1 NOW it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
2 It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.
3 And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.
4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.
5 And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
6 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.
8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.
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.
10 So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.
11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:
12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
13 And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
14 And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?
15 And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
16 And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.
17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

1Now it came to passe after þe death of Saul, when Dauid was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and Dauid had abode two daies in Ziklag,

2It came euen to passe on the third day, that behold, a man came out of the campe from Saul, with his clothes rent, and earth vpon his head: and so it was when he came to Dauid, that hee fell to the earth, and did obeysance.

3And Dauid said vnto him, From whence commest thou? And he said vnto him, Out of the campe of Israel am I escaped.

4And Dauid said vnto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell mee. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battell, and many of the people also are fallen and dead, and Saul and Ionathan his sonne are dead also.

5And Dauid said vnto the yong man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Ionathan his sonne be dead?

6And the yong man that told him, said, As I happened by chance vpon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned vpon his speare: and loe, the charets and horsemen followed hard after him.

7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called vnto mee: and I answered, Here am I.

8And hee said vnto mee, Who art thou? and I answered him, I am an Amalekite.

9He said vnto me againe, Stand, I pray thee, vpon me, and slay me: for anguish is come vpon mee, because my life is yet whole in me.

10So I stood vpon him, and slew him, because I was sure that hee could not liue after that hee was fallen: And I tooke the crowne that was vpon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arme, and haue brought them hither vnto my lord.

11Then Dauid tooke hold on his clothes, and rent them, and likewise all the men that were with him.

12And they mourned and wept, and fasted vntill Euen, for Saul and for Ionathan his sonne, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they were fallen by the sword.

13 And Dauid said vnto the yong man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the sonne of a stranger, an Amalekite.

14And Dauid said vnto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch foorth thine hand, to destroy the Lords Anointed?

15And Dauid called one of the yong men, and sayd, Goe neere, and fall vpon him. And hee smote him, that hee dyed.

16And Dauid said vnto him, Thy blood be vpon thy head: for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I haue slaine the Lords Annoynted.

17 And Dauid lamented with this lamentation ouer Saul, and ouer Ionathan his sonne:

18(Also hee bade them teach the children of Iudah the vse of the bow: behold, it is written in the booke of Iasher.)

19The beauty of Israel is slaine vpon thy high places: how are the mightie fallen!

20Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streetes of Askelon: lest the daughters of the Philistines reioyce, lest the daughters of the vncircumcised triumph.

21Yee mountaines of Gilboa, let there bee no dewe, neither let there be raine vpon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mightie is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though hee had not beene annointed with oile.

22From the blood of the slaine, from the fat of the mightie, the bow of Ionathan turned not backe, and the sword of Saul returned not emptie.

23Saul and Ionathan were louely and pleasant in their liues, and in their death they were not diuided: they were swifter then Eagles, they were stronger then Lions.

24Yee daughters of Israel, weepe ouer Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of golde vpon your apparell.

25How are the mightie fallen in the midst of the battell! O Ionathan, thou wast slaine in thine high places.

26I am distressed for thee, my brother Ionathan, very pleasant hast thou beene vnto mee: thy loue to mee was wonderfull, passing the loue of women.

27How are the mightie fallen, and the weapons of warre perished!

I == 1st Sam 30:17 , 26

 

 

II == 1st Sam 4:12 ; 2nd Sam 4:10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VI == 1st Sam 31:1-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

X == Judg 9:54

 

 

 

XI == 2nd Sam 3:31 ; 13:31

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XIV == Num 12:8 ; 1st Sam 24:6 ; 26:9 ; 31:4 ; Ps 105:15

XV == 2nd Sam 4:10 , 12

XVI == 1st Sam 26:9 ; 2nd Sam 1:10 ; 1st Kings 2:32-33 , 37 ; Luke 19:22

 

XVIII == Josh 10:13 ; 1st Sam 31:3

XIX == 2nd Sam 1:27

XX == Ex 15:20 ; Judg 11:34 ; 1st Sam 18:6 ; 31:4 , 9 ; Mic 1:10

XXI == Judg 5:23 ; 1st Sam 10:1 ; 31:1 ; Job 3:3-4 ; Jer 20:14

 

 

 

XXII == 1st Sam 18:4

 

XXIII == Judg 14:18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXVI == 1st Sam 18:1 ,3 ; 19:2 ; 20:17 , 41 ; 23:16

XXVII == 2nd Sam 1:19

 

 

 

 

1 After the death of Saul, David returned from his defeat of the Amalekites and spent two days in Ziklag.

2 On the third day a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage.

3 David asked him, "Where do you come from?" He replied, "I have escaped from the Israelite camp."

4 "Tell me what happened," David bade him. He answered that the soldiers had fled the battle and that many of them had fallen and were dead, among them Saul and his son Jonathan.

5 Then David said to the youth who was reporting to him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"

6 The youthful informant replied: "It was by chance that I found myself on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning on his spear, with chariots and horsemen closing in on him.

7 He turned around and, seeing me, called me to him. When I said, 'Here I am,'

8 he asked me, 'Who are you?' and I replied, 'An Amalekite.'

9 Then he said to me, 'Stand up to me, please, and finish me off, for I am in great suffering, yet fully alive.'

10 So I stood up to him and dispatched him, for I knew that he could not survive his wound. I removed the crown from his head and the armlet from his arm and brought them here to my lord."

11 David seized his garments and rent them, and all the men who were with him did likewise.

12 They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the soldiers of the LORD of the clans of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

13 Then David said to the young man who had brought him the information, "Where are you from?" He replied, "I am the son of an Amalekite immigrant."

14 David said to him, "How is it that you were not afraid to put forth your hand to desecrate the LORD'S anointed?"

15 David then called one of the attendants and said to him, "Come, strike him down"; and the youth struck him a mortal blow.

16 Meanwhile David said to him, "You are responsible for your own death, for you testified against yourself when you said, 'I dispatched the LORD'S anointed.'"

17 Then David chanted this elegy for Saul and his son Jonathan,

18 which is recorded in the Book of Jashar to be taught to the Judahites. He sang:

19 "Alas! the glory of Israel, Saul, slain upon your heights; how can the warriors have fallen!

20 "Tell it not in Gath, herald it not in the streets of Ashkelon, Lest the Philistine maidens rejoice, lest the daughters of the strangers exult!

21 Mountains of Gilboa, may there be neither dew nor rain upon you, nor upsurgings of the deeps! Upon you lie begrimed the warriors' shields, the shield of Saul, no longer anointed with oil.

22 "From the blood of the slain, from the bodies of the valiant, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, or the sword of Saul return unstained.

23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished, separated neither in life nor in death, swifter than eagles, stronger than lions!

24 Women of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and in finery, who decked your attire with ornaments of gold.

25 "How can the warriors have fallen -  in the thick of the battle, slain upon your heights!

26 "I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother! most dear have you been to me; More precious have I held love for you than love for women.

27 "How can the warriors have fallen, the weapons of war have perished!"

 

V 1-3. The Philistines were just preparing to attack Israel when David was sent back to Ziklag. David had won a battle over the Amalekites and was back to Ziklag two days before this man came with news of outcome of the other battle. This young man was also an Amalekite, but one who had apparently aligned himself with Israel. His head is covered with dirt and his clothes torn as a token that he was bringing bad news. In doing obeisance, he showed knowledge that David would now become king in Saul’s place.

v 4,5. At David’s inquiry and his description of the outcome, David further inquired how he knew Saul and his sons were dead. This involved both his concern as well as the importance that he must not return to the land until he was positively certain.

V 6-10. There is no conflict with this account and 1 Sam. 31. Neither does it mean, as many feel, that the man was lying about killing Saul (though he may have been). Very simply, Saul and his armor bearer both attempted suicide. When the Amalekite came upon him, he was mortally wounded, but still living in pain, and the Amalekite performed what he thought was a mercy killing. Though he came in mourning, v2, he thought that would be good news to David, and he would receive a reward for bringing tidings and the crown and bracelet, v 10 & 2 Sam. 4:10. He obviously was aware or assumed that David would become king.

 

v 11, 12. All the men exhibited deep grief over the defeat, but they probably didn’t grieve over Saul and Jonathan as much as David did.

 

 

 

v 13-16. After David had time to think it over, David inquired further. David had refused to put forth his hand against the king, so he had disdain for this stranger to Israel who would do so, even in a so called mercy killing. His own words were a witness against himself, and David had him executed immediately.

 

 

 

 

 

v 17. Several of the Psalms of David were apparently composed while he was in flight or in exile. David may have composed this elegy (song composed as a lament for a sick person)  that very night.

v 18,19. Some feel that as he reviewed the battles in his mind, and how Saul was killed by a unit of archers, 1 Sam. 31:3, it led him to teach his soldiers the use of the bow, as at least Jonathan had done,

v 20,21. David is concerned that as news of this reaches Philistine cities, they will rejoice over the downfall of the Lord’s anointed, indirectly, seemingly, over the Lord.

v 22. This greater range would give advantage to even weaker soldiers in battle, and reduce the amount of strength and skill needed in hand to hand combat.
This was logical, and the old King James writers supplied the words “use of the”. In fact, it should simply read “Bow” or Song of the Bow. This song is given in verses 19-27. David ignores all the bad things Saul had done, and gives him and Jonathan honor as the beauty or glory of Israel.

v 23-24. Jonathan and Saul are praised for not retreating, but standing fast in the heat of battle. Even though Saul once cast a javelin at Jonathan, they were united in purpose, and much good had been brought to Israel during Saul’s reign.

v 25-27. These verses express David’s grief concerning Jonathan and reminiscent  of their great love for one another. Not sexual love, but the love, Pr 18:24, that sticketh closer than a brother