1 Chronicles 10:10 kjv
And they put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
1 Chronicles 10:10 nkjv
Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
1 Chronicles 10:10 niv
They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.
1 Chronicles 10:10 esv
And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.
1 Chronicles 10:10 nlt
They placed his armor in the temple of their gods, and they fastened his head to the temple of Dagon.
1 Chronicles 10 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 31:9 | And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor... | Direct parallel, Philistines stripping and decapitating Saul. |
| 1 Sam 31:10 | And they put his armor in the temple of Astaroth... and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. | Direct parallel, shows differences (Astaroth vs. 'their gods', head vs. body, wall vs. Dagon's temple). |
| 1 Chron 10:13-14 | So Saul died for his unfaithfulness... | Immediate context: explains Saul's death as divine judgment for disobedience. |
| 1 Sam 5:1-5 | Dagon fell on his face before the ark of the Lord... and was broken. | Yahweh's superiority over Dagon, contrasted with apparent Philistine triumph here. |
| Judg 16:23-24 | ...gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god... | Philistines worshipping Dagon and celebrating victory, here over Samson. |
| Deut 28:15 | But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God... | Curse for disobedience, consistent with Saul's fate. |
| Lev 26:17 | I will set My face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies... | Consequences of breaking the covenant. |
| 1 Sam 15:23 | ...for rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry... | Saul's disobedience linked to idolatry, foretelling his demise. |
| 1 Sam 28:7-8 | Saul inquired of a medium... | Saul's unfaithfulness by consulting a medium, contributing to his downfall. |
| Jer 10:5 | Their idols are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak... | Contrast between impotent idols and the living God. |
| Isa 44:19-20 | ...Is there not a lie in my right hand? He feeds on ashes... | Describes the folly of idol worship and its emptiness. |
| Ps 115:4-7 | Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands... they have feet, but do not walk... | Highlights the futility and powerlessness of false gods. |
| Ps 74:3 | The enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary... | Describes the devastation by enemies in sacred places. |
| Lam 2:16 | All your foes open their mouths wide against you... | Enemies celebrating triumph over defeated people. |
| Rom 1:23 | ...and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man... | Condemns the practice of idolatry. |
| Deut 21:23 | ...you shall not allow his body to remain on the tree overnight, but you shall surely bury him... | Law concerning not leaving a body exposed or dishonored. |
| Josh 10:26 | ...Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hung them on five trees... | Practice of public display of defeated enemies' bodies in ANE. |
| 2 Sam 1:19-27 | David's lament over Saul and Jonathan: "How the mighty have fallen!" | Expresses the tragedy of Saul's death, despite his flaws. |
| Zech 13:2 | ...I will remove the names of the idols from the land... | Future prophecy of complete removal of idolatry. |
| 1 Cor 10:20 | No, but I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons... | Explains the spiritual reality behind pagan sacrifices and idol worship. |
| Dan 5:1-4 | Belshazzar's feast, using vessels from Jerusalem's temple for idolatry... | Using sacred objects for pagan purposes is a desecration and act of defiance against God. |
| Job 1:21 | "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." | God's sovereignty even in allowing adverse circumstances. |
1 Chronicles 10 verses
1 Chronicles 10 10 Meaning
This verse vividly details the post-mortem humiliation of King Saul by the Philistines after his defeat and death on Mount Gilboa. They desecrated his body by decapitation, displaying his head, and seizing his armor as war trophies. These items were then taken into their idolatrous temples: the armor was placed in the "house of their gods" generally, and his head was specifically fastened in the temple dedicated to Dagon, their chief deity. This act signified complete Philistine victory and an attempt to credit their god, Dagon, with triumph over the God of Israel and His anointed king.
1 Chronicles 10 10 Context
1 Chronicles 10 focuses exclusively on the final battle and death of King Saul, establishing the crucial transition from his unfaithful reign to the rise of David, God's chosen king. Verses 1-7 recount the battle on Mount Gilboa, Saul's wounds, and his desperate choice to fall on his own sword. Verse 8 describes the Philistines discovering Saul and his sons. Verse 9 details their triumphal proclamation throughout their land. This verse (10) highlights their further desecration of Saul's body and armor as trophies dedicated to their false gods, primarily Dagon, reinforcing their perceived victory and the public humiliation of Israel's king. The Chronicler immediately follows this account (v. 13-14) by explicitly stating Saul's death was a direct consequence of his unfaithfulness to the Lord, particularly his failure to keep the Lord's word and consulting a medium. Historically, this aligns with ancient Near Eastern practices of publicly shaming defeated enemies and attributing military successes to their deities. The Philistines, Israel's long-standing adversaries, would have seen this as a definitive triumph over Yahweh.
1 Chronicles 10 10 Word analysis
- And they put: Hebrew: wa-yiṭmanū (וַיַּטְמִ֑נוּ), meaning "and they concealed," "stored," or "placed." It implies a deliberate, calculated act of placement for preservation, display, or tribute within a sacred space. This was not a haphazard discard but a trophy arrangement. The "they" refers to the Philistines.
- his armour: Hebrew: kĕlēyw (כֵּלָיו֙), literally "his vessels" or "his equipment/weapons." This refers to all the military gear Saul wore, symbolizing his authority, strength, and kingship. Its capture and display signify complete military victory.
- in the house of their gods: Hebrew: bêṯ 'ĕlōhêhem (בֵּית אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֔ם), meaning "house of their gods." This refers to a general temple or sanctuary complex dedicated to the Philistine pantheon. This highlights the Philistine polytheism and their practice of attributing military success to multiple deities.
- and fastened: Hebrew: wa-tōqəʿū (וַתֹּקְע֛וּ), from the root תקע meaning "to thrust," "to fix," or "to plant." It conveys a strong, possibly violent, act of attaching something, implying nailing or impaling the head as a grotesque public display.
- his head: Hebrew: rō’šōw (רֹאשׁוֹ), literally "his head." Decapitation and the display of a defeated enemy's head was a severe act of humiliation and proof of death in ancient warfare. For a king, it was the ultimate indignity, negating his authority even in death.
- in the temple of Dagon: Hebrew: bêṯ Dāgōn (בֵּית דָּגֹֽון׃), meaning "house of Dagon." Dagon was the chief deity of the Philistines, likely an agricultural or fish god (from dāg, "fish," or dāgān, "grain"). Singling out Dagon's temple emphasizes the Philistines' attributing this victory to their specific patron deity, thereby directly challenging the supremacy of Yahweh. This also recalls the earlier incident in 1 Samuel 5 where Dagon repeatedly fell before the Ark of the Covenant, demonstrating Yahweh's clear victory over this false god. The current scenario reverses that appearance, but from the Chronicler's perspective, it serves as a consequence of Saul's failure rather than Dagon's power.
1 Chronicles 10 10 Bonus section
- The Chronicler's version differs slightly from 1 Samuel 31:10, which mentions Saul's armor in the temple of Astaroth (Ashtoreth, a fertility goddess) and his body fastened to the wall of Beth Shan. While not contradictory, the Chronicler's specific mention of "the house of their gods" (general) and "Dagon" (specific chief god) reinforces the polemic against idolatry more sharply, making the humiliation explicitly tied to Israel's God being seemingly defeated by pagan deities due to their king's sin.
- This verse underscores the devastating spiritual ramifications of an unfaithful leader. Saul's personal failures not only cost him his kingdom and life but also brought public disgrace upon the name of the Lord among the surrounding nations.
- The detail of Dagon's temple carries specific irony given 1 Samuel 5, where Dagon himself fell before the Ark of the Covenant. While the Philistines viewed Saul's desecration as a sign of Dagon's supremacy, the knowledgeable Israelite reader understood it as a display of Yahweh's judgment, reminding them of the true power dynamics between the living God and impotent idols.
1 Chronicles 10 10 Commentary
1 Chronicles 10:10 serves as a stark concluding image to Saul's reign, portraying the ultimate indignity suffered by Israel's first king. This is not merely historical reporting but a theologically charged moment. The Philistines' actions—the seizure of armor and public display of Saul's head—were typical ancient Near Eastern practices demonstrating total military triumph and the subjugation of the enemy's nation and its gods. By placing Saul's armor in "the house of their gods" and his head specifically in Dagon's temple, the Philistines openly declared that Dagon had triumphed over Yahweh.
However, the Chronicler's intention for this verse, especially in light of verses 13-14, is far deeper. It's less about the Philistines' might or Dagon's supposed power and more about the consequences of Israel's—specifically Saul's—unfaithfulness. Saul's disregard for the Lord's commands and his turning to divination led to this devastating end. God, in His sovereign judgment, allowed this profound humiliation to befall His anointed king and His nation as a direct result of disobedience. This served as a potent lesson for the post-exilic community reading Chronicles, reminding them that faithfulness to Yahweh is paramount, and rebellion brings severe consequences, even appearing as a victory for false gods in the eyes of the world. It sets a clear demarcation between the tragic end of an unfaithful king and the beginning of the blessed reign of David, the king after God's own heart, thereby laying the groundwork for Judah's hope and future restoration centered on the true worship of God.