Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
Parallel translations
- WEB They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
- KJV And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.
- BSB They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on 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 2:13They abandoned Yahweh, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
- Josh 17:11Manasseh had three heights in Issachar, in Asher Beth Shean and its towns, and Ibleam and its towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and its towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and its towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns.
- 1 Sam 21:9The priest said, “Behold, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you would like to take that, take it; for there is no other except that here.” David said, “There is none like that. Give it to me.”
- Judg 1:27Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Shean and its towns, nor Taanach and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its towns; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
- 1 Sam 7:3Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to Yahweh, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
- 2 Sam 21:12–14So David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines killed 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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