28:15 I . . . me . . . me . . . me . . . I . . . me. Saul is self-centered.

28:19 into the hands of the Philistines. Because Saul disobeyed the Lord in regard to the Amalekites (v. 18; see 15:19–23), God will give Israel over to the Philistines. This phrase appears twice for emphasis and certainty. be with me. It is not clear whether Samuel means anything more than simply the idea that Saul and his sons will join Samuel in the grave.

28:20–21 Saul collapses on the ground because of panic and fear; he has no physical or emotional strength left in him. The medium sees that Saul is “greatly shaken.”

28:24 The woman believes that food will revive the terrified king, so she butchers a fattened calf and lays out a great feast. Ironically, the meal is fit for a king, and eating it is a monarch who will soon lose his kingship.

29:1–11 Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag. David and his men have joined the military entourage of the Philistines as they march to meet the Israelites in battle. But the commanders are suspicious of these Israelite mercenaries and prohibit them from taking part in the war. Achish trusts David and stands up for him to the commanders, but to no avail.

29:1 Aphek. Located at Ra’s al-’Ain on the Great Trunk Road in the Sharon Plain. It is the northernmost town in the coastal plain of Philistia, so it is an appropriate place to muster troops to invade another country. spring. Perhaps the spring of Harod that sits near the foot of Mount Gilboa southeast of the city of Jezreel (Judg 7:1). Jezreel. The modern village of Zir’in, which lies between Megiddo and Beth Shan in the Jezreel Valley. See note on 25:43.

29:3–4 The military commanders of the Philistines vocally protest including David and his men with their army. They mistrust him, and they anticipate that he will flip sides when the opportunity arises. The commanders directly disparage the Israelite mercenaries by calling them “these Hebrews” (v. 3). Achish energetically defends David to the leaders, but he is overruled and becomes the object of the commanders’ anger.

29:5 This song is known not only in Israel (18:7) but also in Philistia: David is famous for killing the Philistine giant Goliath.

29:6 As surely as the LORD lives. An oath using the name of Israel’s covenantal God. This is surprising, although it may simply be a special courtesy of the Philistine king to David. Achish then gives David the news that he is not allowed to accompany the Philistine army.

29:8 David protests his innocence. my lord the king. This may be a double entendre: Does it refer to Achish or Saul? If Achish, then David’s wordplay is lost on Achish, who fully trusts him.

29:9 as an angel of God. David has not been angelic at all (27:8–11).

29:11 They go in opposite directions: David and his troops head south (ch. 30), and the Philistine army marches north (ch. 31).

30:1–31 David Destroys the Amalekites. After being dismissed from participating in the Philistine march against Israel, David returns to the town of Ziklag. He finds that the Amalekites have burned the city and kidnapped all the women and children. David inquires of the Lord, who tells him to pursue the Amalekites. He then wins a total victory over the Amalekites and recovers all the people and plunder. David’s victory contrasts with Saul’s defeat at the hands of the Philistines in ch. 31.

30:1–2 From Aphek to Ziklag is over 50 miles (80 kilometers), and it took David and his men three days to complete the trip. Ziklag is the town Achish, king of Gath, had previously deeded to David (see 27:5–6). The Amalekites knew the Philistine army had left, so they raided the southern region of Philistine land. By destroying Ziklag, the Amalekites may be retaliating for David’s previous raids (27:8).

30:6 The soldiers hold David responsible for the loss of their families in spite of his own personal loss. He does not despair, but leans on the Lord for strength, fortitude, and courage.

30:9 From Ziklag to the Besor Valley is approximately 12–13 miles (19–21 kilometers).

30:14 Kerethites. Apparently Cretan mercenaries in the service of the Philistines at this time. They later seem to be equated with the Philistines (Ezek 25:16; Zeph 2:5). They are settled primarily in the southern regions of Philistia, as attested by pottery finds, and are therefore vulnerable to raiding parties from the desert. Negev of Caleb. The region just south of Hebron, where Caleb’s inheritance was located (Josh 14:13).

30:16 The Amalekites are unprepared for David’s retaliatory raid.

30:17 dusk. Can also mean “morning twilight” or “dawn” (Job 7:4; Ps 119:147). evening of the next day. The beginning of the next day. Therefore, it seems that David and his men fought the Amalekites from morning until evening of the same day. The Hebrew victory is complete, although a few hundred Amalekites escape.

30:18 recovered. Translated “succeed” in v. 8, where God said that David would certainly “succeed” in the rescue. God’s message clearly comes to pass.

30:22 troublemakers. 1 Samuel often uses this Hebrew term of people who are good-for-nothings or useless, worthless people (see 1:16 [“wicked”]; 2:12 [“scoundrels”]; 10:27 [“scoundrels”]; 25:17, 25 [“wicked”]). The complaint of these scoundrels is simply that if a person has not fought, then he should not share in the plunder of the Amalekites. He can recover his wife and children, but that is all.

30:23–24 David’s response is twofold: (1) The victory was not by the hand of the fighting men, but by the hand of the Lord. The plunder thus belongs to the Lord, and all his people should share it. (2) The 200 men were not merely spent and lazy; they did their duty by guarding the army’s equipment. David demonstrates magnanimity, a royal quality.

30:26–31 David does not keep his plunder but distributes it among his tribal people of Judah. The towns that receive a share and that we can identify are all located in the southern part of Judah to the south of Hebron: Jattir. Modern Khirbet ‘Attir, about 13 miles (21 kilometers) southwest of Hebron. Aroer. Located at Khirbet ‘Ar’ara, some 26 miles (42 kilometers) southwest of Hebron. Eshtemoa. Located at as-Samu’, about 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) directly south of Hebron. Hormah. Located at Khirbet al-Mushash, 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) northwest of Aroer. This entire region is where David and his men lived and roamed when they were on the run from Saul. Hebron. See note on 2 Sam 2:1. It is listed last because this is where David will first assume his throne over Judah (2 Sam 2:1–4).

31:1–13 Saul Takes His Own Life. The Philistine army completely routes the Israelites. They kill Saul’s sons and leave Saul in desperate straits. He is wounded and then attempts suicide. After his death, the Philistines hang the bodies of Saul and his sons on the walls of their city (Beth Shan) as trophies. The soldiers of the Transjordanian town of Jabesh Gilead risk life and limb to rescue the bodies and bury them in their city.

31:1 The Philistine army marches about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Aphek to Mount Gilboa, where they rout the Israelite forces under Saul.

31:2–3 After Saul’s sons die, the battle presses on Saul; he is in a desperate and vulnerable situation. Some of the Philistine archers severely wound Saul.

31:4 abuse. Exod 10:2 translates this Hebrew term “dealt harshly.” Saul wants to die before the Philistines capture and make sport of him; he wants to deprive them of the opportunity to ridicule him. Saul’s armor-bearer refuses to kill him, perhaps because he is afraid to put his hand against the Lord’s anointed (cf. 2 Sam 1:14). So Saul attempts to take his own life, although later one learns it was perhaps a failed suicide (2 Sam 1:6–10).

31:7 The Israelite forces stationed in Transjordan and lower Galilee witness the Philistines triumph over Saul. They lose heart and flee, abandoning their own cities. The Philistines then occupy their towns, controlling all the Jezreel Valley and the abutting Jordan Valley.

31:9-10 cut off his head . . . put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths. An ironic reversal: this is what David did to the Philistine champion Goliath (17:51; 21:9).

31:9 messengers. It is likely the Philistines sent Saul’s head and armor “throughout the land” as brutal, crass evidence of their victory (cf. 11:7; Judg 19:29).

31:10 Beth Shan. Located at modern Tell el-Husn; it sits at the confluence of the Jezreel and Jordan Valleys. The Philistines fasten Saul’s corpse to the outer wall of the city as a trophy and token of their victory.

31:11 Jabesh Gilead. Located in Transjordan about 13 miles (21 kilometers) as the crow flies from Beth Shan. Saul rescued this town from the raiding Ammonites in one of his first acts as king (11:1–11), and the men of Jabesh Gilead reciprocate Saul’s act on their behalf (v. 12).

31:13 After burning the flesh off the bodies of Saul and his sons (v. 12), the Jabesh Gileadites bury the bones beneath a tamarisk tree in their town. tamarisk tree. Perhaps symbolizes royalty. Saul held court under the same type of tree in Gibeah (22:6). fasted. Often accompanies the act of mourning (2 Sam 12:17–18).