TRV
Translation
King James Version
Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
KJV (with Strong's)
Then said H559 Saul H7586 unto his armourbearer H5375 H3627, Draw H8025 thy sword H2719, and thrust me through H1856 therewith; lest these uncircumcised H6189 come H935 and thrust me through H1856, and abuse H5953 me. But his armourbearer H5375 H3627 would H14 not; for he was sore H3966 afraid H3372. Therefore Saul H7586 took H3947 a sword H2719, and fell H5307 upon it.
Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it. Otherwise these uncircumcised men will come, run me through and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer refused, he was too frightened. So Sha'ul took his sword and fell on it.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
American Standard Version
Then said Saul to his armorbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armorbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it.
World English Bible Messianic
Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me!” But his armor bearer would not; for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell on it.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then saide Saul vnto his armour bearer, Drawe out thy sworde, and thrust mee through therewith, lest the vncircumcised come and thrust me through and mocke me: but his armour bearer would not, for hee was sore afraid. Therefore Saul tooke a sworde and fell vpon it.
Young's Literal Translation
and Saul saith to the bearer of his weapons, `Draw thy sword, and pierce me with it, lest they come--these uncircumcised--and have pierced me, and rolled themselves on me;' and the bearer of his weapons hath not been willing, for he is greatly afraid, and Saul taketh the sword, and falleth upon it.
Study This Verse
Commentary on 1 Samuel 31 verses 1–7
1 ¶ Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.
7 And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
The day of recompence has now come, in which Saul must account for the blood of the Amalekites which he had sinfully spared, and that of the priests which he had more sinfully spilt; that of David too, which he would have spilt, must come into the account. Now his day has come to fall, as David foresaw, when he should descend into battle and perish, Sa1 26:10. Come and see the righteous judgments of God.
I. He sees his soldiers fall about him, Sa1 31:1. Whether the Philistines were more numerous, better posted, and better led on, or what other advantages they had, we are not told; but it seems they were more vigorous, for they made the onset; they fought against Israel, and the Israelites fled and fell. The best of the troops were put into disorder, and multitudes slain, probably those whom Saul had employed in pursuing David. Thus those who had followed him and served him in his sin went before him in his fall and shared with him in his plagues.
II. He sees his sons fall before him. The victorious Philistines pressed most forcibly upon the king of Israel and those about him. His three sons were next him, it is probable, and they were all three slain before his face, to his great grief (for they were the hopes of his family) and to his great terror, for they were now the guard of his person, and he could conclude no other than that his own turn would come next. His sons are named (Sa1 31:2), and it grieves us to find Jonathan among them: that wise, valiant, good man, who was as much David's friend as Saul was his enemy, yet falls with the rest. Duty to his father would not permit him to stay at home, or to retire when the armies engaged; and Providence so orders it that he falls in the common fate of his family, though he never involved himself in the guilt of it; so that the observation of Eliphaz does not hold (Job 4:7), Who ever perished being innocent? For here was one. What shall we say to it? 1. God would hereby complete the vexation of Saul in his dying moments, and the judgment that was to be executed upon his house. If the family must fall, Jonathan, that is one of it, must fall with it. 2. He would hereby make David's way to the crown the more clear and open. For, though Jonathan himself would have cheerfully resigned all his title and interest to him (we have no reason to suspect any other), yet it is very probable that many of the people would have made use of his name for the support of the house of Saul, or at least would have come in but slowly to David. If Ishbosheth (who was now left at home as one unfit for action, and so escaped) had so many friends, what would Jonathan have had, who had been the darling of the people and had never forfeited their favour? Those that were so anxious to have a king like the nations would be zealous for the right line, especially if that threw the crown upon such a head as Jonathan's. This would have embarrassed David; and, if Jonathan could have prevailed to bring in all his interest to David, then it would have been said that Jonathan had made him king, whereas God was to have all the glory. This is the Lord's doing. So that though the death of Jonathan would be a great affliction to David, yet, by making him mindful of his own frailty, as well as by facilitating his accession to the throne, it would be an advantage to him. 3. God would hereby show us that the difference between good and bad is to be made in the other world, not in this. All things come alike to all. We cannot judge of the spiritual or eternal state of any by the manner of their death; for in that there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked.
III. He himself is sorely wounded by the Philistines and then slain by his own hand. The archers hit him (Sa1 31:3), so that he could neither fight nor fly, and therefore must inevitably fall into their hands. Thus, to make him the more miserable, destruction comes gradually upon him, and he dies so as to feel himself die. To such an extremity was he now reduced that, 1. He was desirous to die by the hand of his own servant rather than by the hand of the Philistines, lest they should abuse him as they had abused Samson. Miserable man! He finds himself dying, and all his care is to keep his body out of the hands of the Philistines, instead of being solicitous to resign his soul into the hands of God who gave it, Ecc 12:7. As he lived, so he died, proud and jealous, and a terror to himself and all about him. Those who rightly understand the matter think it of small account, in comparison, how it is with them in death, so it may but be well with them after death. Those are in a deplorable condition indeed who, being bitter in soul, long for death, but it cometh not (Job 3:20, Job 3:21), especially those who, despairing of the mercy of god, like Judas, leap into a hell before them, to escape a hell within them. 2. When he could not obtain that favour he became his own executioner, thinking hereby to avoid shame, but running upon a heinous sin, and with it entailing upon his own name a mark of perpetual infamy, as felo de se - a self-murderer. Jonathan, who received his death-wound from the hand of the Philistines and bravely yielded to the fate of war, died on the bed of honour; but Saul died as a fool dieth, as a coward dieth - a proud fool, a sneaking coward; he died as a man that had neither the fear of God nor hope in God, neither the reason of a man nor the religion of an Israelite, much less the dignity of a prince or the resolution of a soldier. Let us all pray, Lord, lead us not into temptation, this temptation. His armour-bearer would not run him through, and he did well to refuse it; for no man's servant ought to be a slave to his master's lusts or passions of any kind. The reason given is that he was sorely afraid, not of death, for he himself ran wilfully upon that immediately; but, having a profound reverence for the king his master, he could not conquer that so far as to do him any hurt; or perhaps he feared lest his trembling hand should give him but half a blow, and so put him to the greater misery.
IV. His armour-bearer who refused to kill him refused not to die with him, but fell likewise upon his sword, Sa1 31:5. This was an aggravating circumstance of the death of Saul, that, by the example of his wickedness in murdering himself, he drew in his servant to be guilty of the same wickedness, and perished not alone in his iniquity. The Jews say that Saul's armour-bearer was Doeg, whom he preferred to that dignity for killing the priests, and, if so, justly does his violent dealing return on his own head. David had foretold concerning him that God would destroy him for ever, Psa 52:5.
V. The country was put into such confusion by the rout of Saul's army that the inhabitants of the neighbouring cities (on that side Jordan, as it might be read) quitted them, and the Philistines, for a time, had possession of them, till things were settled in Israel (Sa1 31:7), to such a sad pass had Saul by his wickedness brought his country, which might have remained in the hands of the uncircumcised if David had not been raised up to repair the breaches of it. See what a king he proved for whom they rejected God and Samuel. They had still done wickedly (it is to be feared) as well as he, and therefore were consumed both they and their king, as the prophet had foretold concerning them, Sa1 12:25. And to this reference is had long after. Hos 13:10, Hos 13:11, "Where are thy saviours in all thy cities, of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I gave thee a king in my anger, and took him away in my wrath; that is, he was a plague to thee living and dying; thou couldst expect no other."
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–7. Public domain.
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BedeAD 735
Commentary on Samuel
And his armor-bearer did not want, etc. There is no doubt that among the reprobate teachers of the law there have been some who, through a sinister interpretation, did not want the sharpness of the word to kill their own listeners, and yet those listeners turned to their own ruin either by despising or, what is worse, by blaspheming the things rightly said by their teachers. Upon seeing their spiritual death, that is, their obstinacy in sinning, those ministers of the word, deteriorated over time, saw that the testimonies of the law, which they had feared to interpret wrongly, when contemptuously disregarded, became an occasion of downfall for them. We regret to acknowledge that the same things happen often today. But even heretics, wounded by their own sins, when they twist the words of divine scriptures into arguments for their error, surely turn their own weapons upon their own chests as they are about to die; and any brother, even remaining in the unity of the catholic Church, when he defiles any skill he has learned for the common good of the Church and those among whom he lives with the contagion of pride, arrogance, avarice, or any other vice, miserably pierces himself with his own sword, because that which ought to have been defended against the enemy, instead aided the enemy.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Samuel
And Saul said to his armor-bearer: Draw your sword, etc. The armor-bearer of Saul signifies the doctors of the law; for just as the arms and arrows of the Philistines are the deceits of the wicked, so on the contrary, the arms of the Israelites ought to be mystically understood as the words of spiritual doctrine, by which the people of God had to fortify themselves against all dangers. But Saul, wounded unto desperation by the archers, preferred to die by the sword of his armor-bearer rather than by that of the uncircumcised, because the rulers of the kingdom of the Jews, once having set the purpose of dying in their sins, preferred to be destroyed by their doctors who were dissolving the commandments of the law and thus teaching them, rather than to be polluted by the company of the gentiles, whom they called common and unclean. Moreover, they feared to enter the praetorium of a gentile, so that they would not be contaminated, but could eat the Passover (John XVIII). Nevertheless, they did not fear to contaminate that same Passover, turned for their ruin by the law, which they had received, with the blood of the innocent.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
1 Samuel 31:4 records the tragic and ignominious end of King Saul, Israel's first monarch, during the catastrophic Battle of Mount Gilboa. Gravely wounded by Philistine archers and facing imminent capture, Saul desperately commands his armor-bearer to kill him, fearing the profound humiliation, torture, and desecration he would suffer at the hands of the "uncircumcised" enemy. When his armor-bearer refuses out of fear, Saul takes his own sword and falls upon it, choosing a desperate act of self-destruction to avoid a perceived greater shame, thus marking the ignoble conclusion of his troubled and disobedient reign.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The passage employs several potent literary devices that amplify its tragic impact. Pathos is profoundly evident in the scene of a king, once chosen by God and endowed with a spirit of leadership, reduced to such a desperate, isolated, and self-destructive end, evoking pity for his desperate plight. There is deep irony in Saul's death: he, who was anointed by God to deliver Israel from the Philistines, ultimately dies by their indirect hand (wounded by their archers) and his own, rather than in a glorious battle for God's glory. The narrative also uses contrast between Saul's overwhelming fear of human humiliation and the consistent emphasis throughout the book of Samuel on the paramount importance of fearing God above all else. Furthermore, this verse serves as a grim fulfillment of earlier prophecies, particularly Samuel's pronouncements of God tearing the kingdom from Saul due to his persistent disobedience, making his death a culminating point in his tragic downfall. The repeated use of "thrust me through" (H1856, dâqar) emphasizes the violent nature of his desired end.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Saul's suicide in 1 Samuel 31:4 is a profound theological statement on the devastating consequences of a life lived outside of full obedience and trust in God. His despair and self-destruction reflect a deep spiritual emptiness, where human pride and the fear of earthly shame ultimately outweigh faith in divine providence. This act marks the final, self-chosen end of a reign that began with divine favor but was progressively characterized by disobedience, jealousy, and a reliance on human strength rather than God's. The narrative implicitly critiques Saul's lack of hope and his ultimate failure to submit to God's sovereign will, even in the face of overwhelming adversity. His death paves the way for the establishment of David's kingship, a reign that, despite its own significant flaws, was marked by a heart more aligned with God's and a consistent seeking of the Lord's guidance.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
King Saul's final act is a somber and powerful reminder of the devastating consequences of a life disconnected from genuine faith and obedience to God. His desperate choice to end his own life, driven by the fear of human humiliation and a profound sense of despair, stands as a stark warning against the dangers of pride, self-reliance, and a lack of trust in God's sovereignty. When we prioritize our reputation, our perceived control over circumstances, or our own pride above trusting in God's unfailing power and love, even in the darkest valleys, we risk succumbing to a similar spiritual bankruptcy. This narrative challenges us to examine where our ultimate hope lies: in our own strength and ability to control our circumstances, or in the unfailing power, wisdom, and love of God. It underscores the vital importance of perseverance, seeking divine wisdom, and maintaining unwavering faith even when circumstances seem overwhelmingly dire, rather than succumbing to the temptation of self-destruction or abandoning hope in God's ultimate plan.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is suicide condemned in the Bible?
Answer: While the Bible records several instances of suicide (e.g., Saul in 1 Samuel 31:4, Ahithophel in 2 Samuel 17:23, Judas Iscariot in Matthew 27:5), it does not offer explicit, blanket condemnation of the act itself through a specific commandment. Instead, it portrays these events as tragic outcomes of despair, desperation, profound sin, or the consequences of a life lived apart from God's guidance. Implicitly, the Bible consistently upholds the sanctity of human life as a sacred gift from God, created in His image (Genesis 9:6), suggesting that life is not ours to take. These narratives serve as cautionary tales about the depths of human despair and the tragic ends that can result from a life lived apart from God's hope and sovereign will.
Why was Saul so afraid of being "abused" by the Philistines?
Answer: Saul's intense fear of being "abused" by the Philistines stemmed from a complex combination of cultural, religious, and personal factors. Culturally, being captured by an enemy, especially a despised one like the "uncircumcised" Philistines, meant extreme public humiliation, torture, and likely a gruesome, prolonged death as a public spectacle. For a king, this would have been the ultimate disgrace, stripping him of all dignity, honor, and authority. Religiously, the Philistines were pagans, enemies of God's covenant people. To be defiled, mocked, and paraded by them would have been a profound spiritual insult, a desecration of his body and his status as the Lord's anointed king. Personally, Saul was a proud man, often more concerned with his own honor and reputation than with God's will or the nation's spiritual well-being. The thought of being mocked, tortured, and paraded by his enemies was unbearable to his proud spirit, leading him to choose a swift, self-inflicted death over such ignominy.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Saul's tragic end in 1 Samuel 31:4, marked by despair and a desperate attempt to avoid human humiliation through self-destruction, stands in stark contrast to the perfect kingship and redemptive sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Saul, a flawed human king, failed to trust God in his darkest hour, choosing to fall on his own sword to preserve his pride and avoid shame. Jesus, the true and eternal King, willingly faced the ultimate humiliation and abuse, not to avoid it, but to embrace it for the salvation of humanity. He did not fall on a sword in despair, but was lifted up on a cross (John 3:14), enduring shame and suffering far beyond anything Saul feared (Hebrews 12:2). While Saul's death marked the inglorious end of a disobedient reign and the triumph of his enemies, Christ's death was a victorious, self-giving act of perfect obedience to the Father (Philippians 2:8), conquering sin and death itself (Romans 5:8). Saul's failure highlights humanity's desperate need for a perfect King, one who would not succumb to despair but would offer true hope and eternal life through His own sacrificial love, establishing an everlasting kingdom that will never be defeated (Luke 1:33).