| Douay RheimsDouay-Rheims Bible -- The New Testament was published at Rheims (1582), the Old Testament at Douay (1609). The Douay Rheims served as the main English bible for the Catholic world for centuries. Bishop Challoner updated it extensively mid-18th century. Biblical scholar Rev. George Haydock compiled a Catholic commentary mid-19th century. This text set is from an approved 1914 U.S. printing. | Haydock CommentaryHaydock Catholic Bible Commentary - based on the Douay-Rheims Bible; originally compiled by Catholic priest and biblical scholar Rev. George Leo Haydock (1774-1849). |
| 1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down wounded in mount Gelboe. | 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.
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| 2 And the Philistines drew near pursuing after Saul, and his sons, and they killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchisua the sons of Saul. | |
| 3 And the battle grew hard against Saul, and the archers reached him, and wounded him with arrows. | Reached: lit. "found." H. --- Heb. "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.
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| 4 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. | |
| 5 And when his armourbearer saw it, to wit, that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died. | |
| 6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house fell together. | 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.
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| 7 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. | |
| 8 And the next day the Philistines taking away the spoils of them that were slain, found Saul and his sons lying on mount Gelboe. | |
| 9 And when they had stripped him, and cut 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. | 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.
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| 10 And his armour they dedicated in the temple of their god, and his head they fastened up in the temple of Dagon. | 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.
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| 11 And when the men of Jabes Galaad had heard this, to wit, all that the Philistines had done to Saul, | |
| 12 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. | Oak, well known at Jabes. Elsewhere the word is translated, the grove. C.
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| 13 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, |
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.
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| 14 And trusted not is the Lord: therefore he slew him, and transferred his kingdom to David the son of Isai. | |
