The big picture
1 Chronicles 10 opens in verse 1 with “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 7 with “And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul…”, and closes in verse 14 with “And enquired not of the LORD : therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David…” Repeated or prominent terms include Saul, Philistines, sons, died, armourbearer. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
1 Chronicles · King James Version · 141 Chronicles 10:1-7
1–7: The Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from…
1 Chronicles 10:1–7 opens with “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the…” and reaches “And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The solemn aftermath of Saul’s death and the men of Jabesh-gilead retrieving the bodies, with particular weight carried by Saul, Philistines, sons.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain…” Naming Israel and Philistines keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and…” Naming Philistines and Saul keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
1 Chronicles 10:1-7
King James Version1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
3And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers.
4Then 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.
5And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died.
6So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.
7And 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.
1 Chronicles 10:8-14
8–14: It came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the…
1 Chronicles 10:8–14 opens with “And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found…” and reaches “And enquired not of the LORD : therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The solemn aftermath of Saul’s death and the men of Jabesh-gilead retrieving the bodies, with particular weight carried by Saul, Jabesh, LORD.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons…” This familiar narrative signal moves the clock forward. What follows is a new scene, consequence, or answer to an earlier tension.
“And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round…” Naming Philistines keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
1 Chronicles 10:8-14
King James Version8And 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.
9And 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.
10And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
11And when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,
12They arose, all the valiant men, 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.
13So 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;
14And enquired not of the LORD : therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
1 Chronicles 10:1 begins with “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.”
Where the chapter turns
1 Chronicles 10:8 forms a natural hinge: “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.”
The final note
1 Chronicles 10:14 leaves the reader with “And enquired not of the LORD : therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words Saul, Philistines, sons, died, armourbearer, fell help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Why list the nations before introducing Abram?
The blessing promised through Abram will concern the families of the earth, not an isolated group.
What organizes the table?
Families, lands, nations and languages recur, linking people with place and relationship.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thy
- your
- lest
- so that something does not happen
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.