And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
Parallel translations
- WEB The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
- BSB When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
- NKJV The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.
- NASB The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers found him; and he was gravely wounded by the archers.
- NLT The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely.
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 battle turns brutal against Saul, who is gravely wounded by the archers. The king is overtaken and helpless.
Overview
Saul, once a towering warrior, is now cornered and badly hurt as the fight closes in. The relentless pressure of the archers signals that escape and victory are gone. The verse portrays the collapse of the man whom Israel had demanded as king 'like the nations,' showing the emptiness of trusting human strength apart from the LORD.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Sam 1:6And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
- 1 Kgs 22:34And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded.
- Gen 49:23The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
- Amos 2:14Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:
- 2 Sam 1:4And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.
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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 31:3 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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