1 Chronicles 10

This is the first narrative chapter after the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9. Picking up from the genealogy of Saul's family repeated at the end of 1 Chronicles 9, it briefly recounts Saul's death and opens the account of David that begins in 1 Chronicles 11.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 Israel fights the Philistines and is defeated on Mount Gilboa, and Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua are killed. Saul orders his armor-bearer to run him through, but the armor-bearer is afraid and refuses. Saul then falls on his own sword, and the armor-bearer does likewise and dies. Saul, his three sons, and all his house die together.
• Verse 7 The Israelites in the valley abandon their cities and flee, and the Philistines come and dwell in them.
• Verses 8–10 On the following day the Philistines take Saul's head and his armor. They put the armor in the house of their gods (a shrine) and fasten his head in the temple of Dagon.
• Verses 11–12 The valiant men of Jabesh-gilead retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons, bury them under the oak in Jabesh, and fast seven days.
• Verses 13–14 The chapter attributes Saul's death to his failure to keep the word of the LORD and to his seeking counsel from one that had a familiar spirit (a medium believed to call up the spirits of the dead) rather than inquiring of the LORD. It concludes that the LORD turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

Key Verses

• 1 Chronicles 10:6 "So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together." — Sums up the end of Saul's royal house in a single sentence.
• 1 Chronicles 10:13 "So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD" — An assessment unique to Chronicles and absent from the parallel account in 1 Samuel, interpreting Saul's death as the consequence of spiritual failure.
• 1 Chronicles 10:14 "and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse." — Presents the transfer of royal authority to David as the will of God and leads into the main body of the book, which centers on David.

Characters and Places

• Saul — The first king of Israel.
• Jonathan — Saul's son and David's friend.
• Abinadab and Malchishua — Sons of Saul. Only their names appear in this chapter.
• The armor-bearer — The attendant who carried Saul's weapons. He is not named.
• David and Jesse — David, the son of Jesse, who receives the kingdom.
• Philistines — A people who lived on the Mediterranean coastal plain and were long in conflict with Israel.
• Dagon — A god worshiped by the Philistines.
• Mount Gilboa — A range of hills southeast of the Jezreel Valley, where the battle took place.
• Jabesh-gilead — A city in the region of Gilead east of the Jordan River. Saul had rescued it from the Ammonites shortly after becoming king (1 Samuel 11).

Points for Reflection

• Differences from 1 Samuel 31: First Samuel records that the Philistines fastened the bodies to the wall of Beth-shan and put the armor in the house of Ashtaroth. It also relates that the men of Jabesh burned the bodies and then buried the bones under a tamarisk tree. First Chronicles records that the head was fastened in the temple of Dagon and does not mention the burning. The assessment in verses 13–14 is likewise found only in 1 Chronicles. The Chronicler's omission of most of Saul's life, recounting only his death, is commonly explained as a deliberate focus on the Davidic dynasty.
• "All his house died together": Second Samuel reports that Saul's son Ish-bosheth (Eshbaal in 1 Chronicles 8:33) survived and reigned for a time. Many commentators therefore read this expression as meaning that Saul's royal house had effectively collapsed.
• "And enquired not of the LORD": 1 Samuel 28 records that Saul inquired of the LORD but received no answer. For this reason, some interpret the phrase as describing a failure to rely sincerely on the LORD, which ultimately led Saul to turn to a medium. The one that had a familiar spirit in verse 13 is identified with the woman of Endor in 1 Samuel 28. "The word of the LORD, which he kept not" is understood to refer to Saul's disobedience in 1 Samuel 13 and 1 Samuel 15.
• Connection to the New Testament: Paul's sermon in Acts 13 summarizes Israel's history by stating that God removed Saul and raised up David to be king (Acts 13:21–22).