2 Samuel 1:6

Hebrew Names Version

The young man who told him said, As I happened by chance on Mount Gilboa, behold, Sha'ul was leaning on his spear; and, behold, the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” he replied, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear. At that very moment the chariots and the cavalry were closing in on him.

King James Version
And 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.

Lexham English Bible
The young man who was reporting to him said, "I merely happened to be on Mount Gilboa. Here Saul was leaning on his spear, and look, the chariots and the horsemen were getting close to him.

English Standard Version
And the young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him.

New Century Version
The young man answered, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. There I saw Saul leaning on his spear. The Philistine chariots and the men riding in them were coming closer to Saul.

New English Translation
The young man who was telling him this said, "I just happened to be on Mount Gilboa and came across Saul leaning on his spear for support. The chariots and leaders of the horsemen were in hot pursuit of him.

Amplified Bible
And the young man who told him explained, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and the chariots and horsemen [of the Philistines] were close behind him.

New American Standard Bible
The young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen had overtaken him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the yong man that tolde him, answered, As I came to mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned vpon his speare, and loe, the charets and horsemen followed hard after him.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely.

Contemporary English Version
The young man replied: I was on Mount Gilboa and saw King Saul leaning on his spear. The enemy's war chariots and cavalry were closing in on him.

Complete Jewish Bible
The young man who had told him said, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa when I saw Sha'ul leaning on his spear. The chariots and cavalry were bearing down on him.

Darby Translation
And the young man that told him said, I happened by chance to be upon mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul leaned on his spear; and behold, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

Easy-to-Read Version
The young soldier said, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. I saw Saul leaning on his spear. The Philistine chariots and horse soldiers were coming closer and closer to Saul.

George Lamsa Translation
And the young man said to him, I happened by chance to be on mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear; and lo, the chariots and horsemen overtook him.

Good News Translation
He answered, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and I saw that Saul was leaning on his spear and that the chariots and cavalry of the enemy were closing in on him.

Literal Translation
And the youth who was telling him said, By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. And behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And, behold, the chariots and the masters of horses closely followed him!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The yonge man yt tolde him this, sayde: I came by chaunce vnto mount Gelboa, and beholde, Saul leaned vpon his speare, & the charettes and horsme folowed harde after him:

American Standard Version
And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him.

Bible in Basic English
And the young man said, I came by chance to Mount Gilboa, and I saw Saul supporting himself on his spear; and the war-carriages and horsemen overtook him.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The young man that tolde him, aunswered: As I came vnaduisedly to mount Gilboa, beholde Saul leaned vpon his speare: and lo, the charettes and horsemen folowed hard after him.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And 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 the horsemen pressed hard upon him.

King James Version (1611)
And the yong man that told him, said, As I happened by chance vpon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned vpon his speare: and loe, the charets and horsemen followed hard after him.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the young man that brought the tidings, said to him, I happened accidentally to be upon mount Gelbue; and, behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear, and, behold, the chariots and captains of horse pressed hard upon him.

English Revised Version
And 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 the horsemen followed hard after him.

Berean Standard Bible
"I happened to be on Mount Gilboa," he replied, "and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and the cavalry closing in on him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the yong man seide, that telde to hym, Bi hap Y cam in to the hil of Gelboe, and Saul lenyde on his spere; forsothe charis and knyytis neiyiden to hym;

Young's Literal Translation
And the youth who is declaring [it] to him saith, I happened to meet in mount Gilboa, and lo, Saul is leaning on his spear; and lo, the chariots and those possessing horses have followed him;

Update Bible Version
And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance on mount Gilboa, I saw that Saul was leaning on his spear; and that the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And 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.

World English Bible
The young man who told him said, As I happened by chance on Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning on his spear; and, behold, the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him.

New King James Version
Then the young man who told him said, "As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

New Living Translation
The man answered, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear with the enemy chariots and charioteers closing in on him.

New Life Bible
The young man said, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. There I saw Saul holding himself up with his spear. The war-wagons and the horsemen were coming close after him.

New Revised Standard
The young man reporting to him said, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa; and there was Saul leaning on his spear, while the chariots and the horsemen drew close to him.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the young man who was telling him said, It, so happened, that I was on Mount Gilboa, when lo! Saul, leaning upon his spear, and lo! the chariots and horsemen, hotly pursued him;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the young man that told him, said: I came by chance upon mount Gelboe, and Saul leaned upon his spear: and the chariots and horsemen drew nigh unto him,

Revised Standard Version
And the young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilbo'a; and there was Saul leaning upon his spear; and lo, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him.

THE MESSAGE
"I just happened by Mount Gilboa and came on Saul, badly wounded and leaning on his spear, with enemy chariots and horsemen bearing down hard on him. He looked behind him, saw me, and called me to him. ‘Yes sir,' I said, ‘at your service.' He asked me who I was, and I told him, ‘I'm an Amalekite.'"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely.

Contextual Overview

¹ It happened after the death of Sha'ul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the `Amaleki, and David had abode two days in Tziklag; <sup>2</sup> it happened on the third day, that behold, a man came out of the camp from Sha'ul, with his clothes torn, and dirt on his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the eretz, and did obeisance. <sup>3</sup> David said to him, From whence come you? He said to him, Out of the camp of Yisra'el am I escaped. <sup>4</sup> David said to him, How went the matter? Please tell me. He answered, The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Sha'ul and Yonatan his son are dead also. <sup>5</sup> David said to the young man who told him, How know you that Sha'ul and Yonatan his son are dead? <sup>6</sup> The young man who told him said, As I happened by chance on Mount Gilboa, behold, Sha'ul was leaning on his spear; and, behold, the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him. <sup>7</sup> When he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. I answered, Here am I. <sup>8</sup> He said to me, Who are you? I answered him, I am an `Amaleki. ⁹ He said to me, Stand, I pray you, beside me, and kill me; for anguish has taken hold of me, because my life is yet whole in me. ¹⁰ So I stood beside him, and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was on his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

As I happened: The story of this young man appears to be wholly a fiction, formed for the purpose of ingratiating himself with David, as the next probable successor to the crown. There is no fact in the case, except for the bringing of the diadem and bracelets of Saul, as a sufficient evidence of his death, which, as he appears to been a plunderer of the slain, he seems to have stripped from the dead body of the unfortunate monarch It is remarkable, that Saul, who had forfeited his crown by his disobedience and ill-timed clemency with respect to the Amalekites, should now have the insignia of royalty stripped from his person by one of those very people. Ruth 2:3, 1 Samuel 6:9, Luke 10:31

mount: 2 Samuel 1:21, 1 Samuel 28:4, 1 Samuel 31:1

Saul: 1 Samuel 31:2-7

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 21:12 - in Gilboa 1 Chronicles 10:1 - mount

Cross-References

Genesis 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. There was evening and there was morning, one day.

Genesis 1:6
God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."

Genesis 1:7
God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse, and it was so.

Genesis 1:8
God called the expanse sky. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Genesis 1:11
God said, "Let the eretz put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the eretz," and it was so.

Genesis 1:12
The eretz brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with its seed in it, after their kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:13
There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

Genesis 1:14
God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;

Genesis 1:20
God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the eretz in the open expanse of sky."

Genesis 1:22
God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the eretz."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the young man that told him,.... So it seems he was, and therefore could not be Doeg, more likely his son of the two; but there is no reason to believe he was either of them, who cannot be thought to be well disposed to David:

said, as I happened by chance upon Mount Gilboa; who was either a traveller that came that way just as the army was routed, and part had fled to Gilboa; or if a soldier, was not one of those that attended Saul, and was of his bodyguard, but happened on the flight to come to the same spot on Gilboa where Saul was:

behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; that that might pierce him through and die; but this seems not true, for he fell upon his sword for that purpose, 1 Samuel 31:4;

and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him; the charioteers and cavalry, of which part of the Philistine army consisted; though this also does not agree with the account in the above place; for according to that they were the archers that pressed him hard, and hit him.