Chapters X.–XXIX.
The Reign of David.
At this point the Chronicler begins his narrative of Israel’s history. It commences abruptly with an account of the defeat and death of Saul, which however is given not for its own interest, but to serve as a brief introduction to the reign of David (chapter xi. ff.). Why does the Chronicler choose to begin his narrative at this point, passing over in silence (a) the Mosaic period, (b) the stories of Judges and of 1 Samuel i.–xxx.? As regards (a) his silence is due to the assumption that those for whom he writes are no less familiar than he is himself with the account of the Mosaic age as presented by the fully developed tradition of the Pentateuch. As for (b), his silence probably arises neither from the difficulty of retelling the narratives of Judges in accordance with his theory of the early history, nor yet from the fact that they were doubtless familiar to his readers; but, again, from a consideration of the central purpose of his work. His theme is the Divine guidance of Israel’s destiny, and, since that destiny had ultimately centred upon the fortunes of Jerusalem and the worship maintained through its Temple, all else in Israel’s history becomes of quite secondary importance. He begins therefore where (for Israel) Jerusalem and the Temple began—with David, who conquered the city and planned the Temple. The tales of the Judges, of Samuel, and of David’s early life and his magnanimity toward Saul (a tempting source for the exaltation of the character of the ideal king), all these are logically ignored, since they lie outside the scope of the Chronicler’s design.
Chapter X.
1–12 (= 1 Samuel xxxi. 1–13).
The Defeat, Death, and Burial of
Saul.
1–12. There are several variations between the text given here and the text of 1 Samuel, to which attention will be called in the notes below.
¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain¹ in mount Gilboa.
1. in mount Gilboa] In the campaign of Gilboa the Philistines showed new and skilful strategy. Instead of at once marching eastward up the ravines which lead into Judah and Benjamin—in which there was no room for their chariots (2 Samuel i. 6) to manœuvre—they first marched northward along the sea-coast and then turned eastward just before reaching Mount Carmel. This movement brought them into the great fertile plain watered by the Kishon, ground over which chariots could act with decisive effect. At the north-east end of the plain rose the heights of Gilboa. When Saul and his Benjamites advanced to meet the Philistines, the latter succeeded in interposing themselves between the Israelite army and its base in Benjamin—an easy achievement for an enemy who by his chariots possessed a high degree of mobility. Saul was therefore driven to take up his position on the north side of the plain on Mount Gilboa, where he was attacked by the Philistines, probably from the south-west on which side the slopes of the mountain are comparatively gentle. The Israelites, cut off from their homes, outmarched, outgeneralled, and probably outnumbered, were speedily routed. The battle of Gilboa was won, like that of Hastings, by cavalry (chariots) and archers (verse 3) against infantry, which was obliged to stand on the defensive, under pain of being cut to pieces if it ventured to attack. See G. A. Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land, pp. 400 ff.
²And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab¹, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. ³And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was distressed by reason of the archers.
2. Malchi-shua] This is the correct spelling, not Melchi-shua.
⁴Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse¹ me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it. ⁵And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died.
4. unto his armourbearer] Compare Judges ix. 54 (the death of Abimelech). One function of an armourbearer was to give the “coup de grâce” to fallen enemies (1 Samuel xiv. 13), but sometimes the same office had to be executed for friends. Possibly the man refused from fear of blood-revenge, which would be the more certainly exacted in the case of the Lord’s Anointed, compare 1 Samuel ii. 22, xxvi. 9 (so Curtis).
and abuse me] i.e. wreak their cruel will upon me; compare Judges i. 6.
⁶So Saul died, and his three sons; and all his house died together.
6. all his house] In Samuel “his armourbearer and all his men.” The reference may be to Saul’s servants: his family was not exterminated in this battle.
⁷And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
⁸And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
7. that were in the valley] The “valley of Jezreel” (Hosea i. 5), called in later times the “plain of Esdrelon” (Esdraelon), is meant.
forsook their cities] Among these was no doubt Beth-shan (Beisan) “the key of Western Palestine” (see G. A. Smith, Historical Geography of the Holy Land pp. 358 f.), where Saul’s body was exposed (1 Samuel xxxi. 12).
and dwelt in them] Perhaps for a short while only, compare 2 Samuel ii. 9, “[Abner] made him (Ish-bosheth) king over ... Jezreel.” Ish-bosheth, however, may have “ruled” only in acknowledgment of a Philistine suzerainty.
⁹And they stripped him, and took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto their idols, and to the people.
9. to carry the tidings unto their idols] Better, as in Samuel, “to publish it in the house (or houses) of their idols”; compare the next verse. The news was published by the exhibition of trophies of the victory in the Philistine temples.
¹⁰And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.
10. in the house of their gods] In Samuel (more definitely) “in the house (or houses) of Ashtaroth,” Ashtaroth being the plural of Ashtoreth, a goddess, who seems here to bear a martial character. (The name Ashtoreth is an artificial formation, the proper form being Ashtarte. The vowels of the word bōshĕth, i.e. shame, were used for the last two syllables in place of the true vowels; compare note on viii. 33.) She was apparently consort of the Phoenician Baal (Judges ii. 13, x. 6).
fastened his head in the house of Dagon (literally Beth-Dagon)] In Samuel fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. The reading of Chronicles is probably an arbitrary alteration made by the Chronicler out of regard for 1 Samuel xxxi. 9, where it is related that the Philistines cut off Saul’s head. It is just possible that the variation points to a fuller original text containing all three statements—that Saul’s armour was placed in the temple of Ashtarte, his head in the “house of Dagon,” and his headless corpse fastened to the walls of Beth-shan. Beth-shan is north-east of Gilboa, about four miles distant from the Jordan, and about a day’s march (1 Samuel xxxi. 12) from Jabesh (verse 11), which was situated on the other side of Jordan in Gilead.
¹¹And when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,
11. Jabesh-gilead] See 1 Samuel xi. 1–11; 2 Samuel ii. 4–7.
¹²all the valiant men arose, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak¹ in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
12. took away] i.e. from the walls of Beth-shan (so Peshitṭa).
to Jabesh] Samuel adds “and burned them there.” The Chronicler omits this statement perhaps because he inferred that the bones were not destroyed by this burning; compare 2 Samuel xxi. 12–14 (the bones of Saul and Jonathan brought from Jabesh in David’s reign and re-interred in the family sepulchre) or more probably because burning was not a usual funeral rite among the Jews (compare 2 Chronicles xvi. 14, note), and indeed was regarded with abhorrence (compare Amos ii. 1).
under the oak] margin, terebinth. Large trees, being rare in Palestine, frequently serve as landmarks; compare Judges iv. 5; 1 Samuel xxii. 6 (“tamarisk tree” Revised Version).
fasted seven days] Fasting involved abstinence from food during daylight. David fasted “till the evening” in mourning for Saul (2 Samuel i. 12) and for Abner (2 Samuel iii. 35). The fast of Jabesh was a sevenfold fast.
13, 14 (peculiar to Chronicles).
The Moral of the Overthrow of the
House of Saul.
Such reflexions as these are characteristic of the Chronicler; compare 2 Chronicles xii. 2 (note), xxii. 7, xxiv. 24, xxv. 27. They are not so frequent in Samuel and Kings.
¹³So Saul died for¹ his trespass which he committed against the Lord, because of the word of the Lord, which he kept not; and also for that he asked counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire thereby,
13. his trespass] compare 2 Chronicles xxvi. 16. The reference is to Saul’s sacrifice (1 Samuel xiii. 13, 14), and disobedience (1 Samuel xv. 23).
asked counsel ... spirit] i.e. of the witch of Endor, 1 Samuel xxviii. 7 ff.
¹⁴and inquired not of the Lord: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
14. and inquired not of the Lord] Compare xiii. 3. The Chronicler presumably does not count inquiries made too late; compare 1 Samuel xxviii. 6 (Saul inquires of the Lord, but receives no answer).