10:1 Philisthiim autem pugnabant contra Israel, fugeruntque viri Israel Palaesthinos, et ceciderunt vulnerati in monte Gelboe.
*H Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down wounded in mount Gelboe.
Ver. 1. Now. Sept. "and." H. — This has no connexion with what goes before. C. — This history is given more at large, 1 K. xxxi. and 2 K. i. M.
* Footnote
* 1_Kings
31 : 1
And the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gelboe.
10:2 Cumque appropinquassent Philisthaei, persequentes Saul et filios ejus, percusserunt Jonathan, et Abinadab, et Melchisua filios Saul.
And the Philistines drew near pursuing after Saul, and his sons, and they killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchisua the sons of Saul.
A.M. 2949, A.C. 1055.
10:3 Et aggravatum est praelium contra Saul, inveneruntque eum sagittarii, et vulneraverunt jaculis.
*H And the battle grew hard against Saul and the archers reached him, and wounded him with arrows.
Ver. 3. Reached: lit. "found." H. — Heb. or "attacked him, and he feared the archers. He was not, at least, mortally wounded, when he took the desperate resolution to destroy himself, through fear and consternation. C. Yet the original will admit the sense of the Vulg. and Saul might have received some wounds. Sept. "Archers found him with bows, and in labours, and he laboured on account of (or to avoid) the bows." H.
10:4 Et dixit Saul ad armigerum suum : Evagina gladium tuum, et interfice me, ne forte veniant incircumcisi isti, et illudant mihi. Noluit autem armiger ejus hoc facere, timore perterritus : arripuit ergo Saul ensem, et irruit in eum.
*H And Saul said to his armourbearer: Draw thy sword, and kill me: lest these uncircumcised come, and mock me. But his armourbearer would not, for he was struck with fear: so Saul took his sword, and fell upon it.
Ver. 4. Fear and reverence for his master, (C.) as well as concern for his own safety. H.
10:5 Quod cum vidisset armiger ejus, videlicet mortuum esse Saul, irruit etiam ipse in gladium suum, et mortuus est.
And when his armourbearer saw it, to wit, that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died.
10:6 Interiit ergo Saul : et tres filii ejus, et omnis domus illius pariter concidit.
*H So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house fell together.
Ver. 6. Fell. Heb. "died." C. — But, though the house of Saul was fallen from its former glory, on this fatal day, when so many of his courtiers perished; yet he left Isboseth to bewail his fate, (H.) and some others who were not of age to go to battle. C.
10:7 Quod cum vidissent viri Israel qui habitabant in campestribus, fugerunt : et Saul ac filiis ejus mortuis, dereliquerunt urbes suas, et huc illucque dispersi sunt : veneruntque Philisthiim, et habitaverunt in eis.
And when the men of Israel, that dwelt in the plains, saw this, they fled: and Saul and his sons being dead, they forsook their cities, and were scattered up and down: and the Philistines came, and dwelt in them.
10:8 Die igitur altero detrahentes Philisthiim spolia caesorum, invenerunt Saul et filios ejus jacentes in monte Gelboe.
And the next day the Philistines taking away the spoils of them that were slain, found Saul and his sons lying on mount Gelboe.
10:9 Cumque spoliassent eum, et amputassent caput, armisque nudassent, miserunt in terram suam, ut circumferretur, et ostenderetur idolorum templis, et populis :
*H And when they had stripped him, and out off his head, and taken away his armour, they sent it into their land, to be carried about, and shewn in the temples of the idols and to the people.
Ver. 9. To be. Heb. "to carry tidings to their idols, (sorrows) and to the people." They exposed the spoils in the temples, and gave thanks to their idols for the victory.
10:10 arma autem ejus consecraverunt in fano dei sui, et caput affixerunt in templo Dagon.
*H And his armour they dedicated in the temple of their god, and his head they fastened up in the temple of Dagon.
Ver. 10. Head, while his body was hung on the walls of Bethsan. 1 K. xxxi. 10. C. — The temple of Dagon was contiguous to the wall. D.
10:11 Hoc cum audissent viri Jabes Galaad, omnia scilicet quae Philisthiim fecerant super Saul,
And when the men of Jabes Galaad had heard this, to wit, all that the Philistines had done to Saul,
10:12 consurrexerunt singuli virorum fortium, et tulerunt cadavera Saul et filiorum ejus : attuleruntque ea in Jabes, et sepelierunt ossa eorum subter quercum, quae erat in Jabes, et jejunaverunt septem diebus.
*H All the valiant men of them arose, and took the bodies of Saul and of his sons, and brought them to Jabes, and buried their bones under the oak that was in Jabes, and they fasted seven days.
Ver. 12. Oak, well known at Jabes. Elsewhere the word is translated, the grove. C.
10:13 Mortuus est ergo Saul propter iniquitates suas, eo quod praevaricatus sit mandatum Domini quod praeceperat, et non custodierit illud : sed insuper etiam pythonissam consuluerit,
*H So Saul died for his iniquities, because he transgressed the commandment of the Lord, which he had commanded, and kept it not: and moreover consulted also a witch,
Ver. 13. For. Sept. "in his iniquities." H. — See 1 K. xiii. 9. and xv. 23. Saul offered sacrifice unlawfully, and spared some of the Amalecites. W.
* Footnote
* Exodus
17 : 14
And the Lord said to Moses: Write this for a memorial in a book, and deliver it to the ears of Josue; for I will destroy the memory of Amalec from under heaven.
* Footnote
* 1_Kings
15 : 3
Now therefore go, and smite Amalec, and utterly destroy all that he hath: spare him not, nor covet anything that is his: but slay both man and woman, child and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
* Footnote
** 1_Kings
28 : 8
Then he disguised himself: and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night, and he said to her: Divine to me by thy divining spirit, and bring me up him whom I shall tell thee.
10:14 nec speraverit in Domino : propter quod interfecit eum, et transtulit regnum ejus ad David filium Isai.
And trusted not in the Lord: therefore he slew him, and transferred his kingdom to David the son of Isai.