Saul and Jonathan Die

The Philistines fought against Israel, and Israel’s soldiers fled. Many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. In that battle, Saul’s sons were killed, including Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

Then the fighting pressed hard against Saul. The archers caught up with him, and he was deeply distressed. Saul asked his armour bearer to kill him so the Philistines would not abuse him, but the man was terrified and refused. So Saul fell on his own sword. When the armour bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also died.

So Saul died that day with his three sons. In 1 Samuel, his armour bearer and all his men died with him. In 1 Chronicles, all his house died together. When Israelites in the valley, and in 1 Samuel also those beyond the Jordan, saw that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities, and the Philistines came and lived in them.

The next day the Philistines found Saul and his sons among the dead on Mount Gilboa. They took Saul’s head and armour and sent news through Philistine land to their people and their idols. 1 Samuel says the armour was put in the house of the Ashtaroth and Saul’s body was fastened to the wall of Beth Shan. 1 Chronicles says the armour was put in the house of their gods and his head was fastened in the house of Dagon.

When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what had been done, their valiant men acted bravely. In 1 Samuel they travelled all night, took Saul’s body and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan, came to Jabesh, burned them there, buried the bones under the tamarisk tree, and fasted seven days. In 1 Chronicles they brought the bodies to Jabesh, buried the bones under the oak, and fasted seven days.

Chronicles also explains why Saul’s life and rule ended this way. It says he was unfaithful to the Lord’s word and had sought guidance from a medium instead of inquiring of the Lord. Therefore the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.