Bede

The entire weight of the battle turned upon Saul, etc. The gentiles were exerting all their strength to destroy the kingdom of Judea. And men most adept in the arts of deception drew near to him, and the leaders of that kingdom were severely seduced and corrupted by them, who, by seizing the simplicity of the truth from their hearts, inflicted a multi-faceted wound of fraud and cunning. For just as an enemy's sword signifies an open enticement to idolatry and graver sins, so the subtler arguments of deception are represented by an arrow. Saul did not perish by the sword of the Philistines, but by arrows; because the leaders of the Jewish kingdom did not perish, with the kingdom, by open crimes, which no one would doubt to be deadly, but rather by those acts which, under the guise of piety, bore the most impious poison of death. For example, when God says: "Honor your father and mother," they, on the contrary, taught their listeners to say to their parents: "Whatever gift is from me, will benefit you," and thus completely cease to honor them. Similarly, they said: "Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; whoever swears by the gold of the temple, is obligated," and other such things, which the Lord sternly reprimands them for in the Gospel, especially that they killed the very Lord of the Law and the Gospel as if He were a transgressor of the Law. All of these arguments of sins are imitated by the gentiles for cunning, when they turn a mind trained in philosophical studies to nefarious arts, undoubtedly falling by the arrows of the Philistines. However, nothing prevents the archers from being understood as unclean spirits, whose deceptions caused their ruin.

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.

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.

But the men of Israel saw, etc. Seeing, however, certain unlearned and ignorant of the true remedies of humility and the salutary washing of baptism, the learned in Judea, their own teachers, being defeated in the spiritual contest by the triumph of sin, and also the not small multitude of the common people, who had been close to their teaching, driven by the adversary from their ancient seat of constancy, they themselves, perturbed by the fall of their elders, lost all works of virtue and defenses of spiritual knowledge that they had; and the sins of the Gentiles came and all studies of virtue in the unbelieving Jews were corrupted by perverse inhabitation; unclean spirits came, and the hearts devoid of the constancy of faith were occupied; or certainly the Gentiles came and made the once best studies of the Jews their own by believing. For even in former times, they had themselves made the divine words, which they had already partly abandoned, be interpreted for them; and now they have received the faith of Christ cast away by them, along with the divine Scriptures, and they possess them as if by inhabitation. Indeed, that which was said, beyond the valley, and beyond Jordan, should be explained more clearly mystically, the very site of the place being intimated to a few. There is a great valley around the Jordan, itself flat, extending in immense length, called in Hebrew Elon or Aulon, which is surrounded on both sides by succeeding and coherent mountains, beginning from Lebanon and reaching beyond it to the desert of Pharan; and notable cities are in that Aulon, that is, in the flat valley, Scythopolis, Tiberias, and the lake near it; but also Jericho, the Dead Sea, and the surrounding regions; through which, as we said, the Jordan flows in the middle, rising from the sources of Paneas and ending in the Dead Sea. Since, therefore, it is not hidden that the valley signifies the lowliness of humility, and Jordan, in which the Lord deigned to be baptized, signifies the waters of baptism, it is rightly embraced by the valley of Jordan, so that the very site of the place may admonish us to seek humbly the entrance into the saving fountain and to behave humbly after we have left it. Whoever, therefore, were not in the valley of Jordan, but beyond the valley and beyond Jordan, they flee; because those who either neglect to receive or to keep the remedy of humility and baptism, can by no means prevail against evil spirits. This can generally be understood about Jews and pagans, about heretics and bad Catholics.

And they cut off the head of Saul, etc. The corruptors or demons persecuted Judea with the weapons of impiety to such an extent that they completely deprived it of the principal kingdom itself and snatched away the defenses of the sacred law, by which they prevailed against all adversities. Their downfall was soon spread widely by heralding to their accomplices as a sign of their own triumph and a cause of joy; and the increase of wickedness in the armor of God, which the blessed apostle Paul commanded us, who are to fight against the spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians VI), and who first put it on, fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith, receiving from the Lord the crown of righteousness (II Timothy IV); this, I say, the armor of heavenly warfare. The Jews, deceived and deceiving, tried to carry the divine words into infernal places, that is, to equate the doctrines of demons. It is evident that they did this and are doing this in two ways; either by carnally interpreting spiritual words perversely, or by treating the same divine letters, as common and not supported by any divine authority, according to their wishes. Indeed, the very nation deprived of the stronghold of the kingdom of Judea, reduced to nothing, and handed over to the power of enemies, the deceivers publicly displayed as a joke and a common proverb; which figuratively is the body of Saul, truncated on the wall of Bethshan, that is, displayed as an enemy’s house, suspended by impious hands. But even heretics, struck down by the arrows of preceding sins, deprive themselves of the protection of charity, which is the fortress of all virtues. Just as the impure spirit cuts off the head of Saul when they persuade to follow their own sense rather than that of the Scripture. They strip them of arms when they pervert the divine words to their own, that is, diabolical sense. They place the arms of Saul in the temple of Ashtaroth. Ashtaroth indeed, not only because it is an idol, but also because it means the creation of spies, signifies the doctrine of malignant spirits, who, wandering around the folds of the faithful daily, explore if they can devour someone. When they perversely change the works with which they had served God to the service of their own wickedness, they hang the members, truly devoid of light and life, on the wall of the enemy’s house.

They came to Jabesh and burned them there, etc. The corpses, carnal or fleshly bones, signify the strongest and the works of virtues. Therefore, they burned the corpses of Saul and his sons, who left the weaknesses of the downfall of the Jews to divine judgment, so that they might understand that these things were done or permitted according to the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Rom. XII), according to the inscrutable counsel of His will. Indeed, we must understand the burning in this place according to that which is commanded regarding the receiving and searching of the sacraments of the Lord's passion under the type of eating the lamb: If anything remains, you shall burn it with fire (Exod. XII). They buried the bones in the forest of Jabesh, as when they found any strength and firmness in the weak, they did not despise them as worthless, but preferred to add them to the fruitful works of the saints; if they knew any among the carnal and frail to strive for the virtues of the soul, they took care to number them with the fellowship of the saints. For indeed, the fruit of good works is known to be expressed through the forest, which in reading Genesis, understands what or what kind of forest Abraham planted in Beersheba. Otherwise, Saul, dead and ridiculed for his sins, is rescued from public disgrace by the men of Jabesh, whom he saved. The corpse is burned, and the bones are placed in the forest; for it is indeed fitting, that if any of the faithful and great men, overcome by sin, incur spiritual death, they may be helped especially by those whom he benefited in goodness, so that he may be able to revive, and that his carnal [deeds] may be revealed by their most fervent prayers in compunction, and his spiritual deeds may be commended to their Creator, worthy of His kindness.

And they fasted for seven days. Literally and rightly for the dead, so that they may reach rest, it is fasted for seven days, which after the six ages of this world, in which we labor in the flesh, the seventh is in that world the age of rest for the souls freed from the flesh, in which the blessed await that glorious time when they may deserve to rise. The figure of this rest and resurrection, and the seventh day in the law, and the seventh or fiftieth year, in which rest of works was given, typologically foretold. The Lord showed the same example of our hope and dispensation of faith, who was crucified on the sixth day of the week, rested on the seventh in the tomb with His body, and on the eighth which is the first day of the week, rose from the dead. But in part of the allegory, regarding the blindness of the Jews who thus far observe the Sabbath carnally, his faithful fellow citizens and kinsmen rightfully retain sorrow and continuous grief in their hearts, as if they are fasting for seven days; because while their brothers and kin are still established in error, they can in no way have full joy. But when they too have fully understood the mystery of the eighth day, that is, of the Lord's and their own resurrection, both together, aided by the grace of Christ, will rejoice in perpetual festivity.

And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Moses and Elijah, one of whom we read was dead and the other taken up into the heavens, were seen in majesty with the Lord (as Luke writes), signifying the future glory of all the saints in Him. Evidently at the time of judgment, some will be found alive in the flesh, or also, having previously tasted death, will be resurrected and will reign together with Him. As the Apostle testifies: The dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord (1 Thess. IV). Alternatively, Moses and Elijah, that is, the legislator and the eminent prophet, appear and speak with the Lord coming in the flesh, to show that He is the one whom all the oracles of the law and the prophets promised. However, they appear not in the lowly places, but on the mountain with Him, because, indeed, only those who transcend earthly desires in their mind perceive the majesty of Holy Scripture, which is fulfilled in the Lord. Finally, even the sons of Israel saw Moses, but they did not deserve to follow him as he went up to God on the mountain, and they saw him turned back to them not without a veil. They knew Elijah, but it was only Elisha who with the sons of the prophets contemplated his triumphant ascent. Because many of us widely read the words of Scripture; but how exalted it shines in the mysteries of Christ, very few more perfect ones understand.

Now the overseers who were in charge of each operation are the writers of sacred Scripture by whose teaching authority we are instructed in all things as to how best to teach the ignorant and correct the contemptuous, to bear each other’s burdens so that we may fulfill the law of Christ. But the more each one labors in giving his neighbors support in their needs or in correcting their mistakes, the more surely may he expect in the life to come the rewards whether of peace of soul after death or of blessed immortality of body. Consequently, the aforesaid overseers are rightly recorded as numbering 70, and 80,000: 70, because of the sabbath rest of souls for the seventh day is consecrated to the sabbath, that is, rest; 80, because of the hope of resurrection on the eighth day, that is, after the sabbath, has already taken place in the Lord, and, it is hoped, will take place in us also on the eighth day and in the eighth age to come. The overseers, on the other hand, were 3,300, doubtless because of faith in the holy Trinity that the holy Scriptures proclaim to us. But the fact that in the book of Paralipomenon the number 3, is written instead of 3, has to do with the very same perfection of people of sublime virtue. For because the Lord completed the adornment of the world in the number six, the perfect works of good people are rightly apt to be symbolized by the same number, and because holy Scripture teaches that we must have the works of piety as well as true faith, the overseers of the temple works are rightly said to be 3,600. Nor should we pass over the fact that these 70, and 80, hod carriers and stonemasons with their overseers were not from Israel but from among the proselytes, that is, strangers who sojourned among them. For it is written in the book of Paralipomenon, “And Solomon took a census of all the proselytes resident in the land of Israel, on the model of the census that David his father had taken; and it was found that they numbered 153,600. And he put 70, of them carrying burdens on their shoulders,” and so forth.