Shmuel Aleph chapter 31 is the concluding chapter of the book. It is worth noting the structure: Shmuel Aleph ends with the death of Shaul, and Shmuel Bet opens an entirely new era, the era of David's leadership. Our chapter is the end of Shaul's kingship: the defeat of Israel on Mount Gilboa, the fall of Shaul and his sons, the disgrace the Philistines inflicted on his body, and the kindness of the men of Yavesh Gilad who repaid him good for good.
וּפְלִשְׁתִּים נִלְחָמִים בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיָּנֻסוּ אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִפְּנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיִּפְּלוּ חֲלָלִים בְּהַר הַגִּלְבֹּעַ׃ - And the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
The verse returns to the matter it began with, that the Philistines were besieging Israel. The Malbim noted precisely: notice that Israel did not even fight at all, their strength melted away. They merely saw the Philistines coming, and immediately "the men of Israel fled." On this our Sages said: the beginning of defeat is flight. Flight is the start of the defeat, and once they began to flee, a great defeat immediately began, "and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa."
וַיַּדְבְּקוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת־שָׁאוּל וְאֶת־בָּנָיו וַיַּכּוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת־יְהוֹנָתָן וְאֶת־אֲבִינָדָב וְאֶת־מַלְכִּישׁוּעַ בְּנֵי שָׁאוּל׃ - And the Philistines closed in on Shaul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Yehonatan and Avinadav and Malkishua, the sons of Shaul.
First the Philistines killed the three sons of Shaul, and the one who remained alone was Shaul. The verse is precise in its wording: it does not say "and they overtook" but "and they closed in," because Shaul fought with tremendous force, and they clung to him and held onto him with great effort.
וַתִּכְבַּד הַמִּלְחָמָה אֶל־שָׁאוּל וַיִּמְצָאֻהוּ הַמּוֹרִים אֲנָשִׁים בַּקָּשֶׁת וַיָּחֶל מְאֹד מֵהַמּוֹרִים׃ - And the battle pressed hard against Shaul, and the archers, men with the bow, found him, and he was greatly afraid of the archers.
The battle grew very heavy, and "the archers, men with the bow" found him, those who shoot with the bow, what we today call snipers. In explaining "and he was greatly afraid" there are two meanings: one is from the language of dread, like "and the queen was greatly frightened" in Esther, that he was very afraid. The second, as the Beit Yosef explains, is from the language of illness: that he became stricken because of the archers, meaning they had already shot him and he was already wounded.
וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל לְנֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו שְׁלֹף חַרְבְּךָ וְדָקְרֵנִי בָהּ פֶּן־יָבוֹאוּ הָעֲרֵלִים הָאֵלֶּה וּדְקָרֻנִי וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־בִי וְלֹא אָבָה נֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו כִּי יָרֵא מְאֹד וַיִּקַּח שָׁאוּל אֶת־הַחֶרֶב וַיִּפֹּל עָלֶיהָ׃ - And Shaul said to his armor bearer, Draw your sword and run me through with it, lest these uncircumcised ones come and run me through and abuse me. But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. So Shaul took the sword and fell upon it.
Shaul was very afraid of what was to come. He understood that in this situation he would not be able to continue fighting, and so he asked his armor bearer to be the one to kill him, so that he would not fall into the hands of the Philistines: that the uncircumcised ones not run him through and not abuse him. He preferred to die in this way rather than at their hands.
At first glance we have here an act of suicide, and the question arises: is suicide permitted? Chazal say: Shaul did not sin in taking his own life. And from where do we know this? From the verse "אַךְ אֶת דִּמְכֶם לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם אֶדְרֹשׁ" - the Holy One, Blessed be He, says that I will demand your blood from your own hands; one who takes his own life I will hold accountable as a murderer. But every "אַךְ" comes to exclude, and whom does it come to exclude here? Chazal expounded: One might think even like Shaul? The Torah therefore says "אַךְ" - not like Shaul. Shaul is not held accountable for his death, even though every other person is held accountable for his own death.
And why in truth was Shaul not held accountable? There are several reasons. First, it was completely clear that they would kill him; there was no doubt at all as to what the Philistines would do to him once they captured him. Second, it had been conveyed to him through absolute prophecy "מָחָר אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ עִמִּי" (tomorrow you and your sons will be with me), and now he saw that the prophecy had already begun to be fulfilled: his sons were already with him, already up above with Shmuel, and who was left? Only he, the last one. And moreover, he saw that they had already struck him and he was wounded, so he understood that what had been told to him in the prophecy must be fulfilled. Third, he was greatly afraid that the Philistines would torture him or force him to abandon his faith and abuse him, and this would be a terrible disgrace for all of Israel. Here it is no longer a personal matter but a disgrace to the monarchy, for they would be disgracing the king. And further on we will see that they were indeed capable of this and what they actually did.
And in history too there were such cases: there were those who feared that they might be forced to abandon their faith, and they took their own lives so that they would not be forced to abandon their faith. And likewise those four hundred girls who were on a ship and jumped into the water so as not to be disgraced. And this is also what happened here: in such a situation Shaul understood that it was better to give up his life in this way rather than, God forbid, be abused.
The Malbim analyzes Shaul's reasoning precisely: if the Philistines were to abuse him but not kill him, it might be that a life of suffering is preferable to death, and in that case he should not take his own life. And if they were to kill him, seemingly it would be better that they kill him rather than that he kill himself. So no matter how we look at it - do not take your own life: if they only abuse you, then you will live; and if they kill you, it is better that they kill you. But since they would both abuse him and in the end also kill him, and with the two things combined together, it is better that he take his own life. And this is precisely indicated in the language of the verse: "פֶּן יָבוֹאוּ הָעֲרֵלִים הָאֵלֶּה וּדְקָרֻנִי וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ בִי" - in the end they will kill me, for they will run me through, but before that they will still abuse me. In such a situation it is better that I take my own life than that they do this thing to me.
There is another explanation for why he did this: that he wished thereby to atone for the affair of Nov, the city of the Kohanim, who were killed at his command. And further on we will see from which verse Chazal expound that his death was an atonement for the matter of Nov, the city of the Kohanim.
And why was Shaul's death an absolute certainty, such that no repentance could help? This we learn from Shmuel's words to him. Shmuel said to him "מָחָר אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ עִמִּי" in a completely definite manner, because he had told him beforehand that Hashem had handed the monarchy over to your friend who is better than you. And since the monarchy had been handed over to his friend who was better than him, there was here good tidings for David, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, never retracts good tidings. And if Hashem had already announced good tidings to David, how could Shaul still reign? There was no way to keep him alive. For if there had been here only bad tidings for Shaul, without appointing another in his place, there would have been room for him to pray and beg for mercy and have the decree removed from him. But where the decree is already a good decree for someone else, and one reign does not encroach upon its fellow, Hashem would not hold back the good decree that He had promised David, and consequently it was necessary that Shaul depart from the world.
וַיַּרְא נֹשֵׂא־כֵלָיו כִּי מֵת שָׁאוּל וַיִּפֹּל גַּם־הוּא עַל־חַרְבּוֹ וַיָּמָת עִמּוֹ׃ - And his armor bearer saw that Shaul was dead, and he too fell upon his sword and died with him.
His armor bearer sees that Shaul is dead, and therefore he too takes his own life. And regarding the armor bearer, Chazal do not write whether the deed he did was proper. And some bring as an explanation of the matter, that what is written "וַיִּפֹּל גַּם הוּא עַל חַרְבּוֹ" (he too fell upon his sword) refers to Shaul's sword: he too fell upon Shaul's sword and died.
וַיָּמָת שָׁאוּל וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת בָּנָיו וְנֹשֵׂא כֵלָיו גַּם כָּל־אֲנָשָׁיו בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יַחְדָּו׃ - So Shaul died, and his three sons, and his armor bearer, and all his men, that same day together.
וַיִּרְאוּ אַנְשֵׁי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר־בְּעֵבֶר הָעֵמֶק וַאֲשֶׁר בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן כִּי־נָסוּ אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִי־מֵתוּ שָׁאוּל וּבָנָיו וַיַּעַזְבוּ אֶת־הֶעָרִים וַיָּנֻסוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בָּהֶן׃ - And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Shaul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled, and the Pelishtim came and settled in them.
Not only was the battle doomed to failure and did they fall in combat, but even those living in the cities near the Pelishtim decided that in such a situation there was no point in staying, for this was a state of danger, and they fled. And the Pelishtim came and settled in the cities.
וַיְהִי מִמָּחֳרָת וַיָּבֹאוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים לְפַשֵּׁט אֶת־הַחֲלָלִים וַיִּמְצְאוּ אֶת־שָׁאוּל וְאֶת־שְׁלֹשֶׁת בָּנָיו נֹפְלִים בְּהַר הַגִּלְבֹּעַ׃ - And it came to pass on the next day, that the Pelishtim came to strip the slain, and they found Shaul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
"לְפַשֵּׁט אֶת הַחֲלָלִים" - to remove the garments from upon the slain. And why did they do this? Because in those days clothing was a very valuable thing; a single garment could take two weeks to make. They also took the swords and everything that was upon them.
וַיִּכְרְתוּ אֶת־רֹאשׁוֹ וַיַּפְשִׁטוּ אֶת־כֵּלָיו וַיְשַׁלְּחוּ בְאֶרֶץ־פְּלִשְׁתִּים סָבִיב לְבַשֵּׂר בֵּית עֲצַבֵּיהֶם וְאֶת־הָעָם׃ - And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent it throughout the land of the Pelishtim all around, to bring the tidings to the house of their idols and to the people.
They sent throughout all the land of the Pelishtim "לְבַשֵּׂר בֵּית עֲצַבֵּיהֶם" - to give thanks to their idolatry, and also to bring the tidings to the people.
וַיָּשִׂימוּ אֶת־כֵּלָיו בֵּית עַשְׁתָּרוֹת וְאֶת־גְּוִיָּתוֹ תָּקְעוּ בְּחוֹמַת בֵּית שָׁן׃ - And they put his armor in the house of Ashtarot, and they fastened his body to the wall of Bet Shan.
"Ashtarot" is the name of an idolatry, and there they placed Shaul's armor in order to give thanks to their idolatry, like offering it a sacrifice: behold, this is what you have given us. "וְאֶת גְּוִיָּתוֹ תָּקְעוּ בְּחוֹמַת בֵּית שָׁן" - and this was part of the disgrace. In Divrei HaYamim it is brought that they fastened his skull in the house of Dagon. And recall what happened to Dagon on the previous occasion, when they brought the Aron there: its head was cut off. Now the Pelishtim came and said: behold, the gods have repaid him, and now see that Shaul's head has been cut off. Therefore they specifically brought Shaul's head to the house of Dagon, for he was the one whose head had been cut off when the Aron was there.
וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֵלָיו יֹשְׁבֵי יָבֵישׁ גִּלְעָד אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים לְשָׁאוּל׃ - And when the inhabitants of Yavesh Gilad heard concerning him that which the Pelishtim had done to Shaul.
"וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֵלָיו" is like "וישמעו עליו": the people of Yavesh Gilad heard what the Pelishtim had done to Shaul.
וַיָּקוּמוּ כָּל־אִישׁ חַיִל וַיֵּלְכוּ כָל־הַלַּיְלָה וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־גְּוִיַּת שָׁאוּל וְאֵת גְּוִיֹּת בָּנָיו מֵחוֹמַת בֵּית שָׁן וַיָּבֹאוּ יָבֵשָׁה וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ אֹתָם שָׁם׃ - And every valiant man arose, and they went all night, and they took the body of Shaul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beit Shan, and they came to Yavesh and burned them there.
What is meant by "וַיִּשְׂרְפוּ אֹתָם שָׁם"? The Malbim brings that they made a burning over them in the manner that is done for kings, meaning that all the garments and vessels of the king are burned so that no other person will make use of them. And the Meam Loez brings additional explanations: some say that they actually burned them, since it was not a way of honor to take them as they were after the Pelishtim had abused their bodies, which was a disgrace to them, and therefore they burned their bodies. Furthermore, they were concerned that the Pelishtim would come and remove them from the grave and continue to abuse them, and therefore they burned them. And some explain that the burning here refers to embalming: they burned spices and thereby embalmed the bodies, for that is how they would embalm, through the burning of spices.
And Chazal say that during all the time that the bodies were fixed there on the wall, nothing happened to them: no bird of prey harmed them, no bird ate of their flesh, and no animal came and took of their flesh, but rather they remained whole.
וַיִּקְחוּ אֶת־עַצְמֹתֵיהֶם וַיִּקְבְּרוּ תַחַת־הָאֶשֶׁל בְּיָבֵשָׁה וַיָּצֻמוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים׃ - And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Yavesh, and they fasted seven days.
They fasted seven days, and Chazal say that this was a remembrance of those seven days that Nachash the Amoni had given to Israel, when he said to them that he would gouge out their eyes. And who saved them then? Shaul. And therefore they themselves now come and save Shaul.
Shaul's punishment was measure for measure. He fell by the sword, because he had killed Nov the city of the kohanim by the sword. And later the verse will come that says "אֲחָזַנִי הַשָּׁבָץ" (the faintness has seized me), and Chazal say that the "shavatz" came corresponding to the fact that he killed the kohanim who wore the "ketonet tashbetz", the tunic in which the Urim and Tumim were. And there is a further hint in this: the kohanim through their garments atone for the sin of lashon hara and for bloodshed, and he did away with them, and therefore he had nothing through which to attain atonement.
His sons fell with him, because there in the city of the kohanim he had killed fathers and sons. And even Yonatan was killed, for Yonatan had an additional account: that he had not sent David off with bread and water, and thereby caused the death of Nov the city of the kohanim. For David went to Achimelech, and Achimelech son of Achituv fed him, and as a result Doeg the Edomi came and told the lashon hara, and all that unfolded, unfolded. Whereas had Yonatan sent bread and water with him, there would have been no problem and they would have been saved. And as for the fact that they stripped Shaul's garments, this was because he had spared Agag and the flock and the property, and therefore his property was taken from him.
The chapter that concludes Shmuel Alef describes the end of Shaul's kingship: a flight that was the beginning of a downfall, the fall of his three sons, Shaul wounded by the archers seeking to die with honor and not by the hand of the uncircumcised, and his act that is not considered a sin like other suicides, since his death was certain, Shmuel's prophecy was absolute because of the good tidings that had been given to David, and the fear of disgrace and of being made to transgress the religion. The Pelishtim disgraced his body and his vessels for the honor of their idolatry, and the men of Yavesh Gilad repaid him kindness in return for the kindness he had done for them, and they saved his body and fasted over him for seven days. And all the details of his death were measure for measure for the deed of Nov the city of the kohanim and for the compassion on Agag and on the property. May Hashem avenge the blood of Israel from the nations, amen and amen.