John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 6. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer , etc.] Only with this difference, his three sons died honourably in the field of battle, but he and his armourbearer destroyed themselves. Josephus says he reigned eighteen years in the life of Samuel, and after his death twenty two years, which make the forty years the apostle ascribes to him, ( Acts 13:21); Eupolemus f570 , an Heathen writer, makes him to reign twenty one years; but of the years of his reign, both before and after the death of Samuel, chronologers are not agreed, (see 1 Samuel 25:1); and (see Gill on “ Acts 13:21”); and all his men that same day together ; not all the soldiers in his army; for many of them fled and escaped, and even Abner the general of the army, but his household servants, or those that were near his person, his bodyguards.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - We cannot judge of the spiritual or eternal state of any by the manne of their death; for in that, there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked. Saul, when sorely wounded, and unable to resist or to flee expressed no concern about his never-dying soul; but only desired tha the Philistines might not insult over him, or put him to pain, and he became his own murderer. As it is the grand deceit of the devil, to persuade sinners, under great difficulties, to fly to this last act of desperation, it is well to fortify the mind against it, by a seriou consideration of its sinfulness before God, and its miserabl consequences in society. But our security is not in ourselves. Let u seek protection from Him who keepeth Israel. Let us watch and pray; an take unto us the whole armour of God, that we may be able to withstan in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Original Hebrew וימת4191 שׁאול7586 ושׁלשׁת7969 בניו1121 ונשׂא5375 כליו3627 גם1571 כל3605 אנשׁיו376 ביום3117 ההוא1931 יחדו׃3162
