Shmuel Alef 31:3

3 And the milchamah became intense against Sha’ul, and the archers overtook him; and he was mortally wounded by the archers.

Shmuel Alef 31:3 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 31:3

And the battle went sore against Saul
Pressed heavy upon him; he was the butt of the Philistines, they aimed at his person and life:

and the archers hit him;
or "found him" ^F1; the place where was, and directed their arrows at him:

and he was sore wounded of the archers;
or rather "he was afraid" of them, as the Targum, for as yet he was not wounded; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, and is the sense Kimchi and Ben Melech give of the word: he was not afraid of death, as Abarbinel observes, he chose to die; but he was afraid he should be hit by the archers in such a way that he should not die immediately, and should be taken alive and ill used; the Philistines, especially the Cherethites, were famous for archery; (See Gill on Zephaniah 2:5).

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FOOTNOTES:

F1 (whaumyw) "et inveserust cum", Pagninus, Montanus.

Shmuel Alef 31:3 In-Context

1 1 Now the Pelishtim fought against Yisroel; and the anshei Yisroel fled from before the Pelishtim, and fell down chalalim (slain ones) on Mt Gilboa.

2 And the Pelishtim followed hard upon Sha’ul and upon his banim; and the Pelishtim slaughtered Yehonatan [Yonatan], and Avinadav, and Malki Shua, the Bnei Sha’ul.

3 And the milchamah became intense against Sha’ul, and the archers overtook him; and he was mortally wounded by the archers.

4 Then said Sha’ul unto his noseh keli (armor bearer), Draw thy cherev, and thrust me through therewith; lest these arelim (uncircumcised ones) come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his noseh keli would not; for he was very afraid. Therefore Sha’ul took a cherev, and fell upon it.

5 And when his noseh keli saw that Sha’ul was dead, he fell likewise upon his cherev, and died with him.