Question 1

What happens in this passage after Saul and his sons are killed?

Accepted Answer

In this passage, the focus is on what happens right after the battle where Saul and his sons die. When Israelites living near the valley and near the Jordan hear that Israel’s army has run away and that Saul and his sons are dead, they leave their cities and run for their lives. The Philistines then move into those empty towns. The next day, the Philistines come back to the battlefield to strip the dead and find Saul and his sons on Mount Gilboa. They then shame Saul by cutting off his head, taking his armor, and hanging his body on the wall of Beth-shan.

Question 2

Why did the Israelites forsake their cities and flee in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The Israelites left their cities because they heard that their army had fled and that their king, Saul, and his sons were dead. With their leader gone and the army beaten, they expected the Philistines to sweep through the land next. They did not feel safe staying where they were, so they abandoned their homes and cities in fear. This shows how the fall of a leader and a lost battle can bring sudden fear and loss to a whole people, not just to the soldiers on the field.

Question 3

Why did the Philistines cut off Saul’s head and take his armor?

Accepted Answer

The Philistines treated Saul’s body this way to mock him and to boast about their victory. Cutting off his head and taking his armor were signs of complete defeat. They sent news through their land and placed his armor in the house of Ashtaroth, one of their idol temples, as a kind of trophy. By doing this in the house of their idols and among their people, they were saying that their gods had beaten Israel’s God. It was meant to bring honor to their idols and shame to Israel and its king.

Question 4

What is the meaning of Saul’s armor being put in the house of Ashtaroth?

Accepted Answer

Putting Saul’s armor in the house of Ashtaroth was a way for the Philistines to offer their victory to their gods. In that culture, warriors often placed captured weapons and armor in temples as signs of what their gods had “helped” them win. Here, Saul’s armor becomes a trophy in an idol’s house. This shows how far Israel has fallen, that their king’s gear now hangs in a place of false worship. It also shows how the Philistines wrongly give praise to their idols instead of the true God who had once given Israel many victories.

Question 5

Why did the Philistines fasten Saul’s body to the wall of Beth-shan?

Accepted Answer

The Philistines fastened Saul’s body to the wall of Beth-shan to shame him and Israel in a very public way. Hanging his body where everyone could see it sent a message that their king was powerless and defeated. It also kept the people of Israel from easily taking his body and honoring him with a proper burial. This cruel act fits with their earlier actions of cutting off his head and placing his armor in their idol’s house. Altogether, it was meant to humiliate Israel and to boast in their own strength and their gods.

Question 6

What does this passage show about the consequences of Saul’s leadership and sin?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows the sad end of Saul’s story. His long pattern of disobedience and pride leads not only to his death but also to the scattering of his people and the public shame of his body. The enemy moves into Israel’s cities, and Saul’s armor ends up in an idol’s temple. It reminds us that when a leader turns from God, it can deeply harm many others as well. The scene is heavy and dark, showing that sin and stubbornness before God can lead to loss, fear, and dishonor in the end.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about God and false gods?

Accepted Answer

In this passage, it looks like the Philistines’ gods have won, because Saul is dead, Israel has fled, and Saul’s armor is in the house of Ashtaroth. The Philistines praise their idols for the victory. But the wider story shows that Israel’s defeat comes from turning away from the true God, not from any real power in false gods. This part of the story shows how people can wrongly give honor to idols when things go well, while the living God is the one who truly rules over nations, battles, and kings.

1 Samuel 31:7

¶ And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

The Philistines Possess the Towns

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1 Samuel 31:7

¶ And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

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The Philistines Possess the Towns

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