2 Samuel 1:19

19 "Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen!

2 Samuel 1:19 Meaning and Commentary

2 Samuel 1:19

The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places
The high mountains of Gilboa, where Saul their king, and Jonathan his son, a prince of the blood, and natural heir to the crown, and multitudes of young men, the flower of the nation, were wounded and slain. Here begins the lamentation, or the elegiac song:

how are the mighty fallen!
mighty men of war, strong and valiant, as Saul and his sons were, and the soldiers in his army.

2 Samuel 1:19 In-Context

17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,

18 and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:

19 "Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen!

20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ash'kelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

21 "Ye mountains of Gilbo'a, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor upsurging of the deep! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.