And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
Parallel translations
- WEB They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
- BSB Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
- NKJV Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
- NASB And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.
- NLT Then they took their bones and buried them beneath the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.
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
They bury Saul's bones under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh and fast seven days. The book of 1 Samuel closes in mourning.
Overview
The burial and seven-day fast give Saul a measure of dignity at the end and express genuine grief over Israel's loss. The somber close leaves the nation leaderless and humbled, waiting for the king God has prepared. David will later honor these men for their kindness, and the story opens toward the establishment of his God-given reign, ultimately pointing to the everlasting kingdom of Christ, the true and faithful King.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 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:
- Gen 50:10And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
- 1 Sam 22:6When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)
- 2 Sam 1:12And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
- 2 Sam 2:4–5And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.
- Gen 35:8But Deborah Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 31:13 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.