When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose, went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burned them there. They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
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1 Samuel 31:11-13 sits inside this longer paragraph.
When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them. On the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to the house of their idols, and to the people. They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose, went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burned them there. They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
Parallel Translations
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When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
all the valiant men arose, went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burned them there.
They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
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And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;
All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
Show all 3 translations
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And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him that which the Philistines had done to Saul,
all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
Cross-references (12)
- Genesis 50:10 (v13) They came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and there they lamented with a very great and severe lamentation. He…
- 2 Samuel 21:12-14 (v13) So David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the…
- 2 Chronicles 16:14 (v12) They buried him in his own tomb, which he had dug out for himself in David’s city, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet…
- Jeremiah 34:5 (v12) You will die in peace; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they will make a burning for you.…
- 1 Samuel 22:6 (v13) Saul heard that David was discovered, with the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah,…
Show all 12 cross-references
- 2 Samuel 2:4-7 (v12) The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those…
- Amos 6:10 (v12) “When a man’s relative carries him, even he who burns him, to bring bodies out of the house, and asks him who is in the innermost parts of…
- Genesis 35:8 (v13) Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.
- 1 Samuel 11:1-11 (v11) Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh Gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us,…
- 2 Samuel 1:12 (v13) They mourned, wept, and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of…
- 2 Samuel 2:4 (v11) The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those…
- 2 Samuel 2:4-5 (v13) The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv11, 13 Whom he had delivered from their enemies, 1 Sam.…
Whom he had delivered from their enemies, 1 Sam. 11:11.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv11–13 1Sa 31:11 And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard…
1Sa 31:11 And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;
Ver. 11. And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead.] Memores beneficii a Saule accepti, they remembered what a good turn Saul had once done them, {1Sa 11:11} and hence make this bold adventure, Perraro grati reperiuntur; the memory of a good turn should never wax old; hence the Graces were painted as young virgins, &c. See Alciat’s "Emblems," p. 565. Trebius the Roman, for his kindness to that people, was carried forth, when he died, on their shoulders; and put into the funeral bonfire. {a}
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{a} Plin.
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.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv11–13 Jabesh-gilead, which was beyond Jordan; for the people on…
Jabesh-gilead, which was beyond Jordan; for the people on this side Jordan were fled from their cities, as was now said.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv11–13 And the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead,.... Who lived on the…
And the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead,.... Who lived on the other side Jordan, about eight miles from Bethshan, according to Fuller (p):
heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul; not only that they had got the victory over him, and routed his army, but had abused his body, and hung it up by way of reproach and ignominy; which they could not bear to hear of, remembering with gratitude the kindness he had shown to them, in delivering them out of the hands of Nahash the Ammonite, Sa1 11:1.
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(p) Pisgah-Sight of Palestine, b. 2. ch. 2. p. 82.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv12–13 Took the body, &c. - This they did, not…
Took the body, &c. - This they did, not only out of a concern, for the honour of Israel, and the crown of Israel, but out of gratitude to Saul, for his zeal and forwardness to rescue them from the Ammonites.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv11–13 Verse 11. When the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard] This…
Verse 11. When the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard] This act of the men of Jabesh-gilead was an act of gratitude due to Saul, who, at the very commencement of his reign, rescued them from Nahash, king of the Ammonites, (see 1Sa 11:1, &c.,) and by his timely succours saved them from the deepest degradation and the most oppressive tyranny. This heroic act, with the seven days' fast, showed that they retained a due sense of their obligation to this unfortunate monarch.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv11, 13 1Sa 31:11-12. The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead — They lived…
1Sa 31:11-12. The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead — They lived on the other side of Jordan; for the people on this side were fled. All the valiant men arose, and went all night — To avoid discovery. And took the body of Saul, &c. — They had been delivered by Saul in the beginning of his reign from the Ammonites, when they were in danger of losing their lives, chap. 11.; and therefore they now showed their gratitude toward him by not suffering his corpse to want the honour of burial. And came to Jabesh and burnt them there — It was not the custom of the Hebrews to burn their dead, but to bury them; but perhaps they burned these bodies for fear, if they buried them, the Philistines might take them up again to fasten them in the same ignominious manner to their walls.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv11–13 When the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead heard ... - See…
When the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead heard ... - See 1Sa 11:1-15. This is a touching and rare example of national gratitude.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv11–13 Jabes, in gratitude for the deliverance which he had…
Jabes, in gratitude for the deliverance which he had procured for them, chap. xi. 11. (Calmet) --- They are also deserving of praise for shewing mercy to the dead, as well as for their bravery. (Worthington)
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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv11–12 THE MEN OF JABESH-GILEAD RECOVER THE BODIES AND BURY…
THE MEN OF JABESH-GILEAD RECOVER THE BODIES AND BURY THEM AT JABESH. (Sa1 31:11-13)
the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done--Mindful of the important and timely services Saul had rendered them, they gratefully and heroically resolved not to suffer such indignities to be inflicted on the remains of the royal family.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv11–13 11. The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead — Who ever preserved…
11. The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead — Who ever preserved a tender and grateful remembrance of what they owed to the heroism of Saul. See chap. 11.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv11–13 11. the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead] Mindful of the debt…
11. the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead] Mindful of the debt of gratitude they owed to Saul for rescuing them from Nahash (ch. 11). The isolated round-topped hill on the south side of the Wady Yâbis, which has been conjecturally fixed upon as the site of Jabesh, is in full view of Beth-shan (Tristram, Land of Israel, p. 556). The distance over the hills, down into the Jordan valley, and up the Wady Jâlûd is not much under twenty miles.
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.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv11–13 (11) The inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.—The memory of the splendid…
(11) The inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead.—The memory of the splendid feat of arms of their young king Saul, when he gallantly rescued their city (1Sa_11:1-11) years before, when they were threatened with deadly peril by the Ammonites, was still fresh in the city of Jabesh-Gilead, and they burned to rescue the body of their hero from shame. It was singular how that first deed of splendid patriotism, done in the early fervour of his consecration, bore fruit after so many long years.
“Good deeds immortal are—they cannot die;
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Unscathed by envious blight, or withering frost,
They live, and bud and bloom, and men partake
Still of their freshness, and are strong thereby.”
AYTOUN.
Jabesh-Gilead, a city of Manasseh, on the further side of Jordan, on the road from Pella to Gerasa. perhaps about fourteen miles from Beth-shan (see Jdg_21:8, and following). Its name still survives in the Wady Yabez, running down to the east bank of Jordan, near the head of which are still visible some ruins named El Deir, which Robinson has identified with Jabesh-Gilead.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv11–12 RECOVERY OF THE BODIES OF SAUL AND HIS SONS…
RECOVERY OF THE BODIES OF SAUL AND HIS SONS (vers. 11-13).
Jabesh-Gilead. Eusebius describes this place as situated on the road from Pella to Gerasa, and therefore it would be much nearer the Jordan than Mahanaim, and probably was not more than twelve or fourteen miles distant from Beth-shan. The people there had not forgotten how bravely Saul had saved them, and now showed their gratitude by rescuing his remains from disgrace.
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Vers. 11-13. (BETHSHAN, JABESH-GILEAD.)
Gratitude.
The first victory of Saul (ch. 11.) is connected with his death by the noble exploit of the men of Jabesh. It was due partly to loyalty and patriotism; chiefly to gratitude for benefits formerly conferred upon them. It is seldom that any one closes his earthly course without some token of grateful remembrance. Of one of the worst tyrants that ever held the reins of power in Rome (Nero), it is recorded that on the morning after he was buried amidst general execration fresh flowers were found strewn by an unknown hand upon his grave. Saul had done many generous deeds, and they were not forgotten. The gratitude of the men of Jabesh was marked by many admirable features. It was
1. Unexpected. Who would have thought that the city which was sofaithless and cowardly as to say to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee," could have furnished such an instance of devotion? The noblest qualities sometimes appear in association with the meanest, and where men expect to find no good thing. Let us not despise our nature, nor think that at its worst it is wholly incapable of generous acts.
1. Long cherished. It was many years previously that Jabesh had been saved by Saul; but its grateful feeling had not (as is sometimes the case)
2. grown cold with the lapse of time. When a philosopher was asked, "what doth soonest grow cold?" he replied, "Thanks.
3. Spontaneous. No special appeal was made to them; but perceiving that they could do something to testify their gratitude to their benefactor by rescuing his remains from the indignity to which they were subjected, "all the valiant men arose" of their own accord, "and went all night" (a distance of ten miles, across the Jordan) and accomplished it. Gratitude loses its proper character and ceases to be gratitude when it requires to be solicited and urged.
4. Disinterested. Saul and his sons were dead, and no reward for their daring effort might be expected. It was performed in somewhat of the same spirit as that with which Saul himself formerly acted; what was best in his life was remembered and admired by them (as it was by David, (2Sa_1:23) and it served to stir them to similar excellence. Disinterested conduct begets its like.
Good deeds immortal are they cannot die; Unscathed by envious blight or withering frost, They live, and bud, and bloom; and men partake Still of their freshness, and are strong thereby". (Aytoun)
5. Heroic and self-sacrificing; exhibited practically and at the risk of life, and displaying great energy and valour. "The pillars of fire of genuine human heroism are the noble lights of history, which make us feel at ease while sojourning among spectres, and horrors, and graves" (Lange).
6 . Complete. It did not stop short of doing its best. "They took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk at Jabesh, and fasted seven days". (ver. 2Sa_21:14) They could do no more; and what they did was done tenderly, mournfully, reverently, and in fulfilment of a sacred custom and religious duty.
Exhortation:
1. Endeavour so to live that when you are gone you may be remembered with gratitude, and leave behind the recollection of good deeds which may incite others to the like.
1. Fail not to render gratitude to every one who has conferred a benefitupon you in the best way you can; be thankful, especially to God, for all his
2. benefits towards you. "Nothing more detestable, does the earth produce than an ungrateful man" (Ausonius).
3. Seek above all things to obtain in life and death the honour that comesfrom God. "This Book began with Samuel"s birth, and now ends with Saul"s burial, the comparing of which together will teach us to prefer the honour which comes from God before any honours of which this world pretends to dispose" (M. Henry). D.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v12 burnt Contra. 2Ch 16:14.
burnt Contra. 2Ch 16:14.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v11 the name of a town. See how you translated…
Jabesh
the name of a town. See how you translated this in 1 Samuel 11:1. (See: How to Translate Names)
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what the Philistines had done to Saul
"how the Philistines had dishonored Saul"
all night
"throughout the whole night"
a tamarisk tree
This is a type of tree. See how you translated this in 1 Samuel 22:6. AT: "a large shade tree" (See: Translate Unknowns)
translationWords
Gilead
Philistines
Saul (OT)
bury
fast
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv11–13 31:11 The people of Jabesh-gilead were returning the favor…
31:11 The people of Jabesh-gilead were returning the favor Saul had done for them when he saved them from the Ammonites and their king Nahash (11:1-13). Jabesh-gilead was about twelve miles southeast of Beth-shan and across the Jordan River.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.