1 Samuel
1 Samuel 31:3–6
3When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him.
6So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.
Word by word
Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.
1 Samuel 31:3
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When the battle | הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ | ham·mil·ḥā·māh | Article; Noun - feminine singular | H4421 battle, war |
| intensified | וַתִּכְבַּ֤ד | wat·tiḵ·baḏ | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular | H3513 be heavy, weighty, burdensome, honoured |
| against | אֶל־ | ’el- | Preposition | H413 motion to |
| Saul | שָׁא֔וּל | šā·’ūl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H7586 Shaul |
| the archers | הַמּוֹרִ֖ים | ham·mō·w·rîm | Article; Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural | H3384 throw, shoot |
| overtook him | וַיִּמְצָאֻ֥הוּ | way·yim·ṣā·’u·hū | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural; third person masculine singular | H4672 attain to, find |
| and wounded him | וַיָּ֥חֶל | way·yā·ḥel | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H2342 whirl, dance, writhe |
| critically | מְאֹ֖ד | mə·’ōḏ | Adverb | H3966 muchness, force, abundance, exceedingly |
1 Samuel 31:4
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Then Saul | שָׁאוּל֩ | šā·’ūl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H7586 Shaul |
| said | וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | way·yō·mer | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H559 utter, say |
| to his armor-bearer | לְנֹשֵׂ֨א | lə·nō·śê | Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | H5375 lift, take, carry |
| Draw | שְׁלֹ֥ף | šə·lōp̄ | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | H8025 draw out, off |
| your sword | חַרְבְּךָ֣׀ | ḥar·bə·ḵā | Noun - feminine singular construct; second person masculine singular | H2719 sword |
| and run me through | וְדָקְרֵ֣נִי | wə·ḏā·qə·rê·nî | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular; first person common singular | H1856 pierce, pierce through |
| with it | בָ֗הּ | ḇāh | Preposition; third person feminine singular | |
| or | פֶּן־ | pen- | Conjunction | H6435 lest |
| these | הָאֵ֤לֶּה | hā·’êl·leh | Article; Pronoun - common plural | H428 these |
| uncircumcised men | הָעֲרֵלִ֨ים | hā·‘ă·rê·lîm | Article; Adjective - masculine plural | H6189 having foreskin |
| will come | יָ֠בוֹאוּ | yā·ḇō·w·’ū | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | H935 come in, come, go in, go |
| and run me through | וּדְקָרֻ֙נִי֙ | ū·ḏə·qā·ru·nî | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural; first person common singular | H1856 pierce, pierce through |
| and torture | וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־ | wə·hiṯ·‘al·lə·lū- | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Hitpael - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural | H5953 act severely |
| me | בִ֔י | ḇî | Preposition; first person common singular | |
| But his armor-bearer | נֹשֵׂ֣א | nō·śê | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | H5375 lift, take, carry |
| was terrified | יָרֵ֖א | yā·rê | Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | H3372 fear |
| and refused | וְלֹ֤א | wə·lō | Conjunctive waw; Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| to do it | אָבָה֙ | ’ā·ḇāh | Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | H14 be willing, consent |
| So Saul | שָׁאוּל֙ | šā·’ūl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H7586 Shaul |
| took | וַיִּקַּ֤ח | way·yiq·qaḥ | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H3947 take |
| his own sword | הַחֶ֔רֶב | ha·ḥe·reḇ | Article; Noun - feminine singular | H2719 sword |
| and fell | וַיִּפֹּ֖ל | way·yip·pōl | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H5307 fall, lie |
| on it | עָלֶֽיהָ׃ | ‘ā·le·hā | Preposition; third person feminine singular | H5921 height |
1 Samuel 31:5
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| When his armor-bearer | נֹשֵֽׂא־ | nō·śê- | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | H5375 lift, take, carry |
| saw | וַיַּ֥רְא | way·yar | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H7200 see |
| that | כִּ֣י | kî | Conjunction | H3588 burning, branding |
| Saul | שָׁא֑וּל | šā·’ūl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H7586 Shaul |
| was dead | מֵ֣ת | mêṯ | Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | H4191 die |
| he | ה֛וּא | hū | Pronoun - third person masculine singular | H1931 he, she |
| too | גַּם־ | gam- | Conjunction | H1571 also, moreover, yea |
| fell | וַיִּפֹּ֥ל | way·yip·pōl | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H5307 fall, lie |
| on | עַל־ | ‘al- | Preposition | H5921 height |
| his own sword | חַרְבּ֖וֹ | ḥar·bōw | Noun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine singular | H2719 sword |
| and died | וַיָּ֥מָת | way·yā·māṯ | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H4191 die |
| with him | עִמּֽוֹ׃ | ‘im·mōw | Preposition; third person masculine singular | H5973 with |
1 Samuel 31:6
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| So Saul | שָׁא֡וּל | šā·’ūl | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H7586 Shaul |
| his three | וּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת | ū·šə·lō·šeṯ | Conjunctive waw; Number - masculine singular construct | H7969 a three, triad |
| sons | בָּנָיו֩ | bā·nāw | Noun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine singular | H1121 son |
| his armor-bearer | וְנֹשֵׂ֨א | wə·nō·śê | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct | H5375 lift, take, carry |
| and | גַּ֧ם | gam | Conjunction | H1571 also, moreover, yea |
| all | כָּל־ | kāl- | Noun - masculine singular construct | H3605 the whole, all |
| his men | אֲנָשָׁ֛יו | ’ă·nā·šāw | Noun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine singular | H582 man, mankind |
| died | וַיָּ֣מָת | way·yā·māṯ | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H4191 die |
| together | יַחְדָּֽו׃ | yaḥ·dāw | Adverb | H3162 unitedness |
| that same | הַה֖וּא | ha·hū | Article; Pronoun - third person masculine singular | H1931 he, she |
| day | בַּיּ֥וֹם | bay·yō·wm | Preposition-b, Article; Noun - masculine singular | H3117 day |
Cross-references
Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.
1 Samuel 31:3 2 Samuel 1:6
1 Samuel 31:4 Judges 9:54 · 2 Samuel 1:6 · 2 Samuel 1:9–10 · 2 Samuel 17:23 · 2 Samuel 1:20 · 1 Chronicles 10:4 · 1 Samuel 17:26 · 1 Samuel 14:6 · 1 Kings 16:27 · 2 Samuel 1:14 · 1 Samuel 17:36 · Judges 14:3
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.