1 Samuel Chapter 31
The Death of Saul and His Sons
A. King Saul and his sons die in battle.
1. (1 Samuel 31:1) The battle turns against Israel.
“Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.”
The Philistines pressed hard against Israel, striking deep into their territory as they had gathered at Shunem, while Saul and his men encamped at Mount Gilboa in preparation for battle. This conflict marked the fulfillment of Samuel’s prophetic warning to Saul. Because Saul had long rejected the LORD and refused repentance, his courage failed him. As the text records earlier, “When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled” (1 Samuel 28:5). Instead of turning to the LORD in humility, Saul turned further from Him, seeking guidance through a forbidden medium. Though God permitted the prophet Samuel to appear and pronounce judgment, the message was grim: “Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines” (1 Samuel 28:19). What unfolds in 1 Samuel 31 is the tragic fulfillment of that word.
This battle illustrates how rebellion against God leaves even the strongest leader defenseless. Saul’s fear and spiritual disconnection rendered him unfit for the task before him. Yet, in divine mercy, God intervened earlier to prevent David from joining the Philistine ranks. Scripture records, “Then the princes of the Philistines said, ‘Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary’” (1 Samuel 29:4). Though David at that moment might have fought against Israel, the LORD in His providence preserved him from sharing in this disaster.
The phrase “the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa” demonstrates how completely the tide turned. Gilboa, the site of their encampment, became the scene of their downfall. The army was forced backward into retreat, their courage and strength broken. Israel’s defeat was not due to lack of strategy but to divine judgment; the LORD had departed from Saul, and where the Spirit of God is absent, defeat is certain. As Proverbs 21:31 declares, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.”
2. (1 Samuel 31:2) The death of Saul’s sons.
“Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.”
As the Philistines pressed their advantage, they struck down Saul’s sons, including Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. Their deaths were both tragic and purposeful within God’s sovereign plan. The faithful Jonathan died as a valiant soldier, loyal to his God, his king, and his country. He perished with honor, remaining steadfast even to the end, embodying the very courage and faith his father had lost. His fall reminds us of the price of loyalty and the tragedy of wasted potential when leadership fails.
The deaths of Saul’s sons also served a providential role. Their removal cleared the way for David to ascend the throne without civil strife among rival heirs. Jonathan had already acknowledged David’s divine anointing and willingly surrendered his claim, as recorded in 1 Samuel 18:3–4: “Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.” Had Jonathan survived, his noble spirit would have aligned with David’s, but Saul’s other sons might have resisted the LORD’s choice. By their deaths, God mercifully prevented division and made David’s path clear.
As Matthew Poole insightfully observed, “There was also a special providence of God in taking away Jonathan, (who of all Saul’s sons seems to have been the fairest for the crown,) for the preventing divisions, which have happened amongst the people concerning the successor; David’s way to the crown being by this means made the more clear.”
Yet this tragedy did not end entirely; another of Saul’s sons, Ishbosheth, survived and would later challenge David’s rule. 2 Samuel 2:8–10 records, “But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim; and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.”
Even in judgment, God preserved order, gradually establishing David’s throne in fulfillment of His promise. Saul’s downfall and the deaths of his sons illustrate a timeless truth: rebellion brings ruin, but God’s purposes stand unmoved. As Proverbs 19:21 declares, “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.”
3. (1 Samuel 31:3–6) The tragic end of King Saul.
“The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armorbearer, Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me. But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him. So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.”
The battle grew fierce around King Saul as the Philistine archers pressed closer. The text records that he was “severely wounded by the archers”, indicating that his injuries were mortal. Surrounded, abandoned, and aware that defeat was certain, Saul turned to his armorbearer and pleaded, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.” His fear was not only of death but of humiliation at the hands of his enemies. Saul’s concern for his own dignity, even at this final hour, reveals how far he had drifted from godly humility. The Philistines had already desecrated Israel’s honor; Saul feared they would desecrate his body as well.
When his armorbearer refused to comply—being greatly afraid to strike the anointed of the LORD—Saul took matters into his own hands and “took a sword and fell on it.” The act, though self-inflicted, does not perfectly fit the modern concept of suicide. As Adam Clarke explains, “He was to all appearance mortally wounded, when he begged his armourbearer to extinguish the remaining spark of life... though this wound accelerated his death, yet it could not be properly the cause of it, as he was mortally wounded before, and did it on the conviction that he could not survive.” Saul’s self-destruction was the final expression of a life that had long been severed from fellowship with God. The same Saul who once trembled before the Philistines now died without prayer, repentance, or hope.
The armorbearer, overcome by fear and despair, followed his master’s example and “fell on his sword, and died with him.” This tragic image captures the complete collapse of Saul’s leadership. His disobedience and pride led not only to his death but to the ruin of those around him. Scripture solemnly records, “So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.” The defeat was total. Israel’s first king, chosen by the people for his stature and appearance, fell in disgrace, reminding us that no position or outward strength can preserve a man who has turned from the LORD.
What is most grievous in this account is not the manner of Saul’s death but his spiritual state. There is no record of repentance, no cry for mercy, and no return to the LORD whom he had forsaken. Even after Samuel’s warning, “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me” (1 Samuel 28:19), Saul seems to have made no effort to prepare his heart for eternity. His final hours are marked by fear and silence instead of faith and supplication. This hardening of heart demonstrates the peril of delaying repentance. As the writer of Hebrews warns, “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:15). Repentance is not a human achievement but a gift of God, and when the Spirit calls, it must be received in the moment.
F. B. Meyer wisely observed, “It is a very solemn thought! No career could begin with fairer, brighter prospects than Saul had, and none could close in more absolute midnight of despair; and yet such a fate may befall us, unless we watch, and pray, and walk humbly with our God.” Saul’s beginning was marked by promise—he was chosen, anointed, and equipped by the Spirit—but his end shows that privilege does not guarantee perseverance. Without obedience and dependence upon God, the highest calling can end in ruin.
Later, in 2 Samuel 1:4–10, an Amalekite brings David a report of Saul’s death, claiming that he himself had delivered the fatal blow at Saul’s request. At first glance, this appears to contradict the account in 1 Samuel 31, where Saul falls upon his own sword. However, there are two plausible explanations. It may be that Saul’s initial fall upon the sword did not immediately kill him, and when the Amalekite arrived, Saul begged for a quick death, which the Amalekite granted. Or, more likely, the Amalekite fabricated the story, seeking David’s favor by pretending to have killed Saul, believing that David would reward him for dispatching his rival. This latter view aligns with David’s reaction in 2 Samuel 1:14–16, when he rebuked the man, saying, “How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” and had him executed for his presumption.
The final picture of Saul’s life is one of wasted potential and divine justice. The king who once stood head and shoulders above his people (1 Samuel 9:2) fell beneath the weight of his pride and rebellion. His death at Mount Gilboa stands as a warning that no man can prevail against God. As Proverbs 16:18 declares, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”
B. Aftermath of the Philistines’ Victorious Battle
1. (1 Samuel 31:7) A significant defeat for Israel.
“And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.”
The news of Saul’s death sent waves of fear throughout Israel. When the men of Israel across the Jezreel Valley and even beyond the Jordan heard that Saul and his sons had fallen, panic spread like wildfire. The text states that “they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.” This demonstrates the depth of Israel’s collapse. The victory of the Philistines was not a small regional skirmish but a national disaster that divided the nation. The Philistines seized the opportunity to occupy the abandoned cities, establishing themselves as dominant throughout the land. By occupying the territory on both sides of the Jordan, the Philistines effectively cut Israel in two, separating the Transjordan tribes from those west of the river. The once unified land of promise now stood vulnerable and conquered.
This defeat did not occur in isolation; it was the direct result of Israel’s spiritual decline under Saul’s leadership. The death of the king and his sons shattered national morale, proving once again that when the leader falls, those who follow are scattered. Jesus Himself applied this principle when He said, “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” (Mark 14:27). The principle is universal: when spiritual or moral leadership collapses, the people who depend upon that leadership lose their direction.
Saul’s rebellion had consequences beyond his own soul. His failure endangered his family, his army, and now his nation. What began as private disobedience—his impatience in offering sacrifice (1 Samuel 13:9–14) and his partial obedience in sparing Amalek (1 Samuel 15:9–23)—ended in national catastrophe. The loss at Gilboa is the sobering fulfillment of Samuel’s earlier warning that Saul’s sin would not only cost him the throne but bring ruin upon Israel.
This passage also underscores why God holds leaders to a higher standard. Their influence, for good or ill, reaches far beyond themselves. The Apostle Paul wrote concerning church leaders, “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2), and likewise in “If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly” (Titus 1:6). The fall of one who leads can wound many who follow, just as the fall of Saul weakened the faith and courage of all Israel.
2. (1 Samuel 31:8–10) The Philistines disgrace the corpses of King Saul and his sons.
“So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head and stripped off his armour, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people. Then they put his armour in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.”
The next day, when the Philistine forces returned to plunder the battlefield, they discovered the fallen bodies of Saul and his sons. Their actions toward the dead king revealed not only their cruelty but their spiritual blindness. They “cut off his head and stripped off his armour,” sending word throughout their land to proclaim victory “in the temple of their idols and among the people.” The enemy used Saul’s death as propaganda to glorify their false gods and to mock the living LORD of Israel. This act of desecration was a deliberate insult, meant to humiliate both the nation and its God.
By placing Saul’s armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, the Philistines attributed their triumph to the pagan goddess of fertility and war, giving her the glory that belonged to God alone. This desecration echoed the earlier humiliation recorded in 1 Samuel 5:2–4, when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and placed it before Dagon, only for God to strike their idol down in pieces. Yet now, at Gilboa, there was no miraculous reversal—only silence and sorrow. Israel’s loss brought dishonor to the name of the LORD before the nations, not because God was weak, but because His anointed king had been faithless.
The text adds, “They fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.” This act was meant to display total dominance and inflict the ultimate insult. In ancient Near Eastern culture, to be denied burial and to have one’s body desecrated publicly was considered worse than death itself. It stripped a man of honor and shamed his legacy before all who saw. Even in death, Saul reaped what he had sown in life—disobedience, pride, and the loss of the LORD’s covering.
Archaeological remains of Beth Shan still stand today. The ruins of the ancient city rest atop a high hill overlooking the later Roman city below. It was upon that elevated site that the Philistines hung the decapitated body of King Saul and his sons, visible for miles as a gruesome trophy. What was once the height of Israel’s leadership became the symbol of her humiliation.
Yet even in this dark scene, God’s sovereignty remained intact. His plan for Israel would continue through David, a man after His own heart. The defeat of Saul marked not the end of God’s covenant people, but the beginning of His redemptive restoration through a new and righteous king.
3. (1 Samuel 31:11–13) The men of Jabesh Gilead end the disgrace of Saul and his sons.
“Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and travelled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”
In one of the darkest moments in Israel’s history, when shame and defeat covered the land, a group of brave and faithful men rose to do what was right. The Scripture records that “all the valiant men arose and travelled all night”—a phrase that captures both their courage and their devotion. The men of Jabesh Gilead refused to let the bodies of Saul and his sons remain exposed in disgrace on the wall of Beth Shan. Risking their lives, they journeyed by night, crossed enemy lines, and recovered the desecrated bodies of their fallen king and princes.
Their act was not only one of national honor but of spiritual integrity. In a time when others fled, these men stood up for what was right before God and man. Their bravery reminds us that even in seasons of judgment and defeat, God always preserves a remnant—faithful servants willing to act with courage when others fall silent. As the note says, “Glory to God, He always has His valiant men!” History bears witness that when one servant of God falls, another rises to carry forward His work. When Saul fell, God had already raised David. When Israel’s army was routed, God still had His faithful few. The LORD’s work does not depend upon the strength of one man, for “the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand” (Proverbs 19:21).
The men of Jabesh Gilead were also men of gratitude. Decades earlier, Saul had delivered their city from destruction at the hands of Nahash the Ammonite. 1 Samuel 11:1–11 recounts how Saul, newly anointed, gathered Israel’s forces and brought deliverance to Jabesh Gilead, inspiring their loyalty forever. Their act of recovering his body was not mere patriotism—it was repayment of mercy received. They remembered how Saul once saved them, and though his life ended in disgrace, they honored his memory.
The record continues, “and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.” Burning in this case likely refers not to cremation, but to the burning of the mutilated flesh to purify and protect what remained from further desecration before burial. The bones were then laid to rest with dignity under the tamarisk tree—a site of remembrance, perhaps the same kind of tree under which Saul once sat when he made decisions as king (1 Samuel 22:6). The seven-day fast was an act of national mourning, a gesture of repentance and sorrow for the tragedy that had fallen upon Israel.
Their reverence did not go unnoticed. When David ascended the throne, he remembered and commended the men of Jabesh Gilead for their loyalty. 2 Samuel 2:4–6 records his message: “And they told David, saying, that the men of Jabesh Gilead were they that buried Saul. And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.” David’s response was one of blessing and respect, showing that even amid political transition, he refused to gloat over Saul’s fall.
When David heard of Saul’s death, he did not rejoice. Instead, 2 Samuel 1:11–12 tells us, “Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: and they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.” He later composed The Song of the Bow (2 Samuel 1:17–27) in honor of Saul and Jonathan, declaring, “Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you… Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided.”
David’s tender heart toward Saul revealed that he was truly a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). Though Saul had persecuted him relentlessly, David harbored no bitterness. His compassion reflected the heart of God, who teaches His people to forgive those who persecute them. These events reveal the divine craftsmanship in David’s years of hardship—God had shaped him through adversity to be a merciful and righteous king.
In contrast to Saul’s tragic end, David’s example demonstrated that humility, gratitude, and forgiveness are marks of godly leadership. Saul’s life teaches what happens when pride and rebellion rule; David’s response shows the beauty of grace under persecution. The closing of 1 Samuel, therefore, is not only the record of Saul’s death but the prelude to Israel’s restoration under David.
