Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-2 HCSB, Ch. 3-4 NASB

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Thoughts

Did you notice that there are different accounts as to how Saul died in 1st and 2nd Samuel? In 1 Samuel 31:4, it says that he was injured during a battle and then killed himself. In today’s reading, 2 Samuel 1:10 tells us that an Amalekite said he did it. What’s going on here? Is this a contradiction?

Let’s do some investigation, shall we? 

1 Samuel chapter 34 has the first account. Let’s take another look at it. 

Now the Philistines attacked Israel, (Note here who was attacking…the Philistines.)   and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely. Saul groaned to his armor bearer, “Take your sword and kill me before these pagan Philistines come to run me through and taunt and torture me.” But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died beside the king.

1 Samuel 34:1-6 NLT

Verses following this also tell that there were several witnesses, as well.

Now we’re going to jump ahead all the way to chapter 21 of 2 Samuel, because it says something very important in our investigation. Part of verse 12 says, “…When the Philistines had killed Saul and Jonathan on Mount Gilboa…”. So according to that, it was the Philistines who killed Saul. So Saul was in a battle with the Philistines, and they mortally wounded him, but he didn’t want to be captured and tortured, so he committed suicide.

And in our reading today, 2 Samuel chapter 1 has this Amalekite telling David about the battle, and “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. When he turned and saw me, he cried out for me to come to him. ‘How can I help?’ I asked him. “He responded, ‘Who are you?’ “‘I am an Amalekite,’ I told him. “Then he begged me, ‘Come over here and put me out of my misery, for I am in terrible pain and want to die.’ “So I killed him,” the Amalekite told David, “for I knew he couldn’t live. Then I took his crown and his armband, and I have brought them here to you, my lord.”

Here is what most likely happened. The Amalekite may have been a treasure hunter who went to battlefields, looking for anything of value. He may have even witnessed what happened to Saul. It was no secret what was going on between Saul and David, and he probably thought that by bringing Saul’s crown and armband to David, he would receive some sort of reward.

Obviously, this was a mistake. As we have already read, David considered Saul to be God’s anointed king. Yes, David was anointed, too. But he knew that God would give him the throne at His appointed time. So David said to the Amalekite, “You have condemned yourself,for you yourself confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed one.” And he told one of his men to kill the Amalekite.

It is helpful to remember that there were two voices telling the account of Saul’s death. The first is the voice of the historian who wrote the book. There are several theories as to who that person was, or even persons. I don’t have time to get into that here. 

The second voice is that of the Amalekite. So, the historian was merely reporting that the Amalekite *said* he is the one who killed Saul. The historian carefully recorded the events around the death of Saul, and as we will see next week when we read the next chapters, David’s assuming the throne.

We know that the Bible does not contradict itself. So this is the most probable explanation as to why there are different accounts of his death. 

I like who-done-its, don’t you?