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Kretzmann's Popular Commentary

1 Samuel 31:4

Then said Saul unto his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised, the Philistines, come and thrust me through, and abuse me, torture him cruelly before putting him to death. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid, he was responsible for the king's life and felt too much awe for his person. Therefore Saul took a sword, and, turning the point toward his own body, fell upon it, committed suicide.

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See also 1 Samuel 31:4 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse 1 Samuel 31:4. _DRAW THY SWORD, AND THRUST ME THROUGH_] Dr. Delaney has some good observations on this part of the subject: "Saul and his armour-bearer died by the same sword. That his armour-b...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    9. THE DEATH OF SAUL CHAPTER 31 _ 1. Saul wounded in battle (1 Samuel 31:1)_ 2. Saul a suicide (1 Samuel 31:4) 3. The victorious Philistines (1 Samuel 31:7) 4. The bodies recovered and bu

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    1 SAMUEL 31. BATTLE OF GILBOA._ Cf._ p. 285, and 2 Samuel 1:6 *. 1 SAMUEL 31:1. Israel was routed, Saul's sons slain, and he himself in danger of being taken prisoner. To avoid this he fell upon his...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    ABUSE. insult....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _Then said Saul_, &c. Cp. Judges 9:54. _these uncircumcised_ No indignity could be more intolerable than for the sacred person of Jehovah's Anointed to be the butt of the heathen who had no part in H...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    THEN SAID SAUL UNTO HIS ARMOUR-BEARER— Saul and his armour-bearer died by the same sword; that his armour-bearer died by his own sword, is out of all doubt: the text expressly tells us so; and that Sa...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    Saul's Last Battle, 1 Samuel 31:1-13. _Saul's Death._ 1 Samuel 31:1-6 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount G...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    A DIGEST OF CHAPTER 31 1 Samuel 31:1-6 _Saul's death._ Samuel had told Saul that he would die in battle. This came to pass as the armies of Israel and Philistia met in battle on Mt. Gilboa. Saul fel...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _THEN SAID SAUL UNTO HIS ARMOURBEARER, DRAW THY SWORD, AND THRUST ME THROUGH THEREWITH; LEST THESE UNCIRCUMCISED COME AND THRUST ME THROUGH, AND ABUSE ME. BUT HIS ARMOURBEARER WOULD NOT; FOR HE WAS SO...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    DEFEAT OF THE ISRAELITES AT MT. GILBOA. DEATH OF SAUL 6. And all his men] LXX omits....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    ISRAEL’S FIRST KING 1 SAMUEL _HELEN POCOCK_ CHAPTER 31 SAUL AND HIS SONS DIE V1 The *Philistines fought against the *Israelites on the mountain of Gilboa. The *Israelites ran away and the *Phil...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    HIS ARMOURBEARER. — Jewish tradition tells us that this faithful armourbearer was Doeg_,_ the Edomite, and that the sword which Saul took apparently from the hand of the armourbearer was the sword wit...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יֹּ֣אמֶר שָׁאוּל֩ לְ נֹשֵׂ֨א כֵלָ֜יו שְׁלֹ

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    CHAPTER XXXVI _ THE DEATH OF SAUL._ 1 Samuel 31:1. THE plain of Esdraelon, where the battle between Saul and the Philistines was fought, has been celebrated for many a deadly encounter, from the ver...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    ONE BRAVE DEED ON A DARK DAY 1 Samuel 31:1 This defeat meant something more than a temporary reverse. It was symptomatic of national decay. Saul's reign had brought moral degeneracy to his people. Th...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This closing chapter in the first Book of Samuel is draped in sackcloth and ashes. It gives the account of the end of the career of one of the most disastrous failures on record in Biblical history....

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, (a) Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Bearer. The Rabbins say he was Doeg. They were not yet come to a close engagement. --- Mock at me, as was then customary. See Josue viii. 29., and Judges i. 7. He might recollect the treatment of Sam...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (4) Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    We enter now on a portion of David's history sensibly different from what we have already had, which closed with the efforts of Jonathan to restore matters and to attach Saul to him at least openly. J...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Chapter 31 recounts the solemn death of Saul and of Jonathan also, closing, with the total discomfiture of Israel, this touching history. The whole account of Saul and his family, as raised up to with...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    THEN SAID SAUL UNTO HIS ARMOURBEARER,.... Who, the Jews b say, was Doeg the Edomite, promoted to this office for slaying the priests: DRAW THY SWORD, AND THRUST ME THROUGH THEREWITH; for if he was wo...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sor...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me_ He was afraid they might put him to some ignominious death, or make sport with him, as they did with Samson. _But his armour-bearer...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Saul hauing lost his armie, and his sonnes slaine, he and his armour bearer kill themselues. 7 The Philistines possesse the forsaken townes of the Israelites. 8 They triumph ouer the dead carkeise...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    The day has come for Saul to descend into battle and die. The Philistines fight against Israel and find no resistance. We know that Saul was totally demoralized and could only expect that his armies w...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    ABUSE ME: Or, mock me...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-7 We cannot judge of the spiritual or eternal state of any by the manner of their death; for in that, there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked. Saul, when sorely wounded, and unable to...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    THRUST ME THROUGH, AND ABUSE ME; lest they take me, and put me to some shameful and cruel death. SAUL TOOK A SWORD, and fell upon it, and died of the wound, as it follows....

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    1 Samuel 31:4 Saul H7586 said H559 (H8799) armorbearer H5375 (H8802) H3627 Draw H8025 (H8798) sword...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    THE THOROUGH DEFEAT OF ISRAEL AND THE DEATH OF SAUL (1 SAMUEL 31:1 -2 SAMUEL 1:27). Having initially demonstrated how God's purposes are moving forward in David, the writer now describes the humiliati...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    THE DEATH OF SAUL AND JONATHAN ON MOUNT GILBOA (1 SAMUEL 31:1). It is noteworthy that in the description of the battle the emphasis is not on the defeat of Israel, even though that is briefly describe...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Death of Saul and Jonathan. CHARACTERS: Saul, Jonathan, Abinadab, Melchi-shua. CONCLUSION: As men live, so will they die. Those are indeed in a deplorable condition, who, despairing of the...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    1 Samuel 31:6. _And all his men;_ his body guard, brave men who would not survive the fall of their master. But in 1 Chronicles 10:6 it is said, all his house died together. They knew that the Philist...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Saul took a sword and fell upon it._ THE DEATH OF SAUL Saul’s life is a tragedy, and his death is the closing scene. Circumstances close round him, and press him to his doom. These circumstances kno...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 31:1 The army of Israel is completely defeated, Saul’s sons are killed, Saul kills himself to avoid capture, and the Philistines take over the region. ⇐

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 SAMUEL—NOTE ON 1 SAMUEL 31:4 SAUL TOOK HIS OWN SWORD AND FELL UPON IT. See note on 2 Sam. 1:6–10 for the claim that Saul was killed by an Amalekite....

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES— 1 Samuel 31:1. “IN MOUNT GILBOA.” Most likely the actual battle took place on the plain, and the Israelites sought refuge on the mountain. 1 Samuel 31:3. “SORE WOUNDED....

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    DEFEAT AND DEATH OF SAUL (1 Samuel 31:1.). EXPOSITION SAUL AND HIS SONS SLAIN (1 Samuel 31:1)....

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now the Philistines fought against Israel: the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and t...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Chronicles 10:4; 1 Kings 16:27; 1 Samuel 14:6; 1 Samuel 17:26;...

  • When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe, 1960

    Was Saul’s suicide justifiable? PROBLEM: King Saul was mortally wounded, and he asked his armorbearer to assist him in committing suicide. Was this justified? SOLUTION: Suicide is murder, and the Bib...

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