1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible

Presents commentary in a tabular format for ease of reading.Click to learn more.





I Chronicles 10:1 Now *the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down wounded in Mount Gelboe.

1 Kings 31:1.
Now. Septuagint, "and." (Haydock) --- This has no connexion with what goes before. (Calmet) --- This history is given more at large, 1 Kings xxxi., and 2 Kings 1:(Menochius)
I Chronicles 10:2 *And the Philistines drew near, pursuing after Saul and his sons, and they killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchisua, the sons of Saul.

Year of the World 2949, Year before Christ 1055.
I Chronicles 10:3 And the battle grew hard against Saul, and the archers reached him, and wounded him with arrows.

Reached: literally, "found." (Haydock) --- Hebrew, or "attacked him, and he feared the archers. He was not, at least, mortally wounded, when he took the desperate resolution to destroy himself, through fear and consternation. (Calmet) Yet the original will admit the sense of the Vulgate and Saul might have received some wounds. Septuagint, "Archers found him with bows, and in labours, and he laboured on account of (or to avoid) the bows." (Haydock)
I Chronicles 10:4 And Saul said to his armour-bearer: Draw thy sword, and kill me: lest these uncircumcised come, and mock me. But his armour-bearer would not; for he was struck with fear: so Saul took his sword, and fell upon it.

Fear and reverence for his master, (Calmet) as well as concern for his own safety. (Haydock)
I Chronicles 10:5 And when his armour-bearer saw it, to wit, that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword, and died.

I Chronicles 10:6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house fell together.

Fell. Hebrew, "died." (Calmet) --- But, though the house of Saul was fallen from its former glory, on this fatal day, when so many of his courtiers perished; yet he left Isboseth to bewail his fate, (Haydock) and some others who were not of age to go to battle. (Calmet)
I Chronicles 10:7 And when the men of Israel, that dwelt in the plains, saw this, they fled: and Saul and his sons being dead, they forsook their cities, and were scattered up and down: and the Philistines came, and dwelt in them.

I Chronicles 10:8 And the next day, the Philistines taking away the spoils of them that were slain, found Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gelboe.

I Chronicles 10:9 And when they had stripped him, and cut off his head, and taken away his armour, they sent it into their land, to be carried about, and shewed in the temples of the idols, and to the people.

To be. Hebrew, "to carry tidings to their idols, (sorrows) and to the people." They exposed the spoils in the temples, and gave thanks to their idols for the victory.
I Chronicles 10:10 And his armour they dedicated in the temple of their god, and his head they fastened up in the temple of Dagon.

Head, while his body was hung on the walls of Bethsan, 1 Kings 31:10. (Calmet) --- The temple of Dagon was contiguous to the wall. (Du Hamel)
I Chronicles 10:11 And when the men of Jabes Galaad had heard this, to wit, all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

I Chronicles 10:12 All the valiant men of them arose, and took the bodies of Saul and of his sons, and brought them to Jabes, and buried their bones under the oak that was in Jabes, and they fasted seven days.

Oak, well known at Jabes. Elsewhere the word is translated, the grove. (Calmet)
I Chronicles 10:13 So Saul died for his iniquities, because he transgressed the *commandment of the Lord, which he had commanded, and kept it not: **and moreover consulted also a witch,

Exodus 17:14.; 1 Kings 15:3. --- ** 1 Kings 28:8.
For. Septuagint, "in his iniquities." (Haydock) --- See 1 Kings 13:9., and 15:23. Saul offered sacrifice unlawfully, and spared some of the Amalecites. (Worthington)
I Chronicles 10:14 And trusted not is the Lord: therefore he slew him, and transferred his kingdom to David, the son of Isai.