rather than give his enemies the pleasure of torturing him further.  

Why this armor-bearer feared to kill Saul is unclear. Perhaps he feared the disgrace that would have hounded him, or even death, for slaying the king. Or perhaps, like David, he feared God and so would not kill the Lord’s anointed. This insubordination…led Saul to take his own life. 

This is how the life of Israel’s first king, the man after the Israelites’ own heart, ended. He was full of promise at his anointing, having many natural qualities that could have contributed to a successful reign. He also possessed the Holy Spirit’s enablement after his anointing. Unfortunately, he did not become a source of blessing to Israel and the world, nor did God bless him personally. Instead he became a curse to Israel, the world, and himself. He did so because he failed to acknowledge Yahweh as the true king of Israel and because he failed to view himself as Yahweh’s servant.           - Thomas Constable

Saul’s Body Stolen And Recovered

Disgraced Leader

Vs. 9-10 - They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news in the temples of their idols and among the people.  Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.

The Philistines fastened Saul’s decapitated corpse on the wall of their nearby town of Beth-shan. In the ancient Near East the treatment of a corpse was very significant. If people, even enemies, honored a person, they treated his corpse with care and gave it an honorable burial, but if they did not respect him, they treated his dead body with contempt.               - Thomas Constable

Brave Men

Vs. 12-13 - All their brave men set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there. Afterward, they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

Many years before, Saul delivered their city from the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:1-11), and they repaid the kindness God showed them from the hand of Saul. Upon taking the throne David rightly thanked these valiant men for their kindness to the memory of Saul, Jonathan, and Saul’s other sons (2 Samuel 2:4-7).     - David Guzik