1 Chronicles 10:1-6·~1 min

Saul’s Overthrow and Death

The battle turns against Israel, Saul’s sons are killed, and Saul himself is overtaken and wounded. The defeat narrows from national flight to the king’s exposed body.

N¹ow the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ²The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. ³When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him.

Saul asks his armor-bearer to kill him before the Philistines can seize him, and both men die by the sword. The section closes by naming the death of Saul, his sons, and his house together.

⁴Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!” ⁵When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died. ⁶So Saul died together with his three sons and all his house.

Section summaryIsrael breaks before the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, and Saul’s sons fall beside him. Wounded and cornered, Saul chooses death, and his house falls with him.

Role in the chapterThis opening section ends Saul’s reign in battle and gathers the loss into one scene. It establishes the collapse that the rest of the chapter will interpret and answer.