Shmuel Alef 31:9

9 And they cut off his rosh (head), and stripped off his keli, and sent through eretz Pelishtim all around, to publish it in the bais atzabim, and among the people.

Shmuel Alef 31:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 31:9

And they cut off his head
And fastened it in the temple of Dagon, ( 1 Chronicles 10:10 ) ; perhaps that which was at Ashdod, one of the principalities of the Philistines, ( 1 Samuel 5:1 1 Samuel 5:2 ) ;

and stripped off his armour;
or vessels ^F8, his clothes as well as his armour, and what he had about him; as for his crown on his head, and the bracelet on his arm, the Amalekite took them before the Philistines came, ( 2 Samuel 1:10 ) ;

and sent into the land of the Philistines round about:
not his head and his armour, for they were placed in the temple of their idols; unless we can suppose these were first carried about for show, and as proofs of the victory: but rather messengers, who were sent express with the news,

to publish [it in] the house of their idols, and among the people;
that so they might be glad and rejoice, and give praise to their idols, to whom they ascribed the success they had.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 (wylk ta) "vasa ejus", Munster, Montanus.

Shmuel Alef 31:9 In-Context

7 And when the anshei Yisroel that were on the other side of the emek (valley), and they that were on the other side of the Yarden, saw that the anshei Yisroel fled, and that Sha’ul and his banim were dead, they abandoned the towns, and fled; and the Pelishtim came and took occupation of them.

8 And it came to pass on the next day, when the Pelishtim came to strip the chalalim, that they found Sha’ul and his shloshet banim fallen on Mt Gilboa.

9 And they cut off his rosh (head), and stripped off his keli, and sent through eretz Pelishtim all around, to publish it in the bais atzabim, and among the people.

10 And they put his keli in the Bais Ashtarot; and they hung up his body on the chomat Beit Shan.

11 And when the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilead heard of that which the Pelishtim had done to Sha’ul;