1 Samuel 31:5 kjv
And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
1 Samuel 31:5 nkjv
And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him.
1 Samuel 31:5 niv
When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.
1 Samuel 31:5 esv
And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.
1 Samuel 31:5 nlt
When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died beside the king.
1 Samuel 31 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 31:3-4 | The battle went hard...So Saul took his own sword... | Saul's self-inflicted death precedes this verse. |
| 2 Sam 1:6-10 | "The Amalekite messenger's account to David." | Different account of Saul's death; raises questions of veracity. |
| 2 Sam 4:10 | "when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead’ and brought me news..." | David's reaction to news of Saul's death and a false claim. |
| Judg 9:54 | "Then he called hastily to the young man, his armor-bearer, 'Draw your sword and kill me...'" | Abimelech's armor-bearer's similar act; prevents dishonor. |
| 2 Sam 17:23 | When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed...he strangled himself. | Another instance of suicide in the Bible due to despair/frustration. |
| 1 Kgs 16:18 | When Zimri saw that the city was taken...he burned down the king’s house over himself... | Another suicide, this one by burning, upon military defeat. |
| Matt 27:5 | So Judas threw the money...and went away and hanged himself. | Judas's suicide driven by remorse/despair after betrayal. |
| Deut 32:39 | “See now that I myself am he!...I kill and I make alive...” | God alone has ultimate sovereignty over life and death. |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up. | Affirmation of God's power over human existence. |
| Job 12:10 | In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. | Emphasizes divine control over life. |
| Ps 39:5 | "Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths...My lifetime is as nothing in Your sight." | Highlights the brevity and God's sovereignty over human life. |
| Ps 139:16 | Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book... | Life's predetermined duration by God. |
| Rom 6:23 | For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. | Spiritual principle of death as a consequence. |
| Jas 1:15 | Then, when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. | Process by which sin culminates in death. |
| 2 Cor 7:10 | For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation...but worldly sorrow produces death. | The armor-bearer's act could be "worldly sorrow." |
| Prov 16:25 | There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. | A path chosen out of self-reliance, not God's way. |
| Phil 2:8 | And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. | Contrast with Christ's death (obedient, not despair-driven). |
| Jn 10:17-18 | "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord..." | Christ's unique sovereign choice over His own death, unlike this forced, desperate choice. |
| Prov 3:5-6 | Trust in the Lord with all your heart...He will make your paths straight. | Contrast to leaning on one's own understanding in despair. |
| Jer 17:5 | Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord. | Saul and his armor-bearer's trust ultimately was misplaced. |
1 Samuel 31 verses
1 Samuel 31 5 Meaning
This verse describes the immediate aftermath of King Saul's death on Mount Gilboa. His armor-bearer, upon witnessing the king's demise, chooses to end his own life by falling upon his sword, thus dying alongside his master. This act highlights deep loyalty, shared fate, or profound despair in the face of certain defeat and the ignominy of capture.
1 Samuel 31 5 Context
This verse is situated at the climax of the Battle of Gilboa, which marked a decisive and tragic defeat for Israel against the Philistines. The preceding verses (1 Sam 31:1-4) describe Saul and his sons being hard-pressed, his sons being killed, and Saul himself being mortally wounded by Philistine archers. In an attempt to avoid the humiliation, torture, and mutilation at the hands of the Philistines, Saul asks his armor-bearer to kill him. When the armor-bearer refuses, either out of reverence or fear, Saul takes his own sword and falls on it, mortally wounding himself. The armor-bearer, witnessing this, chooses a similar fate. This entire chapter narrates the final moments of King Saul's life, concluding a period of Israel's history under its first king, a reign marked by disobedience to God that ultimately led to his tragic downfall and the death of his royal line. The despair reflected in this verse underscores the completeness of Israel's defeat and the devastating personal cost of rejecting divine counsel.
1 Samuel 31 5 Word analysis
- When his armor-bearer: (Hebrew: וַיַּ֗רְא נֹשֵׂ֤א הַכֵּלִים֙ – wayya'r nośē' hakkēlîm).
- וַיַּ֗רְא (wayya'r): "And he saw." Indicates immediate observation and reaction. The armor-bearer was a direct witness, implying intimacy and shared proximity in the battle's intensity.
- נֹשֵׂ֤א הַכֵּלִים֙ (nośē' hakkēlîm): "The one carrying the weapons" or "armor-bearer." This was a vital position, indicating a close personal attendant, often a trusted, loyal, and capable servant. They would carry the king's or commander's heavy shield and other equipment, allowing the warrior full mobility during battle, and were often prepared to finish a wounded master if requested, or stand with him until death. This proximity signifies deep personal connection and loyalty to the king, not just a mercenary relationship. Their lives were deeply intertwined.
- saw that Saul was dead: (Hebrew: כִּֽי־מֵ֖ת שָׁא֑וּל – kî-mêṯ šā'ûl).
- מֵ֖ת (mēṯ): "Dead." The definitive state. The armor-bearer's realization that the king was truly gone would have been immediate and profound, triggering his subsequent action. This recognition of finality removed any alternative perceived path for himself.
- he also fell on his sword: (Hebrew: וַיִּפֹּ֨ל גַּם־הוּא֙ עַל־חַרְבּ֔וֹ – wayyipol gam-hû' 'al-ḥarbô).
- וַיִּפֹּ֨ל (wayyipol): "And he fell." The same verb used for Saul's action in the preceding verse (1 Sam 31:4). This verbal parallelism emphasizes the immediate and direct imitation, a mirroring of the master's fate. It indicates a deliberate plunge, not an accidental slip.
- גַּם־הוּא֙ (gam-hû'): "He also," or "he too." This intensifies the connection between the armor-bearer's fate and Saul's. It underlines shared destiny and reinforces the loyalty or profound despair.
- עַל־חַרְבּ֔וֹ ('al-ḥarbô): "On his sword." A direct act of self-destruction. In ancient warfare, this was a way to avoid capture, torture, mutilation, or the public shame of defeat for oneself and one's master. It represented a final act of agency in a situation where all else was lost.
- and died with him: (Hebrew: וַיָּ֖מָת עִמּֽוֹ׃ – wayyāmoṯ ‘immô).
- וַיָּ֖מָת (wayyāmoṯ): "And he died." The culmination of his action.
- עִמּֽוֹ׃ ('immô): "With him." Signifies proximity, solidarity, and a shared end. It symbolizes the tragic culmination of their intertwined destinies and the completeness of the Philistine victory over Israel's king and his retinue. It highlights the full devastation of Saul's reign, bringing death not only upon him but upon those closest to him.
1 Samuel 31 5 Bonus section
This incident presents a tragic parallel to the story of Abimelech (Judg 9:54), another kingly figure who sought death by his armor-bearer's hand to avoid humiliation. The recurring motif suggests that a certain kind of desperate end, often self-imposed, was an accepted final recourse for leaders facing ultimate defeat in that era. The armor-bearer's suicide solidifies the scene as one of complete defeat, despair, and an utter lack of redemptive possibility at that moment. The narrative offers no condemnation or approval of the act itself but presents it as a grim factual conclusion to Saul's era. From a broader biblical perspective, it subtly underscores God's sovereignty over life and death, even in such despairing circumstances, as human actions cannot ultimately thwart divine will but can tragically depart from divine intention for life.
1 Samuel 31 5 Commentary
The act of Saul's armor-bearer, mirroring his king's self-inflicted death, serves as a poignant and somber conclusion to the first monarchy of Israel under Saul. It's a stark portrayal of the despair that grips those caught in a situation divorced from God's leading. The armor-bearer, a close confidant and protector, likely saw no future for himself outside of Saul's service, and death alongside his master was perceived as a loyal, honorable, or at least preferable alternative to capture or the dishonor of Philistine subjugation. This event, devoid of any glimmer of hope or divine intervention, starkly contrasts with faith that trusts in God even in the face of insurmountable odds. It is a testament to the tragic consequences of a king's prolonged disobedience that culminates in such a desolate end, not just for him, but for those in his immediate orbit, highlighting the far-reaching effects of leaders' spiritual choices. This scene emphasizes the grim reality of life when alienated from the Lord, where human despair often leads to self-destruction.