1 Chronicles Chapter 10

The Death of Saul

“Having established Israel’s historical setting and ethnic bounds in the preceding genealogies, the Chronicler now enters on his main subject, the history of the Hebrew kingdom, with its theological conclusions.” (Payne)

The Chronicler has completed the genealogical introduction and now turns to the rise and fall of Israel’s monarchy, beginning with the tragic death of Saul. This transition is deliberate. It places Saul’s downfall within the larger context of God’s covenant dealings with Israel and prepares the reader for the rise of David, the man after God’s own heart. Israel’s history is not merely political, it is theological, unfolding according to the purposes of God.

A. The death of King Saul

1. (1 Chronicles 10:1-2) The battle on Mount Gilboa

“Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons, and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi shua, the sons of Saul.”

The Philistines were a powerful sea faring people of Aegean origin whom Scripture describes as immigrants from Caphtor which corresponds to Crete as stated in Amos chapter nine verse seven where Scripture says, “Are ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel, saith the Lord. Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor.” They established themselves in five strong city states along the coastal plain of Canaan. Archaeology has shown that they were heavy drinkers, advanced in metallurgy, and among the earliest in the region to utilize iron on a large scale. Their superior weaponry, helmets, coats of mail, swords, and spears gave them a substantial military advantage over Israel, who at that time had largely bronze based equipment.

Israel fled before the Philistines because Saul was spiritually unprepared for battle. First Samuel chapter twenty eight verse five records that “When Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.” A man who has rejected the Word of the Lord cannot lead the people of God into victory. Therefore it is unsurprising that Israel could not stand before the Philistines. Poole rightly notes that Saul was struck down by enemies who were armed against him by his own sin and by the vengeance of God.

The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi shua were killed. Jonathan died as he lived, faithfully fighting for his God, his people, and even for his father who had persecuted him. His death is one of the most tragic losses in Israel’s history because Jonathan embodied covenant faithfulness, courage, humility, and loyalty.

2. (1 Chronicles 10:3-6) Saul dies in battle

“And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers. Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not, for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died. So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.”

The battle pressed hard against Saul and he was struck by arrows, gravely wounded, and aware that the battle was irretrievably lost. He pleaded with his armourbearer to kill him to prevent the Philistines from torturing him. The armourbearer refused out of fear, so Saul fell upon his own sword.

Meyer paints the scene vividly, noting that the flower of Israel’s army lay dead around Saul while the Philistines closed in upon the towering figure of the king whose royal crown and bracelet identified him on the battlefield. Clarke adds that Saul’s action, though appearing to be suicide, was more like a mortally wounded man hastening an inevitable death. He was already fatally struck by arrows and was convinced he could not survive. Nevertheless, Scripture teaches that suicide is self murder and therefore sin, yet it is not the unforgivable sin. Self murder yields to Satan’s lies since Christ called Satan a murderer in John chapter ten verse ten where He said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”

Morgan comments that suicide is always the ultimate act of cowardice, a refusal to face life’s hardships under God’s sovereign hand. In Saul’s case, it was the final act of a man who had long resisted God’s will and quenched God’s Spirit.

Saul died with his three sons and all his house that followed him to the battle. Though some descendants survived elsewhere, every warrior of Saul’s immediate household perished on Mount Gilboa. Selman notes that the Chronicler ignores the Amalekite’s conflicting account in Second Samuel chapter one because it was likely considered unreliable even in ancient times.

This is the tragic end of Israel’s first king. He began with promise but finished in rebellion and defeat. His death stands as a solemn reminder that no amount of natural ability, charisma, or military strength can substitute for obedience to God. The fall of Saul prepares the way for the rise of David, whose kingdom will be built not on human pride but on covenant faithfulness.

B. The aftermath of King Saul’s death

1. (1 Chronicles 10:7) Israel is defeated in battle

“And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.”

When the men of Israel in the valley saw that Saul and his sons were dead and that the army had broken and fled, they abandoned their cities and ran for their lives. The fall of Israel’s king produced immediate collapse. Scripture consistently teaches that the fall of a shepherd brings confusion and scattering among the flock. Jesus Himself applied this principle to His disciples in Mark chapter fourteen verse twenty seven, “And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night, for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.”

Saul’s disobedience and hardened rebellion did not merely affect his own soul. It compromised the spiritual integrity of the nation, weakened the military, corrupted leadership, and left Israel vulnerable. The consequences of his choices reached far beyond his own death. When the king fell, the people panicked because there was no spiritual strength remaining to anchor them. The Chronicler wants the reader to understand the corporate consequences of national sin and failed leadership.

The people forsook their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. First Samuel chapter thirty one verse seven adds that even Israelites living on the other side of Jordan abandoned their towns. This means that the Philistines effectively cut Israel in half, drawing a line from the coastal plain eastward across the Jordan River. From a military standpoint this was catastrophic. The nation was now fractured and exposed, and the Philistines were poised for total domination. From a theological standpoint, it illustrated the judgment of God against a nation whose king had rejected the Word of the Lord.

The Chronicler’s summary is simple but devastating. The cities of Israel fell without resistance because the spiritual heart of the nation had already fallen long before the battle. Without a faithful king walking in obedience and without the blessing of God, Israel could not stand against its enemies.

2. (1 Chronicles 10:8-10) Saul is further disgraced after his death

“And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And when they had stripped him, they took his head and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people. And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.”

The next day the Philistines returned to strip the slain, a normal ancient practice where armies looted equipment and valuables from the dead. There they found the bodies of Saul and his sons. They desecrated Saul’s body, cutting off his head and stripping him of his armor. In the culture of the ancient Near East, mutilating an enemy king’s corpse was considered a humiliation worse than the defeat itself. It removed all dignity from the fallen monarch and was meant to dishonor his people and his God.

The Philistines then sent word throughout their land to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols. They displayed Saul’s armor in the house of their gods and fastened his severed head in the temple of Dagon. This act carried spiritual significance. In their minds, their gods had triumphed over Israel’s God. The victory was not merely military but religious. The death of Saul was used to exalt false gods and to mock the Lord.

This scene directly parallels earlier confrontations between Israel and the Philistines. When the Philistines captured the ark in First Samuel chapter five, they placed it in the house of Dagon. The Lord responded by causing Dagon to fall on his face before the ark and ultimately shattered the idol. In contrast, Saul’s death offered the Philistines an opportunity to glorify Dagon once more. The Chronicler wants the reader to sense the tragedy. Israel’s God had not been defeated. Rather Israel’s king had fallen because of his disobedience and rejection of God’s word. His disgraceful end became a platform for pagan mockery, something that never would have happened if Saul had walked with the Lord.

This moment stands as a warning. When God’s people reject His word, the result is not only personal downfall, it is public reproach that gives opportunity for the enemies of God to blaspheme. Saul’s failure allowed the Philistines to claim spiritual triumph even though their gods were nothing but idols. The shame of Saul’s end underscores the seriousness of covenant unfaithfulness and the theological consequences of failed leadership.

3. (1 Chronicles 10:11-12) The courage and faithfulness of the men of Jabesh Gilead

“And when all Jabesh gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”

When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of the humiliation inflicted upon Saul and his sons, their valiant men rose immediately and acted with loyalty and courage. Their city owed its survival to Saul’s early leadership, for in First Samuel chapter eleven verses one through eleven, Saul rescued Jabesh Gilead from the cruelty of the Ammonites. That victory had been Saul’s finest hour and the moment that united Israel behind him. The men of Jabesh never forgot the mercy of God shown through Saul, and in gratitude they risked their lives to retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons from Philistine shame.

The Chronicler honors these men as valiant. Their bravery stands in stark contrast to the despair that gripped the rest of Israel. While cities were abandoned and the nation collapsed, these faithful men marched into Philistine occupied territory, removed the mutilated bodies from the walls of Beth Shan, and brought them home to give Saul and his sons a proper burial. David later recognized this act of gratitude and blessed these men for their kindness toward the house of Saul in Second Samuel chapter two verses four through seven.

This act shows that even in national judgment and humiliation, God still raises up men of courage to do what is right. These men gave dignity to the fallen king, honored Jonathan’s memory, and displayed the kind of steadfast loyalty that God esteems. Their seven day fast shows their mourning, not merely for Saul, but for the state of Israel and the shame brought upon the nation.

God always has His valiant men. When Saul fell, these men arose. When one servant fails, God raises another. When Israel’s armies run, God still preserves a remnant who will act in faithfulness. This truth underscores that God’s work never depends on one man. Saul has fallen, but God is already preparing the way for David.

4. (1 Chronicles 10:13-14) The spiritual reason for the tragedy of King Saul

“So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it. And enquired not of the Lord, therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.”

The Chronicler now explains the true cause of Saul’s death. The defeat at Gilboa was not ultimately determined by Philistine strength but by Saul’s unfaithfulness. Saul’s life is one of Scripture’s great tragedies. He began in humility, chosen by God, empowered by the Spirit, supported by Samuel, and accompanied by men whose hearts God had touched. Yet Saul lacked genuine spiritual depth and a submissive heart. Pride, fear, jealousy, and disobedience consumed him. His life became a downward spiral of spiritual decay.

Morgan notes that no other man of his era had greater opportunity than Saul, yet he squandered every advantage. He had every reason to succeed but chose rebellion rather than obedience. Therefore Saul died for his transgression. His sin is described in two parts. First, he rejected the word of the Lord. Second, he sought guidance from a medium rather than from God. This reached its climax in First Samuel chapter twenty eight when he consulted the witch of Endor. When a man rejects God’s voice, he inevitably seeks counterfeit spiritual guidance, which leads only to destruction.

The Chronicler also clarifies that when the text says Saul did not inquire of the Lord, it means he did not inquire sincerely or obediently. First Samuel chapter twenty eight verse six records that Saul inquired of the Lord, but God did not answer him. Poole explains that Saul’s inquiry was superficial and disqualified because it lacked repentance, humility, and obedience. Just as Paul says in First Corinthians chapter eleven verse twenty that those who partake of the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner are said not to partake at all, so Saul’s formal inquiry is spiritually counted as no inquiry.

Because Saul refused God’s word and pursued forbidden counsel, God removed him. The text says that God slew him, meaning God sovereignly judged him. The defeat at Gilboa was the instrument of God’s judgment, but the cause was Saul’s rebellion. After removing Saul, God turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse, fulfilling the promise spoken years earlier in First Samuel chapter thirteen verse fourteen that the kingdom would be given to a man after God’s own heart.

Morgan concludes that Saul’s story stands as one of Scripture’s most solemn warnings. A man may be gifted, called, and positioned for greatness, yet if he will not obey God’s word, his life ends in ruin. Saul’s end marks the conclusion of human chosen leadership and opens the door for the rise of divinely chosen kingship under David.