1 Samuel 31

This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 13 verses.

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=35-37}} Fragments containing parts of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls including 4Q51 (4QSam{{sup|a}}; 100–50 BCE) with extant verses 1–4.{{sfn|Ulrich|2010|p=289}}[https://thewaytoyahuweh.com/dead-sea-scrolls/general-info/#1_samuel Dead sea scrolls - 1 Samuel]{{sfn|Fitzmyer|2008|p=35}}[https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q51-1 4Q51 at the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library] Plate XIII of 4Q51 contains traces of verse 13, separated to 2 Samuel 1:1 with an open line.{{cite book | last= Fincke | first = Andrew | title= The Samuel Scroll from Qumran : 4QSam(a) restored and compared to the Septuagint and 4QSam(c) | publisher = Brill | place = Leiden | isbn = 978-9004123700 | year= 2001 | page= 272 }}

Extant ancient manuscripts of a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint (originally was made in the last few centuries BCE) include Codex Vaticanus (B; $\backslash mathfrak\{G\}$^B; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus (A; $\backslash mathfrak\{G\}$^A; 5th century).{{sfn|Würthwein|1995|pp=73-74}}{{efn|The whole book of 1 Samuel is missing from the extant Codex Sinaiticus.{{Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Codex Sinaiticus}}}}

• {{bibleverse|1 Samuel|31:1–6|9}}: {{bibleverse|2 Samuel|1:1–16|9}}, {{bibleverse|1 Chronicles|10:1–6|9}}[https://biblehub.com/bsb/1_Samuel/31.htm 1 Samuel 31], Berean Study Bible
• {{bibleverse|1 Samuel|31:7–13|9}}: {{bibleverse|1 Chronicles|10:7–14|9}}

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• Bethshan
• Jabesh-Gilead
• Jordan River
• Mount Gilboa

While David defeated the Amalekites, Saul and his army were defeated by the Philistines, contrasting David's success (with divine guidance and protection) in saving the lives of his own family and others with Saul's failure resulting in the death of his family, with many others, in battle.{{sfn|Jones|2007|p=214}} Toward the end of the battle on Mount Gilboa Saul's three sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua were killed and Saul himself was wounded. He asked his trustworthy personal armor-bearer to kill him before the Philistines came, but due to his respect for Saul as YHWH's anointed, the armor-bearer refused, so Saul committed suicide.{{sfn|Jones|2007|p=214}} Saul's dishonorable end was followed by the total defeat to his troops, while other Israelites not in battle (suggesting that Saul did not have all Israel behind him) fled from the neighboring areas leaving their towns and villages for the Philistines to occupy, and the disrespectful fate of his body: beheaded, his armor taken into the temple of Astarte (the chief goddess of Beth-shan) then hanged to the wall of Bethshan for public display (1 Chronicles 10:10 states that his head was fastened to the temple of Dagon).{{sfn|Jones|2007|p=214}}{{sfn|Evans|2018|p=300}}

:Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons {{bibleref2|1 Samuel|31:2|NKJV}} NKJV

• "Abinadab" is called "Ishvi" in {{bibleverse|1 Samuel|14:49|9}}.Benson, Joseph, [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/benson/1_samuel/31.htm Commentary on the Old and New Testaments: 1 Samuel 31], accessed 9 July 2019

: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.{{bibleref2|1 Samuel|31:4|NKJV}} NKJV

• "Abuse": or "torture".Note on 1 Samuel 31:4 in NKJV

File:077.Jabesh-Gileadites_Recover_the_Bodies_of_Saul_and_His_Sons.jpg]]

The men of Jabesh-gilead, remembering Saul's action on their behalf (1 Samuel 11:1–13), came to take the bodies of Saul and his sons for cremation and burial, a more honorable treatment than that of the Philistines to the bodies of Saul and his sons.{{sfn|Jones|2007|p=214}}{{sfn|Evans|2018|p=300}}

:{{sup|12}} All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.

:{{sup|13}} And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.{{bibleverse|1 Samuel|31:12–13|KJV}} KJV

• Cross reference: 1 Chronicles 10:12

The brave action of the men, marching from Jabesh-Gilead to Beth-Shan and back (about {{convert|13|mi}} one way), recalls the high point of Saul's leadership at the beginning of his reign when he saved the people of Jabesh-Gilead from foreign attacks (1 Samuel 11).{{sfn|Evans|2018|p=302}}

{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|

• Abinadab
• Ashtaroth
• Circumcision in cultures and religions
• Fasting
• Israelites
• Jonathan (1 Samuel)
• Melchishua
• Philistines
• Suicide}}
• Related Bible parts: 1 Samuel 28, 1 Samuel 29, 2 Samuel 1, 1 Chronicles 10

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book|last=Auld|first=Graeme|chapter=1 & 2 Samuel|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Vo-11umIZQC&pg=PA213 |editor=James D. G. Dunn and John William Rogerson|title=Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible|publisher=Eerdmans|year=2003|isbn=9780802837110}}
• {{Cite book|last=Bergen|first=David T.|title=1, 2 Samuel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eGT6fWsajqcC |publisher=B&H Publishing Group|year=1996|isbn=9780805401073}}
• {{Cite book| last=Chapman |first= Stephen B. |title= 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture: A Theological Commentary |publisher= Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company |year= 2016 |isbn= 978-1467445160 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kS4XDAAAQBAJ }}
• {{Cite book| last=Evans |first= Paul |title= 1-2 Samuel | series = The Story of God Bible Commentary | editor-first= Tremper | editor-last= Longman |publisher= Zondervan Academic |year= 2018 |isbn= 978-0310490944 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Uy8-DwAAQBAJ }}
• {{Cite book|last=Gordon|first=Robert|title=I & II Samuel, A Commentary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JMJ1ZAnswuUC&dq=I+%26+II+Samuel:+a+commentary+Gordon&pg=PA338|publisher=Paternoster Press |year=1986 |isbn=9780310230229}}
• {{Cite book|last=Hertzberg|first=Hans Wilhelm|title=I & II Samuel, A Commentary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=friNN7IdjOIC&q=Saul+appointed+anointed+instituted&pg=PA19|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|year=1964|edition=trans. from German 2nd edition 1960|isbn=978-0664223182|page=19}}
• {{Cite book|last=Tsumura|first=David Toshio|title=The First Book of Samuel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iLKAlhLDkMwC |publisher=Eerdmans|year=2007|isbn=9780802823595}}

{{Refend}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book|last=Breytenbach|first=Andries|title=Past, Present, Future: the Deuteronomistic History and the Prophets |publisher= Brill| year=2000|chapter=Who Is Behind The Samuel Narrative? |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=uP22QHpnKq8C&pg=PA50|editor=Johannes Cornelis de Moor and H.F. Van Rooy|isbn=9789004118713}}
• {{cite book | last= Coogan| first = Michael David | author-link= Michael D. Coogan | title = The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books: New Revised Standard Version, Issue 48 | editor-last1 = Coogan | editor-first1= Michael David | editor-first2 = Marc Zvi | editor-last2 = Brettler | editor-first3 = Carol Ann | editor-last3 = Newsom | editor-first4= Pheme | editor-last4 = Perkins | edition= Augmented 3rd | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2007 |isbn = 978-0195288810 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HmpMPgAACAAJ}}
• {{cite book|last = Fitzmyer|first = Joseph A.|authorlink= Joseph Fitzmyer |title = A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature|publisher = William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=TILXeWJ2eNAC | year = 2008|isbn = 9780802862419|location = Grand Rapids, MI}}
• {{cite book | last= Halley | first= Henry H. | author-link= Henry Hampton Halley | title= Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary |edition=24th (revised)| publisher= Zondervan Publishing House | date= 1965 | url= https://archive.org/details/halleysbiblehand00henr | url-access= registration| isbn= 0-310-25720-4}}
• {{Cite book | last = Hayes | first = Christine | title = Introduction to the Bible |publisher = Yale University Press | year = 2015 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SKbkXYHxvlAC |isbn = 978-0300188271}}
• {{cite book|last= Jones | first= Gwilym H. | chapter = 12. 1 and 2 Samuel | title=The Oxford Bible Commentary | editor-first1=John | editor-last1 = Barton | editor1-link = John Barton (theologian) | editor-first2=John | editor-last2= Muddiman | editor2-link = John Muddiman | publisher = Oxford University Press | edition= first (paperback) | year = 2007 | pages = 196–232 | isbn = 978-0199277186 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJdVkgEACAAJ | access-date=February 6, 2019}}
• {{Cite book|last=Klein|first=R.W.|chapter=Samuel, books of|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6OJvO2jMCr8C |editor=Bromiley, Geoffrey W|title=The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia|publisher=Eerdmans|year=2003|isbn=9780802837844}}
• {{Cite book|last=Knight|first=Douglas A|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SNLN1nEEys0C&q=630+BCE&pg=PA62|editor=James Luther Mays, David L. Petersen and Kent Harold Richards|chapter=Chapter 4 Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomists|title=Old Testament Interpretation|publisher=T&T Clark|year=1995|isbn=9780567292896 }}
• {{Cite book | editor-last = Ulrich | editor-first = Eugene | title = The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants | year = 2010 | publisher = Brill | url = https://archive.org/details/TheBiblicalQumranScrolls }}
• {{cite book | last = Würthwein | first = Ernst | author-link = Ernst Würthwein | title = The Text of the Old Testament | publisher = Wm. B. Eerdmans |location = Grand Rapids, MI | year= 1995 | translator-first1 = Erroll F.| translator-last1 = Rhodes | isbn = 0-8028-0788-7 | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNKSBObCYwC | access-date= January 26, 2019}}

{{Refend}}

• Jewish translations:
• [https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15860/showrashi/true Shmuel I - I Samuel - Chapter 31 (Judaica Press)]. Hebrew text and English translation [with Rashi's commentary] at Chabad.org
• Christian translations:
• [http://www.gospelhall.org/bible/bible.php?passage=1+Samuel+31 Online Bible at GospelHall.org] (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
• [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=9&chapter=31&version=9 1 Samuel chapter 31. Bible Gateway]

{{First Book of Samuel}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samuel 1 31}}

31

Category:Saul