1 Samuel 31:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

NIV: Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

NASB: And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.

CSB: Afterward, they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

NLT: Then they took their bones and buried them beneath the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.

KJV: And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

NKJV: Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

At great personal risk, the valiant men of Jabesh-gilead traveled from their town to Beth-shan on an overnight, secret raid. They rescued the remains of Saul and his sons from the wall the Philistines had pinned them to (1 Samuel 31:10–11). Perhaps they did so out of gratitude for the time Saul had saved their city from the Ammonites at the very beginning of his reign as king (1 Samuel 11).

The men return to Jabesh and burn the remains. Now, they bury the bones under a local tamarisk tree. Official business and special events apparently often took place under the shade of tamarisk trees, which grow well in the sandy soil of the region. Abraham planted one in Beersheba in connection with calling out to God (Genesis 21:33), and Saul held court under a tamarisk tree at Gibeah (1 Samuel 22:6). David will take the bones of Saul and his sons and rebury them in the tomb of Saul's father Kish in the land of Benjamin (2 Samuel 21:12–14).

King Saul and three of his sons, including Jonathan, are dead. David will be king over Israel, but it will take a while. First, the elders of Judah will claim David as their king (2 Samuel 2:4). Saul's nephew and general, Abner, will install Saul's son Ish-bosheth king over the rest of Israel (2 Samuel 2:8–9). The two sides will fight for two years until Abner sleeps with Saul's concubine. To take the wife or concubine of a king—living or dead—is to claim to take the king's place. Ish-bosheth knows this and confronts Abner. Abner gets angry and switches to David's side. David's commander, Joab, murders Abner because Abner had, reluctantly, killed Joab's brother. Two of Ish-bosheth's men murder Ish-bosheth, but David has them executed for killing an innocent man in his bed (2 Samuel 2–4).

Finally, David is king of Israel (2 Samuel 5:3). Despite his incredible devotion to Saul and his refusal to take his God-given throne by doing harm to God's anointed, David's entire reign will be filled with war and violence.

First Samuel 31:8–13 describes the desecration and rescue of King Saul's corpse. Saul has taken his own life after being wounded in battle by the Philistines. His fear that the Philistines would mistreat him will come true. However, a group of people from Jabesh, whom Saul had once rescued, will retrieve his body and the bodies of his sons who also died in battle. First Samuel was the story of the prophet Samuel, King Saul, and the rise of David. Second Samuel is the story of King David. This account is also recorded in 1 Chronicles 10:8–14.

Philistines overwhelm the outnumbered Israelites. Soldiers kill three of Saul's sons, and archers critically wound Saul. When his armor-bearer refuses to end Saul's life, Saul commits suicide. The Philistines behead Saul's body, display his armor in a temple of their goddess, and hang his and his son's bodies on public display. The men of Jabesh-gilead retrieve the bodies and respectfully bury them.

The reign of Saul ends. Saul knows his time has come. His son will not inherit the crown (2 Samuel 15:28). The Philistine force is too great (1 Samuel 28:5). He and his sons will die today (1 Samuel 28:19). By the end of the battle, Saul and three of his sons are dead. Soon, Judah will crown David as king (2 Samuel 2:4). After a brief civil war, David will be king over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.