And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.
Parallel translations
- WEB They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
- BSB They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
- NKJV Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
- NASB They put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they nailed his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
- NLT They placed his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of the city of Beth-shan.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Philistines place Saul's armor in a temple and fasten his body to the wall of Beth Shan. His shame is put on public display.
Overview
Saul's armor is dedicated to Ashtoreth and his body hung on the city wall as a public spectacle of defeat. The dishonoring of the king's body is meant to humiliate Israel and exalt the Philistine gods. This public disgrace, however, will provoke the brave loyalty of the men of Jabesh Gilead in the verses that follow.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Judg 2:13And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
- Josh 17:11And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.
- 1 Sam 21:9And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
- Judg 1:27Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
- 1 Sam 7:3And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.
- 2 Sam 21:12–14And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 31:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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