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Texts -- 1 Chronicles 10:1-14 (NET)

Context
Saul’s Death
10:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel . The Israelites fled before the Philistines and many of them fell dead on Mount Gilboa . 10:2 The Philistines stayed right on the heels of Saul and his sons . They struck down Saul’s sons Jonathan , Abinadab , and Malki-Shua . 10:3 The battle was thick around Saul ; the archers spotted him and wounded him. 10:4 Saul told his armor bearer , “Draw your sword and stab me with it. Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come and torture me.” But his armor bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid . So Saul took the sword and fell on it. 10:5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead , he also fell on his sword and died . 10:6 So Saul and his three sons died ; his whole household died together . 10:7 When all the Israelites who were in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead , they abandoned their cities and fled . The Philistines came and occupied them. 10:8 The next day , when the Philistines came to strip loot from the corpses , they discovered Saul and his sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa . 10:9 They stripped his corpse, and then carried off his head and his armor . They sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines proclaiming the news to their idols and their people . 10:10 They placed his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon . 10:11 When all the residents of Jabesh Gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul , 10:12 all the warriors went and recovered the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh . They buried their remains under the oak tree in Jabesh and fasted for seven days . 10:13 So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord and did not obey the Lord’s instructions ; he even tried to conjure up underworld spirits . 10:14 He did not seek the Lord’s guidance, so the Lord killed him and transferred the kingdom to David son of Jesse .

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Bible Dictionary

  • Saul

    [isbe] SAUL - sol (sha'ul; Saoul): (1) The first king of Israel. I. EARLY HISTORY 1. Name and Meaning 2. Genealogy 3. Home and Station 4. Sources for Life 5. Election as King 6. Reasons for It II. REIGN AND FALL 1. His First Action...
    [smith] (desired), more accurately Shaul. One of the early kings of Edom, and successor of Samlah. (Genesis 36:37,38; 1 Chronicles 1:48) (B.C. after 1450.) The first king of Israel, the son of Kish, and of the tribe of Benjamin. ...
    [nave] SAUL 1. Called also Shaul. King of Edom, Gen. 36:37, 38; 1 Chr. 1:48, 49. 2. King of Israel. A Benjamite, son of Kish, 1 Sam. 9:1, 2. Sons of, 1 Chr. 8:33. His personal appearance, 1 Sam. 9:2; 10:23. Made king of Israel,...

  • CHRONICLES, BOOKS OF

    [isbe] CHRONICLES, BOOKS OF - kron'-i-k'-ls (dibhere ha-yamim, "The Words of the Days"; Septuagint paraleipomenon: 1. The Name 2. The Position of Chronicles in the Old Testament 3. Two Books, or One? 4. The Contents 5. Sources Bibl...

  • Gilboa

    [ebd] boiling spring, a mountain range, now Jebel Fukua', memorable as the scene of Saul's disastrous defeat by the Philistines. Here also his three sons were slain, and he himself died by his own hand (1 Sam. 28:4; 31:1-8; 2 Sam....
    [smith] (a bubbling spring) a mountain range on the eastern side of the plain of Esdraelon, rising over the city of Jezreel. Comp. (1 Samuel 28:4) with 1Sam 29:1 It is mentioned in Scripture only in connection with one event in Is...
    [nave] GILBOA, a hill S. of Jezreel, where Saul was defeated by the Philistines, and died, 1 Sam. 28:4; 31:1-8; 1 Chr. 10:1-8.

  • Dagon

    [isbe] DAGON - da'-gon (daghon; apparently derived from dagh, "fish"): Name of the god of the Philistines (according to Jerome on Isa 46:1 of the Philistines generally); in the Bible, Dagon is associated with Gaza (Jdg 16) but else...
    [smith] (a fish), apparently the masculine, (1 Samuel 5:3,4) correlative of Atargatis, was the national god of the Philistines. The most famous temples of Dagon were at Gaza, (Judges 16:21-30) and Ashdod. (1 Samuel 5:5,6; 1 ...
    [nave] DAGON An idol of the Philistines, Judg. 16:23; 1 Sam. 5. Temple of, 1 Chr. 10:10.

  • Death

    [nave] DEATH. Called in some versions &ld;Giving Up the Ghost,&rd; Gen. 25:8; 35:29; Lam. 1:19; Acts 5:10. King of Terrors Job 18:14. A Change Job 14:14. Going to your Fathers Gen. 15:15; 25:8; 35:29. Putting Off This Tabe...

  • GILBOA, MOUNT

    [isbe] GILBOA, MOUNT - gil-bo'-a (~har hagilboa], "Mount of the Gilboa"): Unless we should read "Gilboa" for "Gilead" in Jdg 7:3 (see GILEAD, 2) this mountain is mentioned in Scripture only in connection with the last conflict of S...

  • Jabesh-gilead

    [nave] JABESH-GILEAD A city E. of the Jordan, Judg. 21:8-15. Besieged by the Ammonites, 1 Sam. 11:1-11. Saul and his sons buried at, 1 Sam. 31:11-13; 1 Chr. 10:11, 12; 2 Sam. 2:4. Bones of Saul and his son removed from, by David...

  • Philistines

    [smith] (immigrants), The origin of the Philistines is nowhere expressly stated in the Bible; but as the prophets describe them as "the Philistines-from Caphtor," (Amos 9:7) and "the remnant of the maritime district of Caphtor" (Jere...
    [nave] PHILISTINES Descendants of Mizraim, Gen. 10:14; 1 Chr. 1:12; Jer. 47:4; Amos 9:7. Called Cherethites, 1 Sam. 30:14-16; Ezek. 25:16; Zeph. 2:5; Casluhim, Gen. 10:14; 1 Chr. 1:12; Caphtorim, Jer. 47:4; Amos 9:7. Territory of...

  • Suicide

    [nave] SUICIDE, Amos 9:2; Rev. 9:6. Temptation to, of Jesus, Matt. 4:5, 6; Luke 4:9, 10, 11. Of the Philippian jailer, Acts 16:27. See: Death, Desired. See: Homicide. Instances of Samson, Judg. 16:29, 30. Saul and his armor...

  • CORPSE

    [isbe] CORPSE - korps: This word in the King James Version is the translations of two Hebrew words, pegher, and gewiyah, while nebhelah, and guphah, which mean the same, are translated "body," with which the English word "corpse" (...

  • Wicked

    [nave] WICKED Compared with: Abominable branches, Isa. 14:19; ashes under the feet, Mal. 4:3; bad fishes, Matt. 13:48; beasts, Psa. 49:12; 2 Pet. 2:12; the blind, Zeph. 1:17; Matt. 15:14; bronze and iron, Jer. 6:28; Ezek. 22:18; br...

  • Temple

    [nave] TEMPLE. Solomon's Called also Temple of the Lord, 2 Kin. 11:10; Holy Temple, Psa. 79:1; Holy House, 1 Chr. 29:3; House of God, 1 Chr. 29:2; 2 Chr. 23:9; House of the Lord, 2 Chr. 23:5, 12; Jer. 28:5; Father's House, John 2...

  • Archery

    [nave] ARCHERY Practiced by Ishmael, Gen. 21:20; Esau, Gen. 27:3; Jonathan, 1 Sam. 20:20, 36, 37; sons of Ulam, 1 Chr. 8:40; Philistines, 1 Sam. 31:1-3; 1 Chr. 10:3; Persians, Isa. 13:17, 18; people of Kedar, Isa. 21:17; Syrians, 1...

  • Familiar Spirits

    [nave] FAMILIAR SPIRITS Consulting of, forbidden, Lev. 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:10, 11; vain, Isa. 8:19; 19:3. Those who consulted, to be cut off, Lev. 20:6, 27. Instances of Those Who Consulted Saul, 1 Sam. 28:3-25; 1 Chr. 10:...

  • Melchishua

    [nave] MELCHISHUA, called also Malchishua. Son of king Saul, 1 Sam. 14:49; 31:2; 1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39; 10:2.

  • Sorcery

    [nave] SORCERY, divination by an alleged assistance of evil spirits. Forbidden, Lev. 19:26-28, 31; 20:6; Deut. 18:9-14. Denounced, Isa. 8:19; Mal. 3:5. Practiced: By the Egyptians, Isa. 19:3, 11, 12; by the magicians, Ex. 7:11, 22...

  • AZMAVETH

    [smith] (strong unto death). One of David?s mighty men, a native of Bahurim, (2 Samuel 23:31; 1 Chronicles 11:33) and therefore probably a Benjamite. (B.C. 1060). A descendant of Mephibosheth, or Merib-baal. (1 Chronicles 8...

  • Jonathan

    [nave] JONATHAN 1. A Levite of Bethlehem, who becomes a priest for Micah; accepts idolatry; joins the Danites, Judg. 17:7-13; 18:1-30. 2. Son of Saul, 1 Sam. 14:49. Victory of, over the Philistine garrison of Geba, 1 Sam. 13:3, 4...

  • Fasting

    [nave] FASTING Observed on occasions of public calamities, 2 Sam. 1:12; afflictions, Psa. 35:13; Dan. 6:18; private afflictions, 2 Sam. 12:16; approaching danger, Esth. 4:16; ordination of ministers, Acts 13:3; 14:23. Accompanied ...

  • MALCHI-SHUA

    [isbe] MALCHI-SHUA - mal-ki-shoo'-a (malkishua`, "my king saves"): One of the sons of Saul (1 Sam 14:49; 31:2, the King James Version "Melchishua"; 1 Ch 8:33; 9:39). He was slain by the Philistines with his brothers at the battle o...
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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The primary purpose of this chapter, I believe, is to demonstrate the superiority of Yahweh over Dagon, the fertility god of the Philistines.655:1-5 Having captured the ark the Philistines brought it from Ebenezer to their ma...
  • The story involving Saul's meeting with the "witch"of En-dor is one of the best known in 1 Samuel. It contains some unique events that have troubled Bible students for many years. Again the spotlight of revelation turns back ...
  • The scene shifts back to Mt. Gilboa in the North. Saul's battle with the Philistines in this chapter may have been simultaneous with David's battle against the Amalekites in the previous one."Chapters 30 and 31 gain in poigna...
  • The other Israelite soldiers retreated when they heard that Saul and his sons had died. This left towns in the region open for Philistine seizure. Instead of driving the native inhabitants out of the land Saul had made it pos...
  • The young Amalekite must have been a mercenary soldier who had joined Saul's army. It seems more likely that this man's account of Saul's death was not accurate rather than that he had had some hand in killing Saul in view of...
  • The central subject of 1 and 2 Chronicles is the temple of God. Someone evidently wrote these books at the end of the Babylonian exile to encourage the Israelites to reestablish Israel's national life in the Promised Land. In...
  • I. Israel's historical roots chs. 1-9A. The lineage of David chs. 1-3B. The house of Israel chs. 4-71. The family of Judah 4:1-232. The family of Simeon 4:24-433. The families of Transjordan ch. 54. The family of Levi ch. 65....
  • This list obviously parallels to some extent David's genealogy (chs. 1-3). Saul came from the tribe of Benjamin, not from the tribe of Judah that God had promised leadership of the nation. One reason the writer had an interes...
  • "Having established the remnant's genealogical link with the Davidic and priestly lines, he [the writer] focused on the groundwork of the Davidic promises. His design was to show how the kingly and priestly concerns came toge...
  • The writer pointed out the connection between Shishak's invasion and Rehoboam's unfaithfulness clearly (vv. 1-5; cf. Prov. 3:12)."The passage makes use of terms that are characteristic of the Chronicler's theology of divine r...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • 1 Samuel 31:1-13The story of Saul's tragic last days is broken in two by the account, in 1 Samuel 29, 30., of David's fortunate dismissal from the invading army, and his exploits against Amalek. The contrast between the two l...
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