1 Samuel 31
The full text of 1 Samuel 31 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 The Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons. The Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him. He was badly wounded by the archers.
4 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 greatly afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.
5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on that same day together.
7 When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and on the other side of the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. The Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9 They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.
10 They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
11 When the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 all the valiant men arose and traveled all night. They took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, came to Jabesh, and burned them there.
13 They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
Translation notes (11)
- 1 Samuel 31:2a Jonathan dies alongside his father despite his covenant with David; the narrative offers no comment on this.
- 1 Samuel 31:3a The Hebrew phrase vayyachel m'od mehammmorim, meaning 'he trembled/was wounded greatly from the archers,' is difficult to translate because the exact verb is debated, possibly meaning 'pierced/wounded' (chalal) or 'writhed in pain' (chul).
- 1 Samuel 31:4a The Hebrew phrase ve-hith'al'lu vi means 'and make sport of me/abuse me,' reflecting a fear of humiliation by uncircumcised enemies.
- 1 Samuel 31:6a The Hebrew phrase gam kol-'anashav means 'also all his men,' likely referring to his immediate retinue rather than the entire army.
- 1 Samuel 31:7a The Hebrew phrase 'ever ha'emeq ve-'ever haYarden means 'the other side of the valley and the other side of the Jordan,' indicating a territorial collapse.
- 1 Samuel 31:9a The Hebrew phrase le-vasser beyth 'ats'bbeyhem means 'to bring good news to the house of their idols.'
- 1 Samuel 31:10a The Hebrew phrase beyth 'Ash'taroth means 'temple of the Ashtaroth,' referring to a temple of a Philistine/Canaanite goddess.
- 1 Samuel 31:10b 1 Chron 10:10 says his head was put in the temple of Dagon; the accounts may complement each other.
- 1 Samuel 31:11a Jabesh-gilead had been rescued by Saul in his first act as king (chapter 11); they now repay this debt.
- 1 Samuel 31:12a The Hebrew phrase vayyisrephu 'otham sham means 'burned them there'; this was unusual in Israel, as cremation was not standard, and was perhaps done to prevent further desecration of the decomposed bodies.
- 1 Samuel 31:13a The Hebrew word 'eshel means 'tamarisk tree'; compare with 22:6, where Saul held court under a tamarisk. Seven days of fasting indicates a period of full mourning.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own translation of Scripture, made directly from the original Hebrew rather than revised from an older English Bible. Completed in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation available, and it is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Reading the TBV here on the web is free — the full study edition, with original-language tools and notes on every verse, lives in the Trinity Bible app.
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