1 Chronicles 10:4
in 1 Chronicles 10Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then said Saul unto his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it.
KJV
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.
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This verse in 1 Chronicles 10
Commentary
2 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Draw your sword and run it through me
on 1 Chronicles 10:4-5
Saul falls on his own sword rather than risk capture, and his armourbearer follows him rather than obey the order to finish the act. The scene matches 1 Samuel 31:4-5 nearly word for word. Chronicles keeps the moment only to reach the verdict two verses later.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
his armour-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid--He was, of course, placed in the same perilous condition as Saul. But it is probable that the feelings that restrained him from complying with Saul's wish were a profound respect for royalty, mingled with apprehension of the shock which such a catastrophe would give to the national feelings and interests.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
28 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| שָׁאוּל֩ | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| נֹשֵׂ֨א | nose' | [the] bearer of | H5375 → | 656 times |
| כֵלָ֜יו | khelav | weapons his | H3627 → | 325 times |
| שְׁלֹ֥ף | shelof | draw out | H8025 → | 25 times |
| חַרְבְּךָ֣׀ | charbekha | sword your | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וְדָקְרֵ֣נִי | vedakereni | and pierce through me | H1856 → | |
| בָ֗הּ | vah | with it | ||
| פֶּן־ | pen- | lest | H6435 → | |
| יָבֹ֜אוּ | yavou | they should come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הָעֲרֵלִ֤ים | haarelim | the uncircumcised [men] | H6189 → | |
| הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙ | haeleh | <the> these | H428 → | 746 times |
| וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־ | vehitalelu- | and they will deal wantonly | H5953 → | |
| בִ֔י | vi | with me | ||
| וְלֹ֤א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אָבָה֙ | ʾavah | he was willing | H14 → | 54 times |
| נֹשֵׂ֣א | nose' | [the] bearer of | H5375 → | 656 times |
| כֵלָ֔יו | khelav | weapons his | H3627 → | 325 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יָרֵ֖א | yare' | he was afraid | H3372 → | 315 times |
| מְאֹ֑ד ס | meod | exceedingly | H3966 → | 300 times |
| וַיִּקַּ֤ח | vaiyikach | and he took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| שָׁאוּל֙ | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַחֶ֔רֶב | hacherev | the sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וַיִּפֹּ֖ל | vaiyipol | and he fell | H5307 → | 435 times |
| עָלֶֽיהָ׃ | ʾaleiha | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
שָׁאוּל֩Saul
shaulH7586 →402 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
נֹשֵׂ֨א[the] bearer of
nose'H5375 →656 times
כֵלָ֜יוweapons his
khelavH3627 →325 times
שְׁלֹ֥ףdraw out
shelofH8025 →25 times
חַרְבְּךָ֣׀sword your
charbekhaH2719 →413 times
וְדָקְרֵ֣נִיand pierce through me
vedakereniH1856 →
בָ֗הּwith it
vah
פֶּן־lest
pen-H6435 →
יָבֹ֜אוּthey should come
yavouH935 →2568 times
הָעֲרֵלִ֤יםthe uncircumcised [men]
haarelimH6189 →
הָאֵ֙לֶּה֙<the> these
haelehH428 →746 times
וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־and they will deal wantonly
vehitalelu-H5953 →
בִ֔יwith me
vi
וְלֹ֤אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
אָבָה֙he was willing
ʾavahH14 →54 times
נֹשֵׂ֣א[the] bearer of
nose'H5375 →656 times
כֵלָ֔יוweapons his
khelavH3627 →325 times
כִּ֥יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
יָרֵ֖אhe was afraid
yare'H3372 →315 times
מְאֹ֑ד סexceedingly
meodH3966 →300 times
וַיִּקַּ֤חand he took
vaiyikachH3947 →966 times
שָׁאוּל֙Saul
shaulH7586 →402 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַחֶ֔רֶבthe sword
hacherevH2719 →413 times
וַיִּפֹּ֖לand he fell
vaiyipolH5307 →435 times
עָלֶֽיהָ׃on it
ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Samuel 31:4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused…
it leads to
- Judges 9:54
He quickly called his armor-bearer, saying, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So Abimelech’s armor-bearer ran his sword through him, and he died.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Samuel 17:23
When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his affairs in order and hanged himself. So he…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Samuel 1:9–10
Then he begged me, ‘Stand over me and kill me, for agony has seized me, but my life still lingers.’
- 2 Samuel 1:6
“I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,” he replied, “and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and the cavalry closing in on him.
- Judges 9:54
Through
Acts 1:18(Now with the reward for his wickedness Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong and burst open in the middle, and all his intestines spilled out.
it leads to
- Matthew 27:3–10
When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.
- Psalms 55:23
But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
- Psalms 55:15
Let death seize them by surprise; let them go down to Sheol alive, for evil is with them in their homes.
- Matthew 27:3–10
Through
2 Samuel 1:20Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
it leads to
- Micah 1:10
Do not tell it in Gath; do not weep at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.
- Micah 1:10
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Chronicles

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
