The big picture
1 Samuel 31 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 the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were…”, and closes in verse 13 with “And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven…” Repeated or prominent terms include Saul, Philistines, sons, armourbearer, Israel. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
1 Samuel · King James Version · 131 Samuel 31:1-7
1–7: The Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from…
1 Samuel 31:1–7 opens with “Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the…” and reaches “And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 1 Samuel 31 develops its own movement around Saul, Philistines, sons, armourbearer, Israel, with particular weight carried by Saul, Philistines, armourbearer.
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 upon Saul and upon 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.
“And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.” Naming Saul keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
1 Samuel 31:1-7
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 upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul’s sons.
3And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
4Then 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 sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
6So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.
7And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
1 Samuel 31:8-13
8–13: It came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the…
1 Samuel 31:8–13 opens with “And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found…” and reaches “And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on 1 Samuel 31 develops its own movement around Saul, Philistines, sons, armourbearer, Israel, with particular weight carried by Jabesh, Philistines, Saul.
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 three…” This familiar narrative signal moves the clock forward. What follows is a new scene, consequence, or answer to an earlier tension.
“And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to…” Naming Philistines keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
1 Samuel 31:8-13
King James Version8And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
9And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.
10And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
11And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;
12All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
13And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
1 Samuel 31:1 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 Samuel 31:8 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 three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.”
The final note
1 Samuel 31:13 leaves the reader with “And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words Saul, Philistines, sons, armourbearer, Israel, fell help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Why do Rachel and Leah agree to leave?
They see themselves as alienated from their father's household and support the journey God has commanded.
What does the boundary accomplish?
It limits hostile crossing and places their future conduct under divine witness.
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.