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So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor bearer, and all his men, that same day together.
1 Samuel 31:6 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.
  • BSB So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.
  • NKJV So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.
  • NASB So Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.
  • NLT So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his troops all died together that same day.

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

Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his men all die that same day. The judgment on Saul's house is complete.

Overview

The summary statement gathers the full extent of the loss: the king, his heirs, and his household perish together. This fulfills the LORD's word through Samuel that the kingdom would be taken from Saul and given to a neighbor better than he. The fall of Saul clears the way for the LORD's chosen king, David, demonstrating that God's purposes cannot be thwarted by human rebellion.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • 1 Chr 10:6So Saul died with his three sons; and all his house died together.
  • 1 Sam 4:10–11The Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter; for thirty thousand footmen of Israel fell.
  • 1 Sam 28:19Moreover Yahweh will deliver Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Yahweh will deliver the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”
  • Hos 13:10–11Where is your king now, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges, of whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes?’
  • 1 Sam 12:25But if you keep doing evil, you will be consumed, both you and your king.”
  • 1 Sam 12:17Isn’t it wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain; and you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in Yahweh’s sight, in asking for a king.”
  • 1 Sam 11:15All the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before Yahweh in Gilgal. There they offered sacrifices of peace offerings before Yahweh; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
  • Eccl 9:1–2For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man doesn’t know it; all is before them.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Samuel 31:6YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 31:6 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.