Bible Strands
1 Chronicles 10:2
The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The chronicler records the immediate aftermath of the clash on Mount Gilboa, when Israelite forces routed and the Philistines pressed their advance against King Saul’s household.
The words — וַ/יַּדְבְּק֣וּ (va/i.yad.be.Ku) = pursued closely, and וַ/יַּכּ֣וּ (va/i.ya.Ku) = struck down, marking the transition from pursuit to execution.
The thread — The names Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua reappear in the royal genealogy at 1 Chronicles 9:39, while the sudden death of a king aligns with the broader scriptural pattern of the righteous perishing without universal recognition (Isaiah 57:1) and the consequences of divine judgment (Exodus 20:5).
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition of the concrete historical termination of Saul’s direct line and the unvarnished reality of military defeat, leaving the reader to account for the factual outcome before drawing theological conclusions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi–shua, the sons of Saul.
Cross-references
- 1 Chronicles 9:39 Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
- Isaiah 57:1 The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous are taken away from the presence of evil.
- Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
- 1 Samuel 14:6 Jonathan said to the young man bearing his armor, “Come, let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will work on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”
- 1 Samuel 14:39 As surely as the LORD who saves Israel lives, even if it is my son Jonathan, he must die!” But not one of the troops said a word.
- 1 Samuel 14:49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. His two daughters were named Merab (his firstborn) and Michal (his younger daughter).
- 2 Kings 23:29 During Josiah’s reign, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt marched up to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went out to confront him, but Neco faced him and killed him at Megiddo.
- 2 Kings 25:7 And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
- 1 Chronicles 8:33 Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.