How Did King Saul Die?
Some have trouble figuring out how King Saul died because the telling of the event in 1 Samuel 31 differs the telling of the same incident in 2 Samuel 1. Yet, there is really no conflict here, and the obvious differences serve a larger literary purpose.
1 Samuel 31 records that Saul was critically wounded in battle from archer fire, so he called upon his armor bearer to strike him down for he did not want fall injured into the hands of the Philistines, but the armor bearer refused , so Saul took his own life (v. 2-6). However, in 2 Samuel 1 there is an unnamed Amalekite man who came with “dust on his head” to David, and gave the following report:
It is important to keep in mind that the inspired author is faithfully reporting the events that occurred, which would even include lies told by certain individuals. Moreover, the two books of Samuel were actually a single volume in the original Hebrew, and it is unlikely that the inspired writer would have warped the same story in just a few paragraphs. The author reported the truth about Saul taking his own life on the battlefield, as well as the embellished story of the Amalekite.
The unexpected twist to the account is David had the man executed for killing the Lord’s anointed (cf. vv. 11-16). The Amalekite paid the ultimate price for an unscrupulous act. David’s order to execute proved two things: It demonstrated that he was the anointed king and successor of Saul. David used the sword to punish offenses as a king should have done. It also demonstrated that David was not the enemy of Saul, This reflected the same attitude David had towards Saul for the longest time, for David could have killed him twice yet refused (cf.1 Sam. 24:1-22; 26:1-26).
1. All Scripture cited from the Updated New American Standard Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999).
2. Laurence E. Porter, The International Bible Commentary, ed. F.F. Bruce, H.L. Ellison, G.C.D. Howley (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), 374.
1 Samuel 31 records that Saul was critically wounded in battle from archer fire, so he called upon his armor bearer to strike him down for he did not want fall injured into the hands of the Philistines, but the armor bearer refused , so Saul took his own life (v. 2-6). However, in 2 Samuel 1 there is an unnamed Amalekite man who came with “dust on his head” to David, and gave the following report:
I have escaped from the camp of Israel…The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also…by chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely. When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I said, “Here I am.” He said to me, “Who are you?” And I answered him, “I am an Amalekite.” Then he said to me, “Please stand beside me and kill me, for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me.” So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord (vv.2-10).1One need not think that the man’s testimony was completely accurate, and that there is a real contradiction in the books of Samuel. Clearly, the Amalekite man’s report was embellished. Perhaps he stretched the truth to curry favor with the one whom many anticipated would succeed Saul’s throne. Commentator Laurence E. Porter writes, “An informant who was looking to David for reward might have tinkered with the Truth!”2
It is important to keep in mind that the inspired author is faithfully reporting the events that occurred, which would even include lies told by certain individuals. Moreover, the two books of Samuel were actually a single volume in the original Hebrew, and it is unlikely that the inspired writer would have warped the same story in just a few paragraphs. The author reported the truth about Saul taking his own life on the battlefield, as well as the embellished story of the Amalekite.
The unexpected twist to the account is David had the man executed for killing the Lord’s anointed (cf. vv. 11-16). The Amalekite paid the ultimate price for an unscrupulous act. David’s order to execute proved two things: It demonstrated that he was the anointed king and successor of Saul. David used the sword to punish offenses as a king should have done. It also demonstrated that David was not the enemy of Saul, This reflected the same attitude David had towards Saul for the longest time, for David could have killed him twice yet refused (cf.1 Sam. 24:1-22; 26:1-26).
1. All Scripture cited from the Updated New American Standard Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999).
2. Laurence E. Porter, The International Bible Commentary, ed. F.F. Bruce, H.L. Ellison, G.C.D. Howley (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), 374.
Comments
Post a Comment