1 Chronicles 10 9

1 Chronicles 10:9 kjv

And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people.

1 Chronicles 10:9 nkjv

And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people.

1 Chronicles 10:9 niv

They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people.

1 Chronicles 10:9 esv

And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people.

1 Chronicles 10:9 nlt

So they stripped off Saul's armor and cut off his head. Then they proclaimed the good news of Saul's death before their idols and to the people throughout the land of Philistia.

1 Chronicles 10 verses

1 Chronicles 10 9 Meaning

This verse describes the complete humiliation and public disgrace of King Saul and his sons by the Philistines following their decisive victory at Mount Gilboa. They desecrated his body by stripping his armor and decapitating him, then broadcast this "good news" of their triumph to their entire land, proclaiming it particularly to their pagan idols and their populace as proof of their gods' supposed power and their own dominance.

1 Chronicles 10 9 Context

First Chronicles chapter 10 recounts the final defeat and death of King Saul and his three sons at the battle of Mount Gilboa against the Philistines. This grim event serves as the turning point from the reign of Saul to the imminent reign of David in the Chronicler's narrative. The Chronicler, focusing heavily on the legitimate kingship rooted in God's covenant and Judah's lineage, highlights Saul's tragic end as a direct consequence of his unfaithfulness and disobedience to God (1 Chr 10:13-14). This verse (10:9) graphically details the ultimate public disgrace of Saul, signifying not just a military defeat but a profound spiritual downfall. Historically and culturally, Philistine practices involved desecrating and publicly displaying the bodies of defeated enemies and offering spoils to their deities, asserting their gods' supremacy. The Chronicler includes this detail to emphasize the complete reversal of fortune for God's anointed due to his rebellion, and the paganistic pride of the Philistines in their perceived triumph.

1 Chronicles 10 9 Word analysis

• So when they found him: Implies a search for the king's body, possibly as proof or for spoils, highlighting Saul's isolated death.
• they stripped off his armor (וַיַּפְשִׁט֣וּ אֶת־כֵּלָיו֙, va·yaf·shi·ṭu 'et-kē·lāw):
  • vayafshiṭu (from pashat): to strip off, plunder. Signifies immediate desecration and the seizing of valuable military trophies. This was a common act of war, both for practical gain and for humiliation.
  • kelav (from kli): his armor, equipment, weapons. Saul's armor represented his authority, strength, and status as king. Stripping it off signified his complete powerlessness and the Philistines' mastery over him.
• and took his head (וַיִּשְׂא֕וּ אֶת־רֹאשֹׁו֙, va·yiś·'u 'et-rō·šōw):
  • vayisu (from nasa): to lift up, carry.
  • rosh (rosho): head. Decapitation was an extreme form of mutilation and dishonor, intended for ultimate public humiliation and as irrefutable proof of victory. It effectively removed Saul's identity and power.
• and his armor, (וְאֶת־כֵּלָ֖יו, wə'et-kē·lāw): Repetition of "armor" here after it was stripped suggests two things: first, taking the stripped armor as spoils; second, carrying it prominently alongside his head as symbols of his defeated kingship. The first stripping was the act of removal, the second mention is the act of possession and transport for display.
• and sent them into the land of the Philistines all around, (vay·shal·ḥū bə·'e·retz-pə·liš·tîm sā·ḇîḇ):
  • vayshalhu (from shalach): to send, dispatch. Indicates an organized dissemination.
  • b'eretz Plištim saviv: throughout the land of the Philistines, all around. This signifies a widespread public announcement, maximizing the reach of their triumphant message and Saul's disgrace. It was a propaganda effort to assert their dominance.
• to bring the good news (לְבַשֵּׂר֙, lə·ḇaś·śēr):
  • l'basser (from basar): to bring good tidings, announce good news, often translated as "preach the gospel" in contexts of God's salvation (e.g., Isa 52:7).
  • Here, this word is used with profound irony or dark sarcasm. What is "good news" to the Philistines and their idols is horrific defeat and divine judgment from a biblical perspective. This highlights the antithetical nature of their victory to God's ultimate truth.
• to their idols (אֶת־עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֔ם, 'et-'a·ṣab·bê·hem):
  • 'aṣabbêhem (from 'etsev): their idols, images, objects of worship (often carved from wood or stone). This confirms the deeply religious and pagan dimension of the Philistine triumph. They perceived their gods as having delivered Saul into their hands. This is a direct polemic from the Chronicler, underscoring the spiritual blindness of the Philistines.
• and to the people (וְאֶת־הָעָֽם׃, wə'et-hā·'ām): Reinforces that the message was for both the deities (spirit realm as perceived by them) and the entire Philistine populace, fostering national pride and solidifying their perceived military and religious superiority.

Words-group analysis:

• "stripped off his armor and took his head and his armor": This triplet of actions emphasizes the escalating stages of humiliation: disarming, decapitation, and display of kingly symbols, transforming the vanquished king into war trophies. It represents a total defiling and dishonoring of a once anointed ruler.
• "sent them into the land of the Philistines all around, to bring the good news to their idols and to the people": This phrase captures the Philistine's propaganda effort. It illustrates how they intertwined military victory with religious boasting, crediting their lifeless idols for their triumph, using "good news" in a perverse sense that stands in stark contrast to the true "good news" of salvation and hope from the one true God.

1 Chronicles 10 9 Bonus section

The Chronicler's specific mention of "their idols" (עֲצַבֵּיהֶם - asabbim) is significant. The parallel account in 1 Samuel 31:10 specifies that the armor was placed in "the temple of Ashtaroth," and Saul's body was hung on the wall of Beth-shan. By generalizing to "their idols," the Chronicler expands the critique to all Philistine paganism, presenting the victory as a universal triumph for their entire pantheon of false gods rather than just one deity. This emphasis fits the Chronicler's broader theological purpose of highlighting the singular sovereignty of Yahweh and condemning any form of idolatry or rebellion against Him. The very act of taking Saul's head to worship places further signifies a defilement intended not just for human eyes, but for spiritual insult, showcasing the deep chasm between Israel's God and the gods of the nations.

1 Chronicles 10 9 Commentary

1 Chronicles 10:9 marks the definitive public end of Saul's reign, portraying his ultimate degradation. The graphic details—stripping armor, decapitation, and parading these grotesque trophies—are not merely historical facts but loaded with profound theological meaning. From the Chronicler's perspective, this humiliating demise was a direct consequence of Saul's apostasy, highlighting the severe repercussions of disobedience to God. The Philistines, ignorant of Yahweh's sovereign hand, attributed their victory to their own pagan gods, jubilantly proclaiming the "good news" of their triumph to inanimate idols and their citizenry. This chilling announcement serves as a dark parody of the true "good news" of the Gospel, which proclaims salvation and redemption through God, not victory gained by violence and credited to false deities. The verse underscores the vanity of idolatry and the terrible disgrace that can befall even a king who rejects the divine will, setting the stage for the rise of David, God's chosen king.