1 Samuel 31
NIV
Commentaries

Show in the text

Up to 5 commentaries at a time. Each excerpt opens in full.

New International Version

1 Samuel 31:1-8

1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.

2The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.

3The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.

4Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

5When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.

6So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.

7When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

Read all of 1 Samuel 31

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 31

New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica