1 Chronicles 10

The Chronicler opens his history of David’s kingdom by recounting the death of Saul on Mount Gilboa. Israel is routed, Saul and his sons die, and the Philistines mock the fallen king. The chapter ends by saying why Saul fell and how the kingdom passed to David.

1 Chronicles 10:1

The Philistines, Israel’s long-time enemy, win a crushing battle. Israel’s soldiers run, and many are cut down on Mount Gilboa. The Chronicler goes straight to the end of Saul’s reign, because his real story begins with David.

BSA: fled (“ran away quickly, escaped”): The army’s panicked retreat shows how completely Israel’s strength had collapsed.

See also: 1 Samuel 31:1.

1 Chronicles 10:2

The Philistines pressed close behind the king and killed three of his sons. Jonathan, the friend of David, died with his brothers. The royal family was struck down in one blow, and the line of Saul was cut short.

BSA: followed hard (“closely, with intense pursuit”): The enemy gave no room to escape; they stayed on Saul’s heels until they caught him.

Hebrew: וַיַּדְבְּקוּ (vayyadbequ, H1692) — “clung to, stuck close.” The Hebrew word means to cling or stick fast. The Philistines stuck to Saul like glue.

1 Chronicles 10:3

As the fighting grew fierce, enemy archers caught up with Saul and wounded him badly. The king who once led Israel’s armies was now trapped and helpless, hurt beyond escape.

BSA: wounded (“hit, distressed”): The arrows left him in real anguish as well as injury.

1 Chronicles 10:4

Saul begged his armor-bearer to kill him so the enemy could not abuse him. The young man was too afraid to strike the Lord’s anointed. Saul then fell on his own sword. The fear of mockery ruled his last moments.

BSA: uncircumcised (“those who are not circumcised, heathen”): The word marks the Philistines as outsiders to God’s covenant, which made their abuse all the more shameful to Saul. terrified (“to fear or revere”): The armor-bearer’s fear may also carry reverence for the king he served.

See also: 1 Samuel 31:4.

1 Chronicles 10:5-6

Seeing Saul dead, the armor-bearer also took his own life. The chapter sums up the loss: Saul, three sons, and his household died together. A royal house that began with such promise ended on one battlefield.

BSA: house (“family, royal lineage, dwelling place”): It means the whole royal line, not only the family under one roof, which is why this day ended Saul’s dynasty.

1 Chronicles 10:7

When Israelites in the valley saw the army scattered and the king dead, they left their towns. The Philistines moved in. One defeat cost Israel not only men but whole cities, showing how much hung on faithful leadership.

BSA: abandoned (“forsaken, relinquished”): The people gave up their homes outright and left them to the enemy.

1 Chronicles 10:8-9

The next day, while stripping the dead, the Philistines found Saul. They took his armor, cut off his head, and sent word through their land. They treated their victory as a triumph for their gods and spread it far and wide.

BSA: proclaim (“declare, announce”): The Philistines made it a public announcement, a kind of victory proclamation.

See also: 1 Samuel 31:8-9.

1 Chronicles 10:10

Saul’s armor went into the temple of their gods, and his head was fastened in the temple of Dagon. The Philistines gave their idol the credit. It was a deep insult to Israel and to the LORD whose people they were.

BSA: hung (“fastened, fixed”): The head was fixed in place as a trophy on display.

See also: 1 Samuel 5:2-4.

1 Chronicles 10:11-12

The men of Jabesh-gilead remembered that Saul had once rescued their city. Their bravest men crossed the land by night, took the bodies, buried the bones under the oak, and fasted seven days. It was a loyal act of honor and grief.

BSA: men of valor (“valiant, brave warriors”): It took real courage to retrieve the bodies from enemy-held ground. fasted (“abstained from food, humbled themselves”): Their fasting was a way to mourn and humble themselves before God.

See also: 1 Samuel 11:1-11.

1 Chronicles 10:13

The Chronicler gives the cause behind the defeat. Saul was unfaithful to the LORD. He did not keep God’s word, and he even sought a medium. His fall was not mere bad luck in battle but the result of a broken trust.

BSA: unfaithfulness (“transgression, trespass”): The word means a breach of trust, like a betrayal of a covenant partner. medium (“one who has a familiar spirit, a witch”): Saul turned to the forbidden world of the dead instead of the living God.

Hebrew: מָעַל (ma’al, H4604) — “to act unfaithfully, break trust.” This is a favorite word of the Chronicler. It describes treachery against God, as when a spouse betrays a marriage.

See also: 1 Samuel 28:7; Leviticus 19:31.

1 Chronicles 10:14

Saul did not seek the LORD, though he did at times ask for guidance in a desperate way. His heart was not turned toward God. So the LORD brought his reign to an end and gave the kingdom to David. God’s purposes stand even when kings fail.

BSA: inquire (“seek, ask”): The word implies a steady seeking of God, which Saul did not practice. turned (“surrounded, transferred”): The kingdom was handed over from one king to another by God’s own act.

See also: 1 Samuel 13:13-14; 1 Chronicles 11:1-3.