1 Samuel 31:2
New International Version
The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.

New Living Translation
The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed three of his sons—Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua.

English Standard Version
And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

Berean Standard Bible
The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

King James Bible
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

New King James Version
Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.

New American Standard Bible
And the Philistines also overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

NASB 1995
The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua the sons of Saul.

NASB 1977
And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua the sons of Saul.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons; and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

Amplified Bible
The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and they killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, Saul’s sons.

Christian Standard Bible
The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons and killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

American Standard Version
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the Philistines overtook Shaul and his sons, and the Philistines murdered Jonathan and Yashui and Melkishua, the sons of Shaul

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And the Philistines press closely on Saul and his sons, and the Philistines smite Jonathan, and Aminadab, and Melchisa son of Saul.

Contemporary English Version
The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Philistines fell upon Saul, and upon his sons, and they slew Jonathan, and Abinadab and Melchisua the sons of Saul.

English Revised Version
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The Philistines caught up to Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

Good News Translation
But the Philistines caught up with them and killed three of Saul's sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

International Standard Version
The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

Literal Standard Version
and the Philistines follow Saul and his sons, and the Philistines strike Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

Majority Standard Bible
The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

New American Bible
The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons. When the Philistines had struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, sons of Saul,

NET Bible
The Philistines stayed right on the heels of Saul and his sons. They struck down Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.

New Revised Standard Version
The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

New Heart English Bible
The Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malkishua, the sons of Saul.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons.

World English Bible
The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

Young's Literal Translation
and the Philistines follow Saul and his sons, and the Philistines smite Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, sons of Saul.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Saul's Overthrow and Death
1Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.…

Cross References
1 Samuel 14:49
Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. His two daughters were named Merab (his firstborn) and Michal (his younger daughter).

1 Samuel 28:19
Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines."

2 Samuel 1:6
"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.

1 Chronicles 8:33
Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.

1 Chronicles 10:2
The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.


Treasury of Scripture

And the Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's sons.

followed

1 Samuel 14:22
Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.

2 Samuel 1:6
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.

Jonathan

1 Samuel 13:2,16
Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent…

1 Samuel 14:1-14,49
Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father…

1 Samuel 18:1-4
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul…

Saul's sons

Exodus 20:5
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

2 Kings 25:7
And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

Jump to Previous
Abinadab Abin'adab Death Follow Followed Hard Jonathan Killed Malchishua Mal'chishu'a Malchi-Shua Malki-Shua Melchishua Overtook Philistines Pressed Saul Saul's Slew Smite
Jump to Next
Abinadab Abin'adab Death Follow Followed Hard Jonathan Killed Malchishua Mal'chishu'a Malchi-Shua Malki-Shua Melchishua Overtook Philistines Pressed Saul Saul's Slew Smite
1 Samuel 31
1. Saul, having lost his army, and his sons slain,
4. he and his armor bearer kill themselves.
7. The Philistines possess the forsaken towns of the Israelites
8. They triumph over the dead bodies
11. They of Jabesh Gilead recovering the dead bodies by night,
12. burn them at Jabesh,
13. and mournfully bury their bodies.














(2) And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons.--"The details of the battle are but seen in broken snatches, as in the short scene of a battle acted upon the stage, or beheld at remote glimpses by an accidental spectator. But amidst the showers of arrows from the Philistine archers, or pressed hard even on the mountain side by their charioteers, the figure of the king emerges from the darkness. His three sons have fallen before him; his armourbearer lies dead beside him."--Stanley: Jewish Church, Lect. 21

And the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchi-shua, Saul's sons.--But while, in his own record of the national disaster, the compiler or historian, in his stern sorrow, expunges every detail, and represses every expression of feeling, he gives us in the next chapter (2Samuel 1:1-27) the stately elegy, in the beautiful moving words which the successor to the throne wrote on the death of the first king and his heroic son. Without comment he copies into his record the hymn of David on Saul and Jonathan, just as he found it in the Book of Jashar (the collection of national odes celebrating the heroes of the Theocracy). "There David speaks of the Saul of earlier times--the mighty conqueror, the delight of his people, the father of his beloved and faithful friend--like him in life, united with him in death." (Stanley).

"Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives

And in their death they were not divided.

Than eagles they were swifter, than lions more strong."

(2Samuel 1:23.) From the lost Book of Jashar.

Nothing is known of the two younger princes who fell fighting here by their father's side, sword in hand against the enemies of their country.

The hero Jonathan and his two brave brothers, as far as we can gather from the scanty details of the battle after the army was routed in the valley of Jezreel, retreated (fighting all the while) to the hill of Gilboa. There, it seems, they made the last stand with the fideles of the royal house of Saul (1Samuel 31:6), and there, no doubt defending the king to the last, they fell. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The Philistines
פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים (p̄ə·liš·tîm)
Noun - proper - masculine plural
Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia

followed hard after
וַיַּדְבְּק֣וּ (way·yaḏ·bə·qū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1692: To impinge, cling, adhere, to catch by pursuit

Saul
שָׁא֖וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

and his sons,
בָּנָ֑יו (bā·nāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

and they killed
וַיַּכּ֣וּ (way·yak·kū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5221: To strike

Saul’s
שָׁאֽוּל׃ (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

sons
בְּנֵ֥י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

Jonathan,
יְהוֹנָתָ֧ן (yə·hō·w·nā·ṯān)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3083: Jonathan -- 'the LORD has given', the name of a number of Israelites

Abinadab,
אֲבִינָדָ֛ב (’ă·ḇî·nā·ḏāḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 41: Abinadab -- 'my father is noble', three Israelites

and Malchishua.
שׁ֖וּעַ (šū·a‘)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4444: Malchi-shua -- 'my king is wealth', a son of Saul


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OT History: 1 Samuel 31:2 The Philistines followed hard on Saul (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 31:1
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