1 Chronicles 10:3

1Ch 10:3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers.

Ver. 3. And the battle went sore against Saul.] The weight of the war was turned against him. See the like policy used, 1Ki 22:31. This is the right bird, said that officer of the cuirassiers, {a} who shot the king of Sweden through the body at the battle of Lutzen.

And he was wounded of the archers.] Heb., He was grieved, or frighted: he, who by his tyranny had been terrible and grievous to others, &c., his sin hath found him out, being worse than any archer’s.

{a} A horse soldier wearing a cuirass.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ch_10:3

And the battle went sore against Saul.

The death of Saul

Learn

I. That a splendid beginning may have an awful ending.

II. That Divine judgments overtake mens sins.

III. That in national calamities the godly suffer with the ungodly. (J. Wolfendale.)

The departure of God, the departure of strength

Why was the battle sore against the king of Israel? Saul believes himself to be forsaken of God, and therefore to have become the sport of man. Here we are reminded of the analogy of the vine and the branches. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can the Church make vital and faithful progress, except by continual fellowship with God. Saul was muscular as ever, as ambitious as ever, and as energetic as ever; but he had lost the consciousness of the nearness of the Almighty. What are all church buildings, formularies, ceremonies, pecuniary resources, literary achievements, when the Spirit of God has been grieved or quenched? (J. Parker, D. D.)

An unblest leader does not necessarily represent an unblest cause

Although the battle went sore against Saul, we must not suppose that Saul represented an unblest cause. The reason may be in Saul himself, rather than in the cause for which he fought. Sometimes leaders, captains, and commanders have to be overborne or displaced, in order that the great cause which they fail to grasp, and adequately to represent, may vindicate its own claim to a position of confidence and honour. It does not follow that because a man has been once a leader, that he must be always at the head of the army. Sometimes by the infirmity of old age the very princes of the Church are displaced and put behind. There are some trusts which we only keep as long as we keep our character. (J. Wolfendale.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Hebrew, found.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

the battle went sore against Saul; and the archers hit him, and he was wounded--The Hebrew words may be thus rendered: "The archers found (attacked) him, and he feared the archers." He was not wounded, at least not dangerously, when he resolved on committing suicide. The deed was the effect of sudden terror and overwhelming depression of spirits [CALMET].

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(3) The battle went sore against Saul.—Literally, was heavy upon (Samuel, “unto”) him, like a burden weighing him to the earth.

And the archers hit him.—Literally, And they that shoot with the bow came upon him; and he shuddered (Sam., “greatly”) before the shooters. “He shuddered or trembled” (Deu_2:25). The verb is properly to writhe, travail (Isa_23:4). Saul’s deadly terror was natural. He believed himself forsaken of God, and stood now, after a lost battle, beset by murderous foes, whom he could not reach. There was no chance of a fair hand to hand encounter. The Heb. word for “archers” is the same in both places in Sam. (môrîm); here a rarer form (yôrîm, 2Ch_35:23) fills the second place. The Philistines were from Egypt, and the bow was a favourite Egyptian arm. The hieroglyph for “soldier” (menfat) is a man with bow and quiver.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

3. the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers] R.V. the archers overtook him; and he was distressed by reason of the archers.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Reached: literally, "found." (Haydock) --- Hebrew, 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. (Calmet) Yet the original will admit the sense of the Vulgate and Saul might have received some wounds. Septuagint, "Archers found him with bows, and in labours, and he laboured on account of (or to avoid) the bows." (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The archers hit him. The literal translation would be, the shooters, men with the bow, found him. The context makes it plain that the meaning is that the arrows of the pursuers rather than the pursuers themselves "found" him, and these made him argue all the rest. To this our Authorized Version has jumped by the one word "hit" him. It is evident from ver. 8 that the Philistines did not find the body of Saul to recognize it till next day. And he was wounded of the archers. The radical meaning of the verb (lWj) is rather "to twist" (torquere) or "be twisted," "writhe" (torqueri). And the meaning here is in harmony with it, that Saul trembled from fear or writhed with the pain already inflicted of the arrows. Hence the parallel passage couples with this same verb, the adverb

Vers. 3-6, 13.

The end of self-will.

In dwelling on the sad circumstances of King Saul"s death, we are led to review the life which ended so miserably, and to endeavour to find the root of evil, in disposition or in conduct, which bore at last such fruitage. The actual incidents of Saul"s career should be recalled.

I THE HOPEFULNESS OF HIS INTRODUCTION TO US. In his expedition to seek the lost asses, in his anointing at Ramah, in his election by lot at Mizpeh, in the confirmation of his kingship at Gilgal, and in the first actions of his government, there are the signs of a hopeful reign. Especially may be noted and illustrated his modesty in shrinking from the responsibility of kingship; his loyalty to duty where the will of God and the people was made plain to him; his openness to religious influences as seen in his catching the prophetic impulse; and his generosity shown in refusing to take vengeance on those who disputed his authority. Many a man has begun well. No man knows himself until he has berne the stress of middle life, and its responsibilities, testings, and temptations.

II THE PERIL OF THE OVER-DEVELOPED BODY. For this he was chosen and admired; in accordance with the admiration of physical size and strength which is common to all people who retain tribal notions. But there is also the peril of the bodily growth being stronger than the mental, and the overgrowth of body often involves moral weakness. And these may find expression in a stubbornness of self-will, which, by indulgence, may become mania. The self-will of moral weakness should be carefully distinguished from the self-reliance, power of rule, and masterfulness, which are as clearly the signs of mental and moral strength.

III THE TEST OF THE NEW TRUST OF KINGSHIP. The office was quite a new one; the only previous instance was the forced kingship of Abimelech. Saul had really no modes on which to order his conduct. Exactly what kingship could be in a country where Jehovah himself was the sole sovereign Lord, he had to find out. So that, beyond the ordinary testings of any new and untried situations, Saul was tried by the uniqueness of the position in which he was placed. Exactly the point at which he might fail was this he might practically claim independence for an office which was nevertheless strictly a conditioned and a dependent office. He could be Jehovah"s prince and viceroy; he would be tempted to claim personal and independent kingly rights. So the trust of the office tested his will, proved whether he was fully and sincerely loyal to God. This piece of Saul"s life brought him into the conflict of the seen and the unseen , which every man must enter. Would he, even with all the fascinations and interest of the "seen," be true to God, the unseen? Would he be strictly and wholly obedient to the Divine commands and the Divine leadings? Not character only, but the very root-principle of Saul"s being, was tested. Compare the searching tests of Abraham"s faith and Job"s patient submission. Saul failed under the testing; so we have to consider

IV THE CONDITIONS OF THE GROWTH OF SELF-WILL. Apparent success in the earlier efforts of wilfulness encourages the self-confidence. But, in view of Saul"s case, we may especially dwell on the influence of rejecting early Divine warnings, and refusing to be humbled under reproofs of earlier sins and failures. This involves the hardening of the heart, as may be illustrated in the case of Pharaoh.

V SELF-WILL, IN THE END, BRINGS BOTH SELF AND OTHERS TO RUIN. It can never have more than a certain length of tether. No man can long "resist God and prosper." Saul"s later days fully illustrate the inward miseries and-outward ruin of self-will; the "death" which this sin, "when it is finished, surely brings forth." Distinguish between the self-strength which God may use, and the self-will which severs a man wholly from God. Whatever may be our station or our office, there is one condition of success, and only one we must "fear God, and keep his commandments. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

and the archers discovered him Come and see that (Prov. 21:30): “... there is neither wisdom nor understanding, etc. against the Lord,” because man’s ways are before the Lord. Benjamin’s enemies would fall before them [when they used] the bow because they were well trained with the bow, as it is written: “[Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite,] a man with a shriveled right hand,” (Judges 3:15). And so it is written, concerning Jonathan (I Samuel 20:20): “And I shall shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a mark.” And it is written below (I Chron. 12:2) concerning Benjamin: “Armed with bows, shooting with the right and left hands, etc.” and concerning Asa in this Book (II 14:7): “... and out of Benjamin, who bore shields and drew bows, etc.” But when the Lord turned away from Saul [who was from the tribe of Benjamin], he fell into the hands of the archers, into something that was his own craft. and he was terrified of the archers וַיָחֶל like (Esther 4:4): “...and the queen was extremely terrified (וַתִּתְחַלְחַל).”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.