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Eve of Pentacost
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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

1 Samuel 31:3

And the battle is hard against Saul, and the archers find him—men with bow—and he is greatly pained by the archers;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Archery;   Arrow;   Gilboa;   Jezreel;   Scofield Reference Index - Saul;   Thompson Chain Reference - Archers;   Defeats;   Israel;   Israel-The Jews;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Bow, the;   Philistines, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Philistines;   Saul;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - David;   Philistia, philistines;   Saul, king of israel;   War;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Death, Mortality;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Archer;   Gilboa;   Jezreel, Valley of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - David;   Samuel, the Books of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Achish;   Arms and Armor;   Esdraelon;   Jonathan;   Lo-Debar;   Philistines, the;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Esdraelon;   Samuel, Books of;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armageddon;   Jezreel (2);   Saul;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Philis'tines;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Achish;   Army;   Chronicles, Books of;   Esdraelon, Plain of;   Jabesh-Gilead;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Chronicles, Books of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers found him and severely wounded him.
Hebrew Names Version
The battle went sore against Sha'ul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
King James Version
And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
Lexham English Bible
Saul was in the thick of the battle, and the archers spotted him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.
English Standard Version
The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.
New Century Version
The fighting was heavy around Saul. The archers shot him, and he was badly wounded.
New English Translation
Saul himself was in the thick of the battle; the archers spotted him and wounded him severely.
Amplified Bible
The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was severely wounded by the archers.
New American Standard Bible
The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers found him; and he was gravely wounded by the archers.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when the battel went sore against Saul, the archers and bowmen hit him, and hee was sore wounded of the archers.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers.
Contemporary English Version
The fighting was fierce around Saul, and he was badly wounded by enemy arrows.
Complete Jewish Bible
The fighting went hard against Sha'ul; then the archers overtook and wounded him, so that he was in agony.
Darby Translation
And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers came up with him; and he was much terrified by the archers.
Easy-to-Read Version
The battle grew even more intense around Saul. The archers closed in on Saul and wounded him with many arrows.
George Lamsa Translation
And the battle was intense against Saul, and the archers overtook him with bows, and he was exceedingly afraid of the archers.
Good News Translation
The fighting was heavy around Saul, and he himself was hit by enemy arrows and badly wounded.
Literal Translation
And the battle went hard against Saul. And the archers, men with the bow, found him and he was sorely wounded by the archers.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the battayll was sore agaynst Saul, & the archers fell vpon him with bowes, and he was sore wounded of the archers.
American Standard Version
And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
Bible in Basic English
And the fight was going badly for Saul, and the archers came across him, and he was wounded by the archers.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when the battaile went sore against Saul, the archers with bowes found him, and he was fore afrayde of the archers.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the battle went sore against Saul, an the archers overtook him; and he was in great anguish by reason of the archers.
King James Version (1611)
And the battell went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was sore wounded of the archers.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the battle prevails against Saul, and the shooters with arrows, even the archers find him, and he was wounded under the ribs.
English Revised Version
And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
Berean Standard Bible
When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And al the weiyte of batel was turned `in to Saul; and men archeris pursueden hym, and he was woundid greetli of the archeris.
Young's Literal Translation
And the battle is hard against Saul, and the archers find him -- men with bow -- and he is pained greatly by the archers;
Update Bible Version
And the battle went intensely against Saul, and the archers, men with the bow, overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the battle was severe against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was severely wounded by the archers.
World English Bible
The battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
New King James Version
The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.
New Living Translation
The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely.
New Life Bible
The battle went against Saul. The men who used the bow hit him with arrows and hurt him very much.
New Revised Standard
The battle pressed hard upon Saul; the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers discovered him, - and he was terrified at the archers.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the whole weight of the battle was turned upon Saul: and the archers overtook him, and he was grievously wounded by the archers.
Revised Standard Version
The battle pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him; and he was badly wounded by the archers.
THE MESSAGE
The battle was hot and heavy around Saul. The archers got his range and wounded him badly. Saul said to his weapon bearer, "Draw your sword and put me out of my misery, lest these pagan pigs come and make a game out of killing me." But his weapon bearer wouldn't do it. He was terrified. So Saul took the sword himself and fell on it. When the weapon bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. So Saul, his three sons, and his weapon bearer—the men closest to him—died together that day. When the Israelites in the valley opposite and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that their army was in full retreat and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities and ran for their lives. The Philistines moved in and occupied the sites. The next day, when the Philistines came to rob the dead, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa. They cut off Saul's head and stripped off his armor. Then they spread the good news all through Philistine country in the shrines of their idols and among the people. They displayed his armor in the shrine of the Ashtoreth. They nailed his corpse to the wall at Beth Shan. The people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. Their valiant men sprang into action. They traveled all night, took the corpses of Saul and his three sons from the wall at Beth Shan, and carried them back to Jabesh and burned off the flesh. They then buried the bones under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted in mourning for seven days.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers.

Contextual Overview

1And the Philistines are fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel flee from the face of the Philistines, and fall wounded in Mount Gilboa, 2and the Philistines follow Saul and his sons, and the Philistines strike Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3And the battle is hard against Saul, and the archers find him—men with bow—and he is greatly pained by the archers;4and Saul says to the bearer of his weapons, "Draw your sword, and pierce me with it, lest they come—these uncircumcised—and have pierced me, and rolled themselves on me"; and the bearer of his weapons has not been willing, for he is greatly afraid, and Saul takes the sword, and falls on it. 5And the bearer of his weapons sees that Saul [is] dead, and he falls—he also—on his sword, and dies with him; 6and Saul dies, and three of his sons, and the bearer of his weapons, also all his men, together on that day. 7And they see—the men of Israel, who [are] beyond the valley, and who [are] beyond the Jordan—that the men of Israel have fled, and that Saul and his sons have died, and they forsake the cities and flee, and Philistines come in, and dwell in them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

went sore: 2 Samuel 1:4, Amos 2:14

archers hit him: Heb. shooters, men with bows, found him, Genesis 49:23, 1 Kings 22:34

Reciprocal: Judges 8:21 - Rise thou 1 Chronicles 10:3 - went Psalms 7:16 - General Psalms 21:8 - General Psalms 64:8 - all that Proverbs 17:13 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 13:15
for the whole of the land which you are seeing, I give it to you and to your Seed for all time.
Genesis 21:22
And it comes to pass at that time that Abimelech speaks—Phichol also, head of his host—to Abraham, saying, "God [is] with you in all that you are doing;
Genesis 26:24
and YHWH appears to him during that night and says, "I [am] the God of your father Abraham, do not fear, for I [am] with you, and have blessed you, and have multiplied your seed, because of My servant Abraham";
Genesis 28:4
and He gives to you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your seed with you, to cause you to possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham."
Genesis 28:13
and behold, YHWH is standing on it, and He says, "I [am] YHWH, God of your father Abraham, and God of Isaac; the land on which you are lying, to you I give it, and to your seed;
Genesis 30:25
And it comes to pass, when Rachel has borne Joseph, that Jacob says to Laban, "Send me away, and I go to my place, and to my land;
Genesis 31:2
and Jacob sees the face of Laban, and behold, it is not with him as before.
Genesis 31:3
And YHWH says to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers, and to your family, and I am with you."
Genesis 31:5
and says to them, "I am beholding your father's face—that it is not toward me as before, and the God of my father has been with me,
Genesis 31:13
I [am] the God of Bethel where you have anointed a standing pillar, where you have vowed a vow to me; now, arise, go out from this land, and return to the land of your birth."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the battle went sore against Saul,.... Pressed heavy upon him; he was the butt of the Philistines, they aimed at his person and life:

and the archers hit him; or "found him" a; the place where was, and directed their arrows at him:

and he was sore wounded of the archers; or rather "he was afraid" of them, as the Targum, for as yet he was not wounded; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, and is the sense Kimchi and Ben Melech give of the word: he was not afraid of death, as Abarbinel observes, he chose to die; but he was afraid he should be hit by the archers in such a way that he should not die immediately, and should be taken alive and ill used; the Philistines, especially the Cherethites, were famous for archery; :-.

a וימצאהו "et inveserust cum", Pagninus, Montanus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He was sore wounded - Better, “he was sore afraid” (compare Deuteronomy 2:25). Saul’s fear is explained in 1 Samuel 31:4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 31:3. He was sore wounded of the archers. — It is likely that Saul's sons were slain by the archers, and that Saul was now mortally wounded by the same. Houbigant translates, The archers rushed upon him, from whom he received a grievous wound. He farther remarks that had not Saul been grievously wounded, and beyond hope of recovery, he would not have wished his armour-bearer to despatch him; as he might have continued still to fight, or have made his escape from this most disastrous battle. Some of the versions render it, He FEARED the archers greatly; but this is by no means likely.


 
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