1 Samuel 31

The Death of Saul

1 u Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain v on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down w Jonathan and x Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 y The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 z Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these a uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me." But his armor-bearer would not, b for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword c and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.

8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, d to carry the good news e to the house of their idols and to the people. 10 f They put his armor in the temple of g Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of h Beth-shan. 11 i But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 j all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh k and burned them there. 13 And they took their bones l and buried them under m the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and n fasted seven days.

  1. Cross References
    1 Samuel 31:1 - 13
    Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
    1 Chronicles 10:1 - 12
    Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
  2. Cross References
    1 Samuel 28:4
    The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa.
    2 Samuel 1:6
    And the young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him.
    2 Samuel 1:21
    You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
    2 Samuel 21:12
    David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa.
  3. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 8:33
    Ner was the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul of Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab and Eshbaal.
  4. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:49
    Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger Michal.
  5. Cross References
    2 Samuel 1:6
    And the young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him.
  6. Cross References
    Judges 9:54
    Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
  7. Cross References
    Judges 14:3
    But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.
  8. Cross References
    2 Samuel 1:14
    David said to him, "How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord 's anointed?
  9. Cross References
    2 Samuel 1:10
    So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.
  10. Cross References
    2 Samuel 1:20
    Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
  11. Cross References
    Judges 16:23 - 24
    Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, "Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.
  12. Cross References
    1 Samuel 21:9
    And the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here." And David said, "There is none like that; give it to me.
  13. Cross References
    Judges 2:13
    They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.
  14. Cross References
    Joshua 17:11
    Also in Issachar and in Asher Manasseh had Beth-shean and its villages, and Ibleam and its villages, and the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of En-dor and its villages, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its villages, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; the third is Naphath.
  15. Cross References
    2 Samuel 21:10
    Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night.
    1 Samuel 11:1 - 11
    Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.
  16. Cross References
    2 Samuel 2:4 - 7
    And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, "It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.
  17. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 16:14
    They buried him in the tomb that he had cut for himself in the city of David. They laid him on a bier that had been filled with various kinds of spices prepared by the perfumer's art, and they made a very great fire in his honor.
    2 Chronicles 21:19
    In the course of time, at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of the disease, and he died in great agony. His people made no fire in his honor, like the fires made for his fathers.
    Jeremiah 34:5
    You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, "Alas, lord!"' For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord.
  18. Cross References
    2 Samuel 21:12
    David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa.
    2 Samuel 21:14
    And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land.
  19. Cross References
    1 Samuel 22:6
    Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.
  20. Cross References
    Genesis 50:10
    When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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