Followed hard after . The Hebrew verb implies all this and rather more, viz. that they made the pursuit of Saul and his sons their one special object. Luther's "Hingen sich au Saul" expresses this forcibly. Abinadab ; or Ishui (see 1 Chronicles 8:33 ; 1 Samuel 14:49 ). The sons of Saul . Omit the article, which is not present in the Hebrew text. The fourth son, not withstanding our 1 Chronicles 10:6 , survived ( 2 Samuel 2:8-15 ). read more
The archers hit him . The literal translation would be, the shooters , men with the bow , found him. The context makes it plain that the meaning is that the arrows of the pursuers rather than the pursuers themselves "found" him, and these made him argue all the rest. To this our Authorized Version has jumped by the one word "hit" him. It is evident from 1 Chronicles 10:8 that the Philistines did not find the body of Saul to recognize it till next day. And he was wounded of the... read more
And abuse me . The main idea of the Hithp. of the verb here used is to satisfy the thirst of lust or cruelty. Saul probably feared not the abuse of mocking only, but that of torture. In the corresponding passage this verb is preceded by the clause, and thrust me through. His armour-bearer would not . He refused the request or bidding of Saul, no doubt mainly in respect of the fact that Saul was still "the anointed." We have a full description of both the loose arms and of the armour of... read more
And died . The parallel ( 1 Samuel 31:5 ) adds "with him." read more
All his house . In place of these words, the parallel ( 1 Samuel 31:6 ) has, "And his armour-bearer, and all his men, that same day together." This reading avoids the ambiguity referred to already ( 1 Chronicles 10:2 ). In either passage the moral is plain, that the end and ruin of Saul's family as a whole had arrived, rather than literally that the whole, including every member, of that family had perished. read more
In the valley . In place of these words, the parallel ( 1 Samuel 31:7 ) has, "On the other side of the valley, and.; on the other side Jordan." We have here a clear instance of the desire of the compiler of Chronicles to compress his narrative, while the fidelity of the parallel narrative is testi-fled in the naturalness of its statements, amounting to this, that, quick as the intelligence or report could reach all those Israelites who were at all within the range of the victorious... read more
And his sons . The parallel ( 1 Samuel 31:8 ) says explicitly, "And his three sons." read more
And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour . Some comparing this with the parallel ( 1 Samuel 31:9 ), "They cut off his head, and stripped off his armour," say "our author" leaves the beheading unmentioned! It is certainly sufficiently implied. To carry tidings unto their idols. This sentence is more clearly explained, and brought into rather unexpected and perhaps unwished accord with the most modern of our ecclesiastical habits, when in the parallel as above, we... read more
The house of their gods . In place of this general designation, the parallel ( 1 Samuel 31:10 ) designates the house more exactly as "the house of Ashtaroth" ( Genesis 14:5 ; the Phoenician female deity, as Baal was their male deity. The Greek form of the name is Astarte. See also Cic; 'De. Nat. Deo.,' Deuteronomy 3:23 ). And fastened his head in the temple of Dagon . The parallel, as above, gives us, "And fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shah" (which account is corroborated in ... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Chronicles 10:1
EXPOSITION It is evident that the compiler of the Chronicles intended its history proper to begin substantially with the reign of David. Strictly, however, it opens with the last mournful chapter of the career of Saul and his sons, or of three out of the four ( 1 Chronicles 9:39 ) of them. The mention of Saul had been prepared for by the short preamble of his pedigree and family; and, in like manner, the way is paved for the introduction of the reign add deeds of David by the brief... read more