1 Chronicles 10

¹ Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.

² The Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

³ The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was distressed by reason of the archers.

⁴ Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.

⁵ When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died.

⁶ So Saul died with his three sons; and all his house died together.

⁷ When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸ On the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

⁹ They stripped him and took his head and his armor, then sent into the land of the Philistines all around to carry the news to their idols and to the people.

¹⁰ They put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.

¹¹ When all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

¹² all the valiant men arose 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.

¹³ So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the LORD, because of the LORD’s word, which he didn’t keep, and also because he asked counsel of one who had a familiar spirit, to inquire,

¹⁴ and didn’t inquire of the LORD. Therefore he killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

Around 1 Chronicles 10

Context

Context for this book is being written. A note appears here only once it names its sources.

AI explanation

1 Chronicles 10 · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this chapter says

After nine chapters of names, the story starts on a battlefield and it is a grim one. The Philistines press Israel on Mount Gilboa, and the men of Israel flee. Saul's three sons are killed. Archers overtake the king, and he is badly distressed. He asks his armor bearer to “Draw your sword” and end it, so the enemy cannot abuse him, but the man is too terrified. Saul falls on his own sword, and his armor bearer does the same. The next day the Philistines strip the bodies and fasten Saul's head in the house of Dagon. Then the valiant men of Jabesh Gilead cross the land, take the bodies, bury the bones under the oak, and fast seven days. The writer gives a plain verdict: Saul did not keep the LORD's word and did not inquire of the LORD.

Background

This is the same event told in 1 Samuel 31, but here it is stripped to its core and used as a doorway. Saul's reign ends so that David's can begin in chapter 11. The text records Saul's death without approving it. Anyone who is struggling with thoughts of self-harm should speak with a doctor, counselor or crisis line, as this text offers no guidance on that. Many scholars think Chronicles was written after the exile.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 1 November 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

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World English Bible. Public-domain source and edition notes