Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded of the archers.

Then said Saul to his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died. So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together. And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people. And they put his armour in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

 

And when all Jabeshgilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, They arose, all the valiant men, 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. So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse. .(1 Chronicles 10:1-14 kjv)

The First Book of CHRONICLES The two books of Chronicles originally were only one volume. The title in the English of the Bible was derived from a Latin term used by Jerome, but the title in Hebrew (the first words of the Hebrew text) is translated "the words of the days." The latter reflects the content, which extends from the creation of man to the Babylonian Captivity. The Book of 1 Chronicles begins with extensive genealogies (chaps. 1 - 9) which trace the family lines all the way back to Adam. These records served to remind the returning exiles that the allotment of the land and religious duties were connected to tribal ancestry.   According to tradition, the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles were written by Ezra the scribe of the near to the end of the period of Exile. This is supported by the fact that Ezra's purpose in en with coning to Jerusalem was to teach the people about God's laws (Ezra 7:10, 25) and by the emphasis of this book on the history of Jewish worship. Furthermore, the style of the Book of Ezra is very similar. Ezra, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, incorporated the writings of several prophets into the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles. Some of the prophets who wrote during this time are Nathan, Ahijah, and Iddo (2 Chr. 9:29), Shemaiah (2 Chr. 12:15), and Isaiah (2 Chr. 26:22; 32:32). The intended lesson of these books is clear: obedience to God brings blessing (2 Chronicles 15:12-15), disobedience brings disaster and defeat (1 Chronicles 10:13, 14). God's people were responsible to fullill the obligations inherent in their covenant relationship with Him. Although the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles contain much of the same information as the books of Samuel and Kings, they cover the material from a theological rather than a historical perspective. [Source for Introduction of chapter: Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible KJV edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 37422] .