Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 1

1:1-27 The forty years of Saul’s reign came to a painful end. The Philistines inflicted a crushing blow on Saul’s people, killing his sons and dismembering Saul’s body after his suicide (1 Sam 31). On the heels of these tragedies, David’s career as leader came into focus.

1:1-16 An unnamed Amalekite sought out David, claiming to have killed Saul. This was a lie, as Saul had committed suicide (1 Sam 31:4-6). The Amalekite might have hoped that David would reward him for making it possible for David to assume the throne. Instead, David ordered him killed for harming the Lord’s anointed.

1:1 David returned from his victory: Just prior to this encounter, David and his men had killed many Amalekites because of what they had done to David’s city and family (see 1 Sam 30).

Verse 4

1:4 What happened? David was not aware of what had happened to Saul—he had no part in Saul’s death. • Saul and . . . Jonathan are also dead: Two other sons of Saul, Abinadab and Malkishua, were killed as well (1 Sam 31:2). The Amalekite was either unaware of their deaths or he mentioned only the son who would stand in the way of David’s uncontested path to Israel’s throne.

Verse 6

1:6 The Amalekite man’s second lie is, I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. Instead, he had probably scoured the area after the battle, looking for victims whose valuables he could take.

Verse 9

1:9 Then he begged me: This is the Amalekite’s third lie; instead, Saul was probably already dead (cp. 1 Sam 31:4-6).

Verse 10

1:10 The Amalekite apparently got to Saul’s corpse before the Philistines did, for they would not have left royal items such as his crown and his armband on his body. • Israel’s king wore a crown (Hebrew nezer, “consecration”) as a sign of his consecration to God and status as the Lord’s anointed (1:14).

Verse 13

1:13 Where are you from? David’s asking again (1:8) likely reflects the depth of his grief.

Verse 15

1:15-16 The Amalekite expected a reward for killing David’s rival but was instead condemned for killing the Lord’s anointed. David himself had twice refused the opportunity to kill Saul (see 1 Sam 24:5-7; 26:9-11).

Verse 18

1:18 The extrabiblical Book of Jashar is no longer available. It was probably an Israelite epic poem or an anthology of poetry that covered, at minimum, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan (see Josh 10:13) and the ascension of David.

Verse 19

1:19 Your pride and joy: David’s description focused more on Saul’s royal position than on his personal characteristics.

Verse 20

1:20 Gath and Ashkelon were major Philistine cities. Announcing the news of Saul’s death to the Philistines would give this hated foe the opportunity to gloat and glorify their false god, Dagon, while mocking Israel’s God, Yahweh. • daughters of the Philistines: In ancient war culture, young women sometimes celebrated victories in song (cp. Exod 15:20-21; 1 Sam 18:7).

Verse 21

1:21 Saul and Jonathan died in the mountains of Gilboa (1 Sam 31:1). • let there be no dew or rain: David was invoking a curse on the place of their death. In a Canaanite text from the 1300s BC, a father invokes a very similar curse on the place of his son’s death. • The shield of Saul symbolizes his military exploits as king. It would no longer be anointed with oil for the same reason that Saul was no longer the anointed king, because of his death.

Verse 22

1:22 the blood of their enemies: Saul and Jonathan were known as military heroes (see 1 Sam 11:1-11; 14:1-23, 47-48), though neither to the degree that David was (1 Sam 18:7; 21:11).

Verse 23

1:23 beloved and gracious . . . together in life and in death: Although the relationship between Saul and Jonathan was strained, especially due to Saul’s treatment of David (see 1 Sam 20:30-33), Jonathan nevertheless fought and died alongside his father while defending Israel against the Philistine menace.

Verse 26

1:26 deeper than the love of women: Jonathan’s loyalty and friendship to David involved personal risk and sacrifice. This commitment was unmatched in David’s experience, including the love of his wives. The phrase in no way implies a homosexual relationship. Jonathan’s love for David is highlighted three times in 1 Samuel (1 Sam 18:1, 3; 20:17).