Tyndale Open Study Notes2 Samuel 1

An unnamed Amalekite went to David, claiming that he had killed Saul. This claim was false. Saul had taken his own life(1 Samuel 31:4–6).

The Amalekite may have hoped that David would reward him for clearing the way for David to become king. Instead, David ordered him to be killed for harming the Lord’s anointed (the person God had chosen).

The forty years of Saul’s reign ended in tragedy. The Philistines struck a devastating blow against his people. They killed Saul’s sons and later mutilated Saul’s body after he took his own life (1 Samuel 31). After these tragic events, the story begins to focus on David and his rise as a leader.

David returned from the slaughter: Before this, David and his men had killed many Amalekites because of what they had done to David’s city and family (see 1 Samuel 30).

• What was the outcome?: David did not know about Saul's death because he was not involved in it. 

• Saul and … Jonathan are also dead: Two other sons of Saul, Abinadab and Malkishua, were killed as well (1 Samuel 31:2). The Amalekite may not have known that Saul’s other sons had died. Or he mentioned only the son who could prevent David from ruling as king of Israel.

"I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,": This is the Amalekite man's second lie. More likely, he searched the area after the battle. He was looking for soldiers whose valuables he could take.

Then he begged me: This is the Amalekite’s third lie. Saul was probably already dead (see 1 Samuel 31:4–6).

• The Amalekite probably reached Saul’s body before the Philistines did. The Philistines would not have left royal items, such as Saul’s crown and armband, on his body.

• Israel’s king wore a crown. The Hebrew word is nezer, which means “consecration” (being set apart for holy use). The crown showed that Saul was set apart to God and chosen as the Lord’s anointed (2 Samuel 1:14).

Where are you from?: David asks again (2 Samuel 1:8). He may have repeated the question because of the depth of his grief.

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 Samuel 24:5–7; 26:9–11).

The Book of Jashar is an extrabiblical text (not included in the Bible) and is no longer available. It was probably an Israelite epic poem or a collection of poems. These poems likely described important events in Israel’s history, including Joshua’s conquest of Canaan (see Joshua 10:13) and the rise of David as king.

Your glory: David’s description focused more on Saul’s royal position than on his personal characteristics.

• Gath and Ashkelon were major Philistine cities. If people announced Saul’s death there, the Philistines would have the chance to celebrate. They could boast over Israel and praise their god Dagon, while mocking Israel’s God, Yahweh.

• daughters of the Philistines: In ancient war culture, young women sometimes celebrated victories with songs (see Exodus 15:20–21; 1 Samuel 18:7).

• Saul and Jonathan died in the mountains of Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:1).

• may you have no dew or rain: David was calling down a curse on the place where they died. In the ancient Near East, people sometimes spoke curses like this to express deep grief. A Canaanite text from the 1300s BC records a father speaking a very similar curse over the place where his son died.

• The shield of Saul represents his military victories as king. It would no longer be anointed with oil. This matched the fact that Saul was no longer the Lord’s anointed king, because he had died.

From the blood of the slain: Saul and Jonathan were known as brave and successful warriors (see 1 Samuel 11:1–11; 14:1–23, 47–48). However, their military reputation did not equal that of David, who became famous for defeating Israel’s enemies (1 Samuel 18:7; 21:11).

beloved and delightful … not divided in death: The relationship between Saul and Jonathan was often strained. This was especially true because of Saul’s treatment of David (see 1 Samuel 20:30–33). Even so, Jonathan fought alongside his father and died with him while defending Israel against the Philistines.

surpassing the love of women: Jonathan’s loyalty and friendship with David involved great personal risk and sacrifice. This kind of commitment was stronger than any other relationship David described in his life, including the love he received from his wives. The phrase does not suggest a sexual relationship. Instead, it emphasizes deep loyalty and covenant friendship. The book of First Samuel highlights Jonathan’s love for David three times in 1 Samuel (1 Samuel 18:1, 3; 20:17).