1 Samuel 31

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 31 of 31

1 And the Philistines were fighting against Israel. And the men of Israel fled from the face of the Philistines, and they fell down wounded in Mount Gilboa.

2 And the Philistines followed Saul and his sons. And the Philistines struck Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

3 And the battle went hard against Saul. And the archers, men with the bow, found him and he was sorely wounded by the archers.

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Chapter Summary

Saul and his armor bearer kill themselves. The Philistines possess the towns of Israel. The people of Jabesh-gilead recover and burn the bodies of Saul and his three sons by night.

Key Hebrew Words

כֵלָ֜י article H3627 · TWOT 982g
סָבִ֗יב circuit H5439 · TWOT 1456b
עַשְׁתָּר֑וֹת Asharoth H6252 · TWOT 1718b
שְׁלֹ֥ף draw out H8025 · TWOT 2402
יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ Israel H3478 · TWOT 2287a

People & Context

Israel Defeated on Mount Gilboa

The Philistines violently defeat the Israelites in battle. The Israelites flee, and many fall wounded on Mount Gilboa.

Death of Saul's Sons

The Philistines overtake Saul's family and strike down three of his sons: Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

Saul's Suicide

Sorely wounded by archers and fearing abuse by the uncircumcised, Saul begs his armorbearer to kill him. When the armorbearer refuses out of fear, Sau…

Timeline

Israel Defeated on Mount Gilboa

The Philistines violently defeat the Israelites in battle. The Israelites flee, and many fall wounded on Mount Gilboa.

1 Samuel 31:1
Death of Saul's Sons

The Philistines overtake Saul's family and strike down three of his sons: Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

1 Samuel 31:2
Saul's Suicide

Sorely wounded by archers and fearing abuse by the uncircumcised, Saul begs his armorbearer to kill him. When the armorbearer refuses out of fear, Saul falls on his own sword.

1 Samuel 31:3-6

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Word-for-word literal translation with Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and audio.

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