1 Samuel 31:3 Commentary and Bible Study

Whereas his sons are killed, Saul is left alive but wounded. How badly wounded he was is not clear, but it was bad enough to prevent him from escaping on his own, and the battle is not going well, so that he seems to be without help. He fears that the Philistines are going to come that day and abuse him, and he is desperate to avoid this. He surely remembers Samuel’s prophecy that he will die that day on the battlefield, and he sees his sons already dead, which formed another part of the same prophecy, so that he is filled with fear. ‘Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me’ – kill me and abuse me. He knows he is dying. Saul at the end has no faith. He seems to be concerned about is his dignity and his honour. He fears being taken and mocked and abused by the Philistines. So he orders his armour bearer to do something which was against God's law. Now there was time to withdraw; in fact Saul could have got away. We know that because the Philistines didn't come and clear up the battlefield until the next day. They were not right there yet, and he could yet have been carried out of the field of battle, he and his armour bearer. But he was in utter despondent when he saw the retreat, the fleeing of the Israelites. He didn't know what to do. He went completely to pieces. Once a man of courage, he was now in despair, so he could only think of ending his life. So he asks his armour bearer to do something which is totally illegal under the law of Israel, and to end his life for him. His armour bearer would not do it. Of course he wouldn’t. An armour bearer was supposed to preserve the person he served, the king, to the very end; he was to stand between him and the arrows and defend him at the cost of his own life, if necessary. The armour bearer possibly feared that if he took the king's life, they would take his in return. But when the king took his own life, the despair of Saul spread to his armour bearer and those around him, and his armour bearer fell on his sword also. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armour bearer, and all his men, that is, not his army that is referred to – most of them are in retreat – but his immediate bodyguard.