1 Samuel 31 · Verse 7

1 Samuel 31:7

And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
1 Samuel 31:7, King James Version

1 Samuel 31:7 in other translations

BSBWhen the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
WEBWhen the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.
ASVAnd when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
YLTAnd they see--the men of Israel, who are beyond the valley, and who are beyond the Jordan--that the men of Israel have fled, and that Saul and his sons have died, and they forsake the cities and flee, and Philistines come in, and dwell in them.
DARBYAnd when the men of Israel that were on this side of the valley, and they that were on this side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
BBEAnd when the men of Israel across the valley and on the other side of Jordan saw that the army of Israel was in flight and that Saul and his sons were dead, they came out of their towns and went in flight; and the Philistines came and took them for themselves.
WebsterAnd when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side of Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

What does 1 Samuel 31:7 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
7. the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley--probably the valley of Jezreel--the largest and southernmost of the valleys that run between Little Hermon and the ridges of the Gilboa range direct into the Jordan valley. It was very natural for the people in the towns and villages there to take fright and flee, for had they waited the arrival of the victors, they must, according to the war usages of the time, have been deprived either of their liberty or their lives. 1Sa 31:8-10. The Philistines Triumph over Their Dead Bodies.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 7 The men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley - They appear to have been panic-struck, and therefore fled as far as they could out of the reach of the Philistines. As the Philistines possessed Beth-shan, situated near to Jordan, the people on the other side of that river, fearing for their safety, fled also.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 31:1-7

Saul's body rescued by the men of Jabesh-gilead. (8-13) Verses 1-7 We cannot judge of the spiritual or eternal state of any by the manner of their death; for in that, there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked. Saul, when sorely wounded, and unable to resist or to flee, expressed no concern about his never-dying soul; but only desired that the Philistines might not insult over him, or put him to pain, and…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 31:1-7 →

1 Samuel 31:7 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיִּרְא֣וּvai.yir.'Uand they sawH7200
אַנְשֵֽׁי\־'an.shei-[the] men ofH582
יִ֠שְׂרָאֵלYis.ra.'elIsraelH3478
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whoH834
בְּעֵ֨בֶרbe.'E.ver[were] on [the] other side ofH5676
הָעֵ֜מֶקha.'E.mekthe valleyH6010
וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר\׀va.'a.Sherand whoH834
בְּעֵ֣בֶרbe.'E.ver[were] on [the] other side ofH5676
הַיַּרְדֵּ֗ןhai.yar.Denthe JordanH3383
כִּֽי\־ki-thatH3588
נָ֙סוּ֙na.suthey had fledH5127
אַנְשֵׁ֣י'an.Shei[the] men ofH582
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
וְכִי\־ve.khi-and thatH3588
מֵ֖תוּMe.tuthey had diedH4191
שָׁא֣וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
וּבָנָ֑יוu.va.Navand sons hisH1121
וַיַּעַזְב֤וּvai.ya.'az.Vuand they abandonedH5800
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הֶֽעָרִים֙he.'a.Rimthe citiesH5892
וַיָּנֻ֔סוּvai.ya.Nu.suand they fledH5127
וַיָּבֹ֣אוּvai.ya.Vo.'uand they cameH935
פְלִשְׁתִּ֔יםfe.lish.Tim[the] PhilistinesH6430
וַיֵּֽשְׁב֖וּvai.ye.she.Vuand they dweltH3427
בָּהֶֽן\׃\ \סba.Henin <the> them

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 31:7

  • Leviticus 26:36

    And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

  • 1 Samuel 13:6

    When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

  • Judges 6:2

    And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

  • Leviticus 26:32

    And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.

  • Deuteronomy 28:33

    The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
they forsook the cities.
13:6; Le 26:32,36; De 28:33; Jud 6:2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 31:6

    So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

  • 1 Samuel 31:7

    And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

  • 1 Samuel 31:8

    And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

Read all of 1 Samuel 31

1 Samuel 31:7 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y los de Israel que eran de la otra parte del valle, y de la otra parte del Jordán, viendo que Israel había huído, y que Saúl y sus hijos eran muertos, dejaron las ciudades y huyeron; y los Filisteos vinieron y habitaron en ellas.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et les hommes d’Israël qui étaient de ce côté de la vallée, et ceux qui étaient de ce côté du Jourdain, virent que les hommes d’Israël s’enfuyaient, et que Saül et ses fils étaient morts, et ils abandonnèrent les villes, et s’enfuirent; et les Philistins vinrent et y habitèrent.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und als die Männer von Israel, die diesseit des Tales und diesseit des Jordan waren, sahen, daß die Männer von Israel geflohen, und daß Saul und seine Söhne tot waren, da verließen sie die Städte und flohen; und die Philister kamen und wohnten darin.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Videntes autem viri Israël qui erant trans vallem et trans Jordanem, quod fugissent viri Israëlitæ, et quod mortuus esset Saul et filii ejus, reliquerunt civitates suas, et fugerunt: veneruntque Philisthiim, et habitaverunt ibi.