1 Chronicles 10: The Death of Saul
The narrative begins with Saul's tragic end on Mount Gilboa, and the Chronicler explains plainly why his kingdom was given to David.
1 Chronicles 10 (WEB)
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, and 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, and 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, and 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 Yahweh, because of Yahweh’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 Yahweh: therefore he killed him, and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.
1 Chronicles 10 (KJV)
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi–shua, the sons of Saul.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers.
4 Then 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.
5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together.
7 And 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.
8 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.
9 And 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.
10 And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
11 And when all Jabesh–gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 They 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.
13 So 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;
14 And enquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
1 Chronicles 10 (ASV)
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was distressed by reason of the archers.
4 Then said Saul unto his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons; and all his house died together.
7 And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8 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.
9 And they stripped him, and took his head, and his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto their idols, and to the people.
10 And they put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.
11 And 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 Jehovah, because of the word of Jehovah, which he kept not; and also for that he asked counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire thereby,
14 and inquired not of Jehovah: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
Summary
After nine chapters of genealogy, the story now begins, and it begins with a tragedy. The Philistines fight against Israel, and the men of Israel flee and fall slain on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines press hard after Saul and his sons, killing Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. Wounded and overtaken by the archers, Saul asks his armor bearer to run him through so the uncircumcised will not abuse him; when the terrified man refuses, Saul falls on his own sword, and his armor bearer follows. So Saul and his three sons and all his house die together that day. The Philistines strip the slain, carry off Saul's head and armor, and display them in the houses of their gods. But the valiant men of Jabesh Gilead recover the bodies, bury the bones, and fast seven days. Then the Chronicler gives his own sober verdict: Saul died for his unfaithfulness, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and even sought guidance from a medium rather than inquiring of the Lord. Therefore God put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. The whole genealogy has been clearing the way for the king God chose.
Key Figures
- Saul — Israel's first king, who falls on his own sword on Mount Gilboa and dies for his unfaithfulness to the Lord.
- Jonathan and his brothers — Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, killed by the Philistines alongside their father.
- The men of Jabesh Gilead — Valiant men who recover the bodies of Saul and his sons, bury their bones, and fast seven days in mourning.
- David the son of Jesse — The one to whom the Lord turns the kingdom, the chosen king toward whom the whole genealogy has pointed.
Key Verse
1 Chronicles 10:13 (WEB)
So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against Yahweh, because of Yahweh’s word, which he didn’t keep; and also because he asked counsel of one who had a familiar spirit, to inquire,
Lessons Learned
- Persistent unfaithfulness to God's word carries devastating consequences.
- Seeking guidance from anywhere but the Lord is a deadly turning away from him.
- God is sovereign over the rise and fall of kings, turning the kingdom as he wills.
- Even amid disaster, faithful people like the men of Jabesh Gilead show honor and courage.
- Unfaithfulness brings ruin. “Saul died for his trespass which he committed against Yahweh” (1 Chronicles 10:13, WEB); a life of disobedience to God's word ended in catastrophe.
- We must inquire of the Lord. Saul “asked counsel of one who had a familiar spirit” and “didn't inquire of Yahweh” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14, WEB); seeking direction apart from God is itself a deadly sin.
- God rules over kings and kingdoms. The Lord “turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse” (1 Chronicles 10:14, WEB); the throne is given and removed by God's hand alone.
- Honor can shine in dark times. The men of Jabesh Gilead bravely recovered and buried Saul's body (1 Chronicles 10:11-12, WEB); faithfulness and courage are possible even amid defeat.
- How does beginning the narrative with Saul's death set the stage for the story of David?
- What reasons does the Chronicler give for why Saul died?
- Why is seeking counsel from a medium described as such a serious failure?
- What does the action of the men of Jabesh Gilead reveal about faithfulness even in defeat?
- Where are you tempted to seek guidance from sources other than God, and how can you learn to inquire of him first?
- Opening with Saul's fall clears the throne for David, the king the whole genealogy has been moving toward. It frames David's reign as the answer to Saul's failure and as the outworking of God's sovereign choice for his people.
- The Chronicler says plainly that Saul died for his unfaithfulness: he did not keep the word of the Lord, and he sought counsel from a medium instead of inquiring of God. His death is presented not as mere misfortune but as the consequence of a heart turned from God.
- Consulting a medium meant turning away from the living God to forbidden powers, the very opposite of trusting and obeying him. It exposed Saul's deeper refusal to seek the Lord, making it a fitting summary of the unfaithfulness that destroyed him.
- Even as the nation reeled and their king lay dead, the men of Jabesh Gilead risked themselves to honor Saul's body and mourn him properly. Their courage shows that faithfulness and decency endure even in the darkest, most defeated moments.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name the places they look for direction—habits, voices, or influences—and to weigh whether they truly inquire of the Lord. As leader, gently encourage prayer and Scripture as the first place to seek guidance, learning from Saul's tragic example.