Introduction: Shaul's Fall as the Gateway to David's Monarchy
Chapter 10 of Divrei HaYamim I describes Shaul's final battle and his fall on Mount Gilboa. The Malbim notes that this entire passage already appears in I Shmuel chapter 31. Indeed, this is the approach of the commentators throughout Divrei HaYamim: to compare and see what is stated concisely here and elaborated upon there, and conversely, what details are added here and what details are omitted here and detailed specifically in Sefer Shmuel. As recalled, prior to this battle Shaul was deeply fearful, and he inquired of Hashem, but Hashem did not answer him: neither through prophets, nor through dreams, nor through the Urim. From there he went to the necromancer of Ein Dor, who conjured Shmuel, and Shmuel told him, "Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me." Now we arrive at the battle itself, the battle in which Shaul falls.
וּפְלִשְׁתִּים נִלְחֲמוּ בְיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיָּנָס אִישׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִפְּנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיִּפְּלוּ חֲלָלִים בְּהַר גִּלְבֹּעַ׃ - Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
Here the text describes Shaul's downfall. The commentary attributed to Rashi notes: David's defeats and failures will not be described in this book, because Sefer Divrei HaYamim comes to recount David's praise and his monarchy. Therefore, the episode of Batsheva is omitted from Divrei HaYamim, and likewise other matters that reflect disparagingly on David are not mentioned by the author of the book, for he came to depict his valor and greatness, as his book focuses on the kings of Yehudah.
Shaul's Sons Fall First
וַיַּדְבְּקוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אַחֲרֵי שָׁאוּל וְאַחֲרֵי בָנָיו וַיַּכּוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת־יוֹנָתָן וְאֶת־אֲבִינָדָב וְאֶת־מַלְכִּישׁוּעַ בְּנֵי שָׁאוּל׃ - And the Philistines overtook Shaul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Yehonatan, Avinadav, and Malki-shua, the sons of Shaul.
The Radak explains that "vayadbeku" is equivalent to "vayadrechu" (they overtook/caught up), just like "vayadrechu et leshonam" is equivalent to "vayadrikhu". That is, the Philistines caught up with Shaul: they pursued him, overtook him, and were pressing close upon him. Then they struck down his sons. It is important to emphasize this point: his sons died first, and this will prove to be a crucial key to understanding what follows.
וַתִּכְבַּד הַמִּלְחָמָה עַל־שָׁאוּל וַיִּמְצָאֻהוּ הַמּוֹרִים בַּקָּשֶׁת וַיָּחֶל מִן־הַיּוֹרִים׃ - The battle pressed hard upon Shaul, and the archers hit him, and he trembled before the archers.
"The battle pressed hard upon Shaul" - the battle was now concentrated entirely upon him alone, which is why it became so heavy. This is precisely why the text emphasized that his sons had already died: once his sons were gone, he had no one to aid him, assist him, or rescue him, and the brunt of the battle fell upon him alone. "The archers" (hamorim bakashet) were men whose specialty this was, aiming within a hair's breadth without missing. "And he trembled before the archers" (vayachel min hayorim) - the commentary attributed to Rashi explains that this is like "and the queen was exceedingly terrified" (vatit-chalchal hamalkah); he was seized by trembling, that is, terror.
"There Is No Wisdom nor Understanding Against Hashem"
The commentary attributed to Rashi adds: Come and see that there is no wisdom nor understanding against Hashem. If what you desire goes against Hashem's will, nothing will avail you. After all, the enemies of the men of Binyamin usually fell before them through archery, as they were experts with the bow, as it is written, "left-handed," etc. Consider how Yehonatan signaled to the boy with arrows, "the arrows are beyond you," thereby signaling to David; "Binyamin, armed with bows"; and in Divrei HaYamim II 14, "and of Binyamin, shield-bearers and archers." From all these verses we learn that the expertise of the tribe of Binyamin was archery. Yet when Hashem departed from Shaul, he fell specifically at the hands of archers - through the very craft that was his own tribe's specialty.
The Malbim, on the other hand, contends that fundamentally there is no difficulty here. For regarding Shaul himself, it is nowhere mentioned that he was an expert archer. This is mentioned concerning his sons, but not him. And while Yehonatan was indeed an archer, we have already noted that Yehonatan died at the outset and fell in the battle. Consequently, Shaul, who possessed no expertise in archery, now falls into the hands of the archers.
Shaul's Calculation: Abuse and Death
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל אֶל־נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו שְׁלֹף חַרְבְּךָ וְדׇקְרֵנִי בָהּ פֶּן־יָבֹאוּ הָעֲרֵלִים הָאֵלֶּה וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־בִי וְלֹא אָבָה נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו כִּי יָרֵא מְאֹד וַיִּקַּח שָׁאוּל אֶת־הַחֶרֶב וַיִּפֹּל עָלֶיהָ׃ - Shaul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and pierce me with it, lest these uncircumcised come and mistreat me." But his armor-bearer refused, for he was terrified; so Shaul took the sword and fell upon it.
The armor-bearer was the attendant who accompanied the king, carrying his arrows, sword, spear, and lance. In the Book of Shmuel, the verse is longer: "lest these uncircumcised come and pierce me and abuse me," whereas here it states only "and abuse me." What did Shaul actually mean? The Malbim explains that Shaul made a straightforward calculation: If I knew that they would only abuse me, dishonor me, and humiliate me, but not kill me, it is very possible that a life of suffering is preferable to death, and it would be worthwhile to stay alive. On the other hand, if I knew that they would kill me without abuse, it would still be preferable to fall into their hands rather than take my own life, for a person should not harm himself. But since I know that "they will pierce me and abuse me" - that in the end they will both torment me and kill me - I am unwilling to accept both together. Therefore, it is preferable for me to fall upon my sword and take my own life, thereby at least escaping their abuse.
A Textual Note on the Malbim's Words
In the printed text of the Malbim before us, it reads: "And likewise, if they pierce me and do not kill me, it is better that I do not harm myself." This presents a major difficulty. What would he gain from this? What does it mean, "they pierce me and do not kill me" - for then they certainly would abuse him! Seemingly, it should say: if they pierce me and kill me, that is preferable to taking my own life. It would appear that the word "not" (ולא) is a scribal error. Indeed, upon checking the Malbim's original manuscript, it was discovered that the word "ולא" is struck through: the Malbim wrote "ולא" and erased it. For some reason, the printer included the word nonetheless, and so it appears in all printed editions. In truth, one must not read "ולא" here, as the Malbim continues: "However, since they will certainly kill me, and beforehand they will abuse me as well" - it is better that I die without pain and without disgrace, but rather fall upon the sword and die immediately.
"And He Fell Upon It" - Fatally Wounded, Not Dead
וַיַּרְא נֹשֵׂא־כֵלָיו כִּי מֵת שָׁאוּל וַיִּפֹּל גַּם־הוּא עַל־הַחֶרֶב וַיָּמֹת׃ - When his armor-bearer saw that Shaul was dead, he too fell upon the sword and died.
The Malbim explains: "And he fell upon it" does not mean he died from the impact of the fall, but rather that he became fatally stricken (a goses). When the verse says "that Shaul was dead," it means he had sustained a mortal blow, for one cannot say he was already completely dead, as we see later that he still needed the Amalekite lad to strike him and finish him off. Why, then, is he already called "dead"? Because he had received a wound from which one can only die, a wound from which there is no recovery.
Why This Was Not Considered Suicide
Chazal expound that Shaul's act was not accounted to him as suicide, because his death was an absolute certainty. And if you ask how a person can know that his death is certain, in Shaul's case this had been explicitly revealed by Shmuel: "Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me." In other words, there was a prophecy that he was destined to die. And if you object: Does not the Holy One, blessed be He, overturn His decrees from bad to good, retracting only from good to bad, so perhaps the decree could still have changed? The answer is that he already saw the prophecy beginning to materialize. Shmuel had told him, "You and your sons will be with me," and his sons were already dead. With regard to himself as well, he saw that it was coming to pass, for the enemy was already right upon him and about to kill him. Therefore, he is not considered to have committed suicide, since at the time of his act he was already definitively regarded as dead.
A Prophecy of Good Is Never Retracted
And if one were to persist and suggest that perhaps he could have been saved through prayer, there is an insightful thought cited regarding Moshe Rabbeinu. When Yehoshua came and said, "My lord Moshe, imprison them!" because Eldad and Meidad were prophesying that Moshe would die, Moshe was not perturbed. Chazal explain that the full statement of Eldad and Meidad was not conveyed to him. What was the conclusion? "Moshe dies, and Yehoshua brings the people in." Had Moshe heard the conclusion, he would have been distressed; because he did not hear it, he remained calm. Why? If the prophecy is merely "Moshe dies," I can pray; until now Hashem has answered my prayers, and I will pray now as well. But had he heard "and Yehoshua brings them in," he would have realized that prayer could no longer help, for that was a prophecy of good, and the Holy One, blessed be He, never retracts a favorable prophecy (with the single exception of the marking of the tav in Yechezkel), and no sovereignty encroaches upon another by even a hairsbreadth. If Yehoshua is waiting and it has been decreed that he lead, I will certainly die, and there is no other possibility.
The same applies here: Shmuel tells Shaul, "you shall be with me," and Shaul knows that David has already been anointed. If I die, David automatically becomes king. And if so, this decree cannot be overturned, because the moment it was said that I will die, it inherently meant that the kingship goes to David. This constitutes a positive promise to someone, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not retract a positive promise. Therefore, he understood that this was inevitable. Furthermore, Shaul's act was permitted because it involved safeguarding the honor of the monarchy. For them to capture the king, torture him, torment him, and abuse him would be an immense disgrace to the kingdom; and as we will see further on, great efforts were made to avert disgrace from Shaul even after they had desecrated his body. This was not like someone taking his own life pointlessly, but rather protecting the dignity of the monarchy, and therefore it was permitted, especially since he was already about to die.
וַיָּמׇת שָׁאוּל וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת בָּנָיו וְכׇל־בֵּיתוֹ יַחְדָּו מֵתוּ׃ - "So Shaul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together."
"And all his house" - the Malbim explains that this means what is written in Shmuel, "and all his men," for the rest of his household remained alive. It does not mean his literal household, but rather his men.
וַיִּרְאוּ כׇּל־אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר־בָּעֵמֶק כִּי נָסוּ וְכִי־מֵתוּ שָׁאוּל וּבָנָיו וַיַּעַזְבוּ עָרֵיהֶם וַיָּנֻסוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בָּהֶם׃ - "And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Shaul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled; and the Pelishtim came and dwelt in them."
"Who were in the valley" refers to the Jezreel Valley, where the battle took place. "That they had fled" refers to the men of Israel who fled, and once they saw that Shaul and his sons had also died, they understood that the battle was lost, and consequently they had to flee from the Pelishtim.
Stripping the Slain and Desecrating the King's Body
וַיְהִי מִמׇּחֳרָת וַיָּבֹאוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים לְפַשֵּׁט אֶת־הַחֲלָלִים וַיִּמְצְאוּ אֶת־שָׁאוּל וְאֶת־בָּנָיו נֹפְלִים בְּהַר גִּלְבֹּעַ׃ - "And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Pelishtim came to strip the slain, that they found Shaul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa."
"To strip the slain": in those days, garments were an extremely valuable commodity. A person did not have such a thing as pajamas - who could afford to be so wealthy as to spend money on a special garment for the night? People simply slept under a blanket. This is just an illustrative example. Clothing had to be made by hand, from the moment wool was sheared from an animal, and think of how much manual labor was required until it was sewn and became a garment. Therefore, the first thing they would strip from the dead was their garments, especially if they had valuables and treasures on them.
וַיַּפְשִׁיטֻהוּ וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁוֹ וְאֶת־כֵּלָיו וַיְשַׁלְּחוּ בְאֶרֶץ־פְּלִשְׁתִּים סָבִיב לְבַשֵּׂר אֶת־עֲצַבֵּיהֶם וְאֶת־הָעָם׃ - "And they stripped him, and took his head and his armor, and sent throughout the land of the Pelishtim all around, to bring news to their idols and to the people."
They arrive and discover a great surprise: here lies the king, fallen dead! To them, this was cause for celebration. They strip his royal garments, decapitate him, take his head along with his armor, and send messengers throughout the surrounding land of the Pelishtim "to bring news to their idols," meaning the pagan priests, "and to the people."
וַיָּשִׂימוּ אֶת־כֵּלָיו בֵּית אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וְאֶת־גֻּלְגׇּלְתּוֹ תָקְעוּ בֵּית דָּגוֹן׃ - "And they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his skull in the temple of Dagon."
Beit Dagon was the temple of their idol, which was shaped like a fish, while "the temple of their gods" was an additional idolatrous temple. In the Book of Shmuel, it is mentioned that they fastened his corpse to the wall of Beit Shan, which is Beit She'an: since they had severed his head, they hung his body on the wall. Radak explains that what is not mentioned there - the matter of the skull in Beit Dagon - is mentioned here; and what is not mentioned here - the matter of his body being fastened to the wall of Beit Shan - is mentioned there. Thus, the accounts complement one another. Indeed, the men of Yavesh Gil'ad took his body and the bodies of his sons, but they did not take the head, which was in Beit Dagon.
The Malbim notes in the Book of Shemuel: "They placed his weapons in the temple of the Ashtarot, and his corpse they fastened to the wall of Beit She'an." The temple of the Ashtarot was an idolatrous temple fashioned in the form of flocks of sheep (ashtarot tzon), and that is the "house of their gods" mentioned here. According to this, corresponding to "to bring news to their idols" - there, in the house of their idols, they placed the armor and the head, which is the skull mounted in the temple of Dagon. And why did Scripture note that Shaul's head was placed in the temple of Dagon? Because, as we remember what happened in the temple of Dagon when the Ark of the Covenant was brought there: they found their god Dagon with his hands and feet severed. Now they proclaimed: behold, our god has taken his revenge, and Shaul's severed head now rests in the temple of Dagon. And corresponding to "and to the people," they fastened and displayed his corpse on the wall of Beit She'an, a public place where all the people could see it.
The Kindness of the People of Yavesh Gil'ad
וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כֹּל יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד אֵת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים לְשָׁאוּל׃ - When all of Yavesh Gil'ad heard all that the Pelishtim had done to Shaul...
וַיָּקוּמוּ כׇּל־אִישׁ חַיִל וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־גּוּפַת שָׁאוּל וְאֵת גּוּפֹת בָּנָיו וַיְבִיאוּם יָבֵישָׁה וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֶת־עַצְמוֹתֵיהֶם תַּחַת הָאֵלָה בְּיָבֵשׁ וַיָּצוּמוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים׃ - All the valiant men arose and carried the body of Shaul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Yavesh; they buried their bones under the terebinth in Yavesh, and fasted seven days.
The commentary attributed to Rashi asks: Why did they endanger themselves to recover the bodies of Shaul and his sons from Mount Gilboa more than the rest of Israel? After all, they were entering a stronghold of the Pelishtim - akin to entering the heart of Gaza or Ramallah to extract a body from the Muqata'a; a person is walking right into a hornet's nest. He answers: Because Shaul had done them a kindness and delivered them when Nachash the Ammonite marched against them. There it is recounted that Nachash the Ammonite gave them seven days to see if anyone would come to their aid, and if not, he would come and destroy them. During those seven days they fasted and afflicted themselves in prayer for a deliverer, and ultimately Shaul was the one who rescued them. Therefore, they now felt an obligation to protect Shaul's dignity, and corresponding to those seven days, they fasted for seven days.
The commentary attributed to Rashi cites another reason: that this also constituted the seven days of mourning, not merely a fast over the tragedy, but mourning for their own relatives. For in the narrative of the concubine of Giv'ah (Pilegesh b'Giv'ah), it is related that the people of Yavesh Gil'ad gave their daughters to the men of Binyamin when they took them from the dances, seeing as all Israel had taken an oath not to marry their daughters to them. Thus, when men from the tribe of Binyamin fell here, the fallen were the direct kin of the people of Yavesh Gil'ad: their grandsons and sons-in-law. Therefore, they fasted and afflicted themselves over this anguish, and observed the seven days of mourning.
The Reckoning of Shaul's Demise
וַיָּמׇת שָׁאוּל בְּמַעֲלוֹ אֲשֶׁר מָעַל בַּיהוָה עַל־דְּבַר יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־שָׁמָר וְגַם־לִשְׁאוֹל בָּאוֹב לִדְרוֹשׁ׃ - So Shaul died for the trespass that he committed against Hashem, regarding the word of Hashem that he did not keep, and also for consulting a necromancer to inquire of it.
The commentary attributed to Rashi explains: he committed two trespasses. One was inquiring of the necromancer, through whom he subsequently summoned Shemuel; and the second was regarding Amalek, where he failed to eliminate Amalek, reasoning: If the Torah requires an eglah arufah over the death of a single person, how much more so here, where so many lives are at stake, from infant and suckling to the elderly. There is also a Midrash Aggadah that states he committed five trespasses. And what is meant by "regarding the word of Hashem that he did not keep"? When Shaul was crowned, his first trial was when Shemuel instructed him to wait seven days and not offer the burnt-offering until Shemuel arrived. When the people grew distressed, as the Pelishtim were already preparing for battle, Shaul said, "Bring the burnt-offering to me," and offered it himself. Just as he finished the offering, Shemuel arrived and told him, "You have acted foolishly; your kingdom would have endured with you forever, but now that you have not kept my command, you have lost the kingship." This was a defiance of a prophet's command, which corresponds to "that he did not keep," while "the trespass that he committed" refers to the war against Amalek.
וְלֹא־דָרַשׁ בַּיהוָה וַיְמִיתֵהוּ וַיַּסֵּב אֶת־הַמְּלוּכָה לְדָוִיד בֶּן־יִשָׁי׃ - And he did not inquire of Hashem, so He put him to death, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Yishai.
"And he did not inquire of Hashem" seems somewhat surprising, for in the Book of Shemuel it is written, "Shaul inquired of Hashem, but Hashem did not answer him," and only afterward did he turn to consult the necromancer. The Radak answers: Because he subsequently inquired of the necromancer, it is considered as though he had never inquired of Hashem at all. Why? Because he equated consulting a necromancer with inquiring of Hashem - as if there are two parallel channels of communication: one channel to the Master of the Universe, and if that is unavailable, an alternative channel through necromancy. Once he equated the two, his inquiry of Hashem was no longer deemed a genuine inquiry.
And should one ask: what else could he have done? The first channel was closed; the Holy One, blessed be He, did not answer him. To this the Radak replies: Even though Hashem did not answer him, he should have continued to seek Hashem's presence and return to Him in complete repentance, rather than adding sin unto transgression by seeking out a necromancer. Inquiring of the necromancer proved that his inquiry of Hashem lacked sincerity, and therefore Scripture defines it as: "and he did not inquire of Hashem."
"And He turned the kingdom over" - the Malbim explains that the intent of the author of the book throughout is to elevate the stature of David: that Shaul forfeited the monarchy through his sin, and it was from Hashem that it went to David, since Shaul was not worthy of it. Therefore, Scripture first relates the matter of Shaul's death, so that it may then recount the coronation of David, and this serves as the introduction to the next chapter, which will deal directly with David.
In summary: Chapter 10 describes the fall of Shaul on Mount Gilboa: his sons are killed first, and once left alone, the battle presses heavily upon him and he falls into the hands of the archers, warfare that was not his specialty. Shaul's calculation to fall upon his sword stemmed from knowing that they would torture and then kill him, and therefore he is not considered to have committed suicide: his death was already certain from the prophecy of Shmuel, which had begun to be fulfilled with his sons, and doing so also preserved the honor of the monarchy. The Pelishtim desecrated his body, fastening his skull in the temple of Dagon and his corpse to the wall of Beit Shan, and the men of Yavesh Gilad risked their lives to restore his dignity out of gratitude and out of mourning for their relatives. Scripture concludes with the reason for his death: his betrayal regarding the word of Hashem in the war against Amalek, and his consulting an ov, which caused him to be regarded as though he had not inquired of Hashem at all. Consequently, the kingdom was transferred to David son of Yishai, serving as the prologue to the chapters on the reign of David.