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1 Chronicles 9:35–10:14

35 9:35In Gibeon lived the father of Gibeon, Jeiel, and the name of his wife was Maacah, 36 9:36and his firstborn son Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 9:37Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth; 38 9:38and Mikloth was the father of Shimeam; and these also lived opposite their kinsmen in Jerusalem, with their kinsmen. 39 9:39Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 40 9:40And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal, and Merib-baal fathered Micah. 41 9:41The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz. 1 42 9:42And Ahaz fathered Jarah, and Jarah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. And Zimri fathered Moza. 43 9:43Moza fathered Binea, and Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. 44 9:44Azel had six sons and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 10:2And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 10:3The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was wounded by the archers. 4 10:4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 10:5And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died. 6 10:6Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. 7 10:7And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army 2 had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them.

8 10:8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 10:9And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. 10 10:10And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. 11 10:11But when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 10:12all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

13 10:13So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. 14 10:14He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

1 Compare 8:35; Hebrew lacks and Ahaz

2 Hebrew they

Section Overview

The reign of Saul, first king of Israel, is quickly passed over by the Chronicler. After repetition of previous genealogical details (1 Chron. 9:35–44 matches 8:29–38) comes only the account of his death (10:1–12, parallel to 1 Sam. 31:1–13). The reason for brevity is seen in the concluding summary (1 Chron. 10:13–14): “breach of faith” led to defeat and death, but God continued to provide a king in David. Saul’s failure serves to highlight the subsequent narrative of David’s faithfulness and related success.

Section Outline
  1. II. The United Monarchy of David and Solomon—Jerusalem, the Ark, and the Temple (1 Chron. 9:35–2 Chron. 9:31)
    1. A. Saul, a Prelude to David: His Genealogy and Death (1 Chron. 9:35–10:14)
      1. 1. Repeat of Saul’s Genealogy (9:35–44)
      2. 2. Saul’s Death (10:1–12)
      3. 3. Concluding Summary (10:13–14)
Response

Saul’s death is a tragic example of leadership that promises much due to natural abilities and charisma and even God’s choice (e.g., 1 Sam. 9:15–17; 10:23–24) but fails because it is not undergirded with a steady commitment to God, evident in obeying his known commands and humbly seeking his guidance. Saul’s fear of what the Philistines might do culminates a life of actions governed by fear of what others might do rather than by trusting obedience and seeking God (e.g., 1 Sam. 13:4–14; 15:24; 17:11; 28:5).

Saul, and ultimately the Davidic kings, proved to be “unfaithful.” Today, in contrast, we can rejoice in Christ Jesus, who has been given the “throne of his father David” (Luke 1:32). He was “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). Even “if we are faithless, he remains faithful” (2 Tim. 2:13). To Christians who face opposition, who “suffer for righteousness’ sake,” Peter not only promises that “you will be blessed” (cf. Matt. 5:10) but also continues, “Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy” (1 Pet. 3:14–15, citing Isa. 8:12–13 LXX). Saul was fearful of Philistines through much of his reign; in contrast, we look forward to the final conquest of the forces of evil as we are led by the one “called Faithful and True” sitting on “a white horse” (Rev. 19:11).

1 Several name variants are present, some clearly different forms of the same name, with chapter 8 having a shorter form (e.g., “Zecher”/“Zechariah”; “Shimeah”/“Shimeam”).

2 The Bible uses the term “Philistines” to refer to the various Sea Peoples who invaded the eastern Mediterranean coast in the twelfth century BC, some of whom established large cities in the southern coastal plain west of Jerusalem.

3 H. G. M. Williamson, 1 and 2 Chronicles, NCBC (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982), 93–94.

4 Cf. comment on 2:4–8 for discussion of the Hebrew maʻal, “breaking faith.”