2 Samuel 1:9

2Sa 1:9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life [is] yet whole in me.

Ver. 9. For anguish {a} is come upon me.] Or, My chlamys ocellata, coat of mail, hindereth me, that I cannot die. Life may prove a mischief to a man; we should therefore set the less by it. Bernard saith it would be little better to us than hell, were it not for the hopes we have of heaven.

{a} σκοτος δεινον. - Sept.

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.

2Sa 1:9. For anguish is come upon me — The Hebrew word שׁבצ shabats, here rendered anguish, seems to be wrongly translated in this place. It is rendered ocellata chlamys, by Buxtorf, a wrought, embroidered, or speckled coat of mail: a translation which is countenanced by Exo 28:4, and Psalm 14:14, where words of the same derivation are rendered broidered coat and raiment of needle-work. The sense of the sentence seems to be, my coat of mail hinders the spear from entering far enough to produce instant death, though my wound is mortal. Thus it is understood by many interpreters. This Amalekite pretended therefore that Saul desired him to draw out the spear from his wound, and to run it through his body with force where the coat of mail would give it a passage.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1:9 Then he begged me: This is the Amalekite’s third lie; instead, Saul was probably already dead (cp. 1 Sam 31:4-6).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Hebrew, stand upon.

I am sorry, because I am yet alive.

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

(9) Anguish is come upon me.—The word for “anguish” occurs only here, and probably does not have either of the meanings given to it in the text and margin of our version. The Rabbis explain it of cramp, others of giddiness, and the ancient versions differ as to its sense. It indicates probably some effect of his wound which incapacitated him for further combat.

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

9. Stand … upon me] Rather, Stand by me, or, Rise up against me, and similarly in 2Sa_1:10. Saul is represented in 2Sa_1:6 as still upright, not as lying prostrate on the ground.

anguish] The Heb. word occurs nowhere else, and its sense is doubtful. The Targum renders it agony; the LXX. terrible darkness; the Vulg. distress (angustiae). Probably it means giddiness or cramp, which made it impossible for him to defend himself any longer. The marg. renderings, my coat of mail, or, my embroidered coat, are improbable.

because my life is yet whole in me] A second reason for the request to slay him. He feared that he might fall alive into the hands of the Philistines. Cp. 1Sa_31:4.

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.

And he said unto me again, stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me,.... Which it can hardly be thought Saul would say; since he might as well have died by the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines, which he endeavoured to avoid, as by the hands of an Amalekite:

for anguish is come upon me; or trembling, as the Targum, not through fear of death, but through fear of falling into the hands of the Philistines, and of being ill used by them. Some render the words, "my embroidered coat", or "breastplate", or "coat of mail", holds me (g), or hinders me from being pierced through with the sword or spear; so Ben Gersom (h):

because my life is yet whole in me: for though he had been wounded by the archers, yet he did not apprehend he had received any mortal wound, but his life was whole in him; and therefore feared he should fall into their hands alive, and be ill treated by them.

(g) "tunica scutulata", Braunius; "ocellata chlamys", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "thorax villosus seu pelliceus", Texelii Phoenix, p. 210. (h) Vid. Braunium de Vest. Sacredot. Heb. l. 1. c. 17. sect. 9.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Anguish - The Hebrew word used here occurs nowhere else, and is of doubtful meaning (compare the margin). The rabbis interpret it as a cramp or giddiness.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Anguish. Hebrew, "the coat of mail withholds me." Septuagint, "horrid darkness encompasses me." Shabah, signifies a coat of mail, made of cloth, very thick, and boiled in vinegar, to render it more impenetrable. The Greeks emperors and the French formerly wore them much, instead of iron. (Calmet) --- Protestant [version] however agrees with us. --- In me. I have yet received no mortal wound. (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).

Stand upon me, i.e. lean upon me by thy weight and force, that the spear may come through me; or, stay by me, i.e. stop thy flight, and tarry so long with me till thou hast killed me.

Anguish is come upon me, i.e. I am in great pain of body, and anguish of mind. Or thus, my coat of mail, or embroidered coat, hath hindered me, that the spear could not pierce into me. Thus divers both Hebrew and other learned expositors understand it.

My life is yet whole in me; I am heart-whole, and not likely to die, as well as not willing to live.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

9. Anguish is come upon me — The margin, following the Latin version of Junius and Tremellius, reads: My coat of mail, or, My embroidered coat hindereth me. Septuagint: A fearful darkness has taken hold of me. Others render שׁבצ, a spasm or cramp. The root שׁבצmeans to interweave, and its derivative, as here applied to Saul’s difficulty, most probably means confusion, perplexity of mind. Thus the meaning is, Confusion or bewilderment has seized upon me.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Anguish. This word, which occurs only in this place, comes from a root signifying to entwine or knot together. On this account Jewish commentators explain it of cramp, which often follows upon loss of blood; but it is equally possible that it means vertigo, or giddiness, when things seem to dance or interweave themselves together before the eyes. The next words signify, For yet is my life whole within me, and give the reason why Saul asked the Amalekite to slay him. The story is at least plausible. It represents the king as deserted by his army, even to the last man, and with the Philistine cavalry and chariots in close pursuit. He is not mortally wounded, but, as giddiness prevents his escape, there is danger of his falling alive into the enemy"s hand; and as they would probably not have killed him, but carried him in triumph through their cities, the way would still have been blocked against David"s succession. The fear of this indignity would account for Saul"s earnest appeal to the Amalekite to slay him, and, so requested, it seemed right to put him to death, instead of trying to carry him off to a place of safety. But all this was merely to keep up appearances, and in his heart he doubted not that David would regard it as a signal service that his enemy was put out of the way.

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

I am gripped with convulsions. I am gripped with convulsions. The Midrash Aggadah explains that this occurred because of Shaul's sin of killing the Kohanim as it is written concerning them, "a checkered shirt."

While I am still alive. Hurry and kill me. I prefer that you kill me and not they kill and torture me.

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.