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Historical Books · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

1 Chronicles 10

Israel's story retold through genealogy, David, worship, and preparation for the temple.

Old Testament

1 Chronicles 10

1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.

2The Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

3The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was distressed by reason of the archers.

4Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.

5When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died.

6So Saul died with his three sons; and all his house died together.

7When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

8On the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

9They stripped him and took his head and his armor, then sent into the land of the Philistines all around to carry the news to their idols and to the people.

10They put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.

11When all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

12all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

13So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the LORD, because of the LORD’s word, which he didn’t keep, and also because he asked counsel of one who had a familiar spirit, to inquire,

14and didn’t inquire of the LORD. Therefore he killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Israel's story retold through genealogy, David, worship, and preparation for the temple. Read 1 Chronicles 10 within the complete 1 Chronicles overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in 1 Chronicles 10

1 Chronicles 10 contains 14 verses and about 351 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 14 closes: “and didn’t inquire of the LORD. Therefore he killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include saul, philistines, sons, armor, died, israel. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About 1 Chronicles 10

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, 1 Chronicles 10:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

Start with prayer