1 Samuel 31:11

11 And when the dwellers of Jabesh of Gilead had heard this, and whatever things the Philistines had done to Saul, (And when the inhabitants of Jabesh of Gilead had heard this, and all the things that the Philistines had done to Saul,)

1 Samuel 31:11 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 31:11

And the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead
Who lived on the other side Jordan, about eight miles from Bethshan, according to Fuller ^F16:

heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;
not only that they had got the victory over him, and routed his army, but had abused his body, and hung it up by way of reproach and ignominy; which they could not bear to hear of, remembering with gratitude the kindness he had shown to them, in delivering them out of the hands of Nahash the Ammonite, ( 1 Samuel 11:1-13 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Pisgah-Sight of Palestine, b. 2. ch. 2. p. 82.

1 Samuel 31:11 In-Context

9 and they cutted away the head of Saul, and despoiled him of his armours; and sent into the land of Philistines by compass, that it should be told in the temple of idols, and in the peoples. (and they cut off Saul's head, and stripped him of his armour/and robbed him of his arms, or of his weapons; and then they sent messengers into all the land of the Philistines, so that it could be told to their idols, and to their people alike.)

10 And they putted his armours in the temple of Ashtaroth; but they hanged his body in the wall of Bethshan. (And they put his armour in the temple of Ashtoreth/And they put his arms, or his weapons, in the temple of Astarte, but they hung up his body on the wall of Bethshan.)

11 And when the dwellers of Jabesh of Gilead had heard this, and whatever things the Philistines had done to Saul, (And when the inhabitants of Jabesh of Gilead had heard this, and all the things that the Philistines had done to Saul,)

12 and all the strongest men rose (up), and went forth all that night, and they took (down) the dead body of Saul, and the dead bodies of his sons, from the wall of Bethshan; and the men of Jabesh of Gilead came, and burnt those dead bodies with fire.

13 And they took the bones of them, and buried them in the wood of Jabesh, and fasted by seven days. (And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and then fasted for seven days.)