1 Samuel 31:6

6 So on that day, Saul died together with his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men.

1 Samuel 31:6 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 31:6

So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer
Only with this difference, his three sons died honourably in the field of battle, but he and his armourbearer destroyed themselves. Josephus says ^F5 he reigned eighteen years in the life of Samuel, and after his death twenty two years, which make the forty years the apostle ascribes to him, ( Acts 13:21 ) ; Eupolemus ^F6, an Heathen writer, makes him to reign twenty one years; but of the years of his reign, both before and after the death of Samuel, chronologers are not agreed, see ( 1 Samuel 25:1 ) ; and (See Gill on Acts 13:21);

and all his men that same day together;
not all the soldiers in his army; for many of them fled and escaped, and even Abner the general of the army, but his household servants, or those that were near his person, his bodyguards.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F5 Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14. sect. 9.
F6 Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 3. p. 447.

1 Samuel 31:6 In-Context

4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me." But his armor-bearer would not do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it.

5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him.

6 So on that day, Saul died together with his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men.

7 When the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and on the other side of the Jordan saw that Israel's men had run away and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. So the Philistines came and settled in them.

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