Philistine Revenge, Israelite Homage

All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. —1 Samuel 31:12

The Philistines were quick to follow up on their victory over the defeated Israelites. “On the north side of the Valley of Jezreel were the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun, and part of the tribe of Issachar. East of the Jordan were the half tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Gad. By occupying the valleys of Esdraelon, Jezreel, and Jordan, the Philistines had made a complete line of cleavage through the center of Israel’s domain.” The inhabitants of villages along this line fled before the approach of the Philistines, who now occupied their villages and towns.

The day following the battle, Philistine soldiers picked their way through the battlefield, stripping the dead of weapons and valuables.

“And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons [Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua] fallen in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people” (1 Samuel 31:8, 9).

Saul’s head was probably placed in the temple of Dagon (v. 9), and his armor was put “in the house of Ashtaroth” (v. 10), thus symbolizing that these pagan gods had triumphed and given the Philistines victory over the God of Israel (1 Chronicles 10:10).

Near the eastern end of the Valley of Jezreel stood the small village of Bethshan. It was here the Philistines nailed the bodies of Saul and his sons to the village wall.

The valiant men of Jabesh-gilead, remembering their deliverance from Nahash the Ammonite when they petitioned Saul for help (1 Samuel 11:1–11), “took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under a [tamarisk] tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days” (1 Samuel 31:12, 13). “Misfortune, defeat, and death all bring to light the hidden sympathies in the hearts of men, and reveal their noblest sentiments.”