8 It came about on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain , that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa . 9 They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons , and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines , to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people . 10 They put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth , and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan . 11 Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead e heard what the Philistines had done to Saul , 12 all the valiant men rose and walked all night , and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan , and they came to Jabesh and burned them there . 13 They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh , and fasted seven days .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 31:8-13
Commentary on 1 Samuel 31:8-13
(Read 1 Samuel 31:8-13)
The Scripture makes no mention what became of the souls of Saul and his sons, after they were dead; but of their bodies only: secret things belong not to us. It is of little consequence by what means we die, or what is done with our dead bodies. If our souls are saved, our bodies will be raised incorruptible and glorious; but not to fear His wrath, who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell, is the extreme of folly and wickedness. How useless is the respect of fellow-creatures to those who are suffering the wrath of God! While pompous funerals, grand monuments, and he praises of men, honour the memory of the deceased, the soul may be suffering in the regions of darkness and despair! Let us seek that honour which cometh from God only.