1 Samuel 31:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.

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

NASB: The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers found him; and he was gravely wounded by the archers.

CSB: When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers found him and severely wounded him.

NLT: The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely.

KJV: And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.

NKJV: The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

King Saul is in a fight for his life. But he knows he won't win (1 Samuel 28:17–19). The attacking Philistines have overwhelmed the outnumbered Israelites. They've killed three of Saul's sons in the battle (1 Samuel 31:2), and now the Philistine archers mortally wound the king.

Saul knows he will die, but that's better than being captured. He's fought the Philistines nearly his entire reign. He can imagine what the Philistines will do to him if he's captured. He tells his armor-bearer to finish him off. His The servant won't kill his king. So, Saul takes his own life. The Philistines will take his body, cut off his head, display his armor in the temple of the goddess Ashtaroth, and hang his body and the bodies of his sons on the wall of Beth-shan (1 Samuel 31:8–10). Saul will be humiliated, treated like a trophy. But at least he won't be alive for any of it.

From the context of the narrative, it seems that Saul is brought down by arrows shot from some distance. If the archers had been closer to Saul, it seems unlikely that he would have had time for the exchange with his armor-bearer in the following verses. Saul knows that he is out of the fight, but he is not yet dead.

First Samuel 31:1–7 records King Saul's death. When he first saw the Philistine army, he became so terrified that he asked a medium to bring up the late prophet Samuel. Samuel told him he and his sons would die (1 Samuel 28:5–19). His greatest fear—that David will be king instead of Jonathan—is about to come true (1 Samuel 20:30–31; 2 Samuel 5:3). Severely wounded, Saul commits suicide rather than being killed by enemy soldiers. The fall of King Saul is also recorded in 1 Chronicles 10:1–6.

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.