2 Samuel 1 · Verse 6

2 Samuel 1:6

And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
2 Samuel 1:6, King James Version

2 Samuel 1:6 in other translations

BSB“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.
WEBThe young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance on Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning on his spear; and behold, the chariots and the horsemen followed close behind him.
ASVAnd the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him.
YLTAnd the youth who is declaring it to him saith, I happened to meet in mount Gilboa, and lo, Saul is leaning on his spear; and lo, the chariots and those possessing horses have followed him;
DARBYAnd the young man that told him said, I happened by chance to be upon mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul leaned on his spear; and behold, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
BBEAnd the young man said, I came by chance to Mount Gilboa, and I saw Saul supporting himself on his spear; and the war-carriages and horsemen overtook him.
WebsterAnd the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

What does 2 Samuel 1:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 2 Samuel 1:2-12

2-12. a man came out of the camp from Saul--As the narrative of Saul's death, given in the last chapter, is inspired, it must be considered the true account, and the Amalekite's story a fiction of his own, invented to ingratiate himself with David, the presumptive successor to the throne. David's question, "How went the matter?" evinces the deep interest he took in the war, an interest that sprang from feelings of…

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 1:2-12 →

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel 1:1-10

The blow which opened David's way to the throne was given about the time he had been sorely distressed. Those who commit their concerns to the Lord, will quietly abide his will. It shows that he desired not Saul's death, and he was not impatient to come to the throne.

Read the full comment on 2 Samuel 1:1-10 →

2 Samuel 1:6 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.

וַיֹּ֜אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
הַנַּ֣עַר\׀ha.Na.'arthe young manH5288
הַמַּגִּ֣ידha.ma.Gidwho had toldH5046
ל֗וֹloto <the> him
נִקְרֹ֤אnik.Ro'[surely] by chanceH7122
נִקְרֵ֙יתִי֙nik.Rei.tiI found myselfH7136
בְּהַ֣רbe.Haron [the] mountain ofH2022
הַגִּלְבֹּ֔עַha.gil.Bo.a'<the> GilboaH1533
וְהִנֵּ֥הve.hi.Nehand there!H2009
שָׁא֖וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
נִשְׁעָ֣ןnish.'An[was] leaningH8172
עַל\־'al-onH5921
חֲנִית֑וֹcha.ni.Tospear hisH2595
וְהִנֵּ֥הve.hi.Nehand there!H2009
הָרֶ֛כֶבha.Re.khevthe chariotryH7393
וּבַעֲלֵ֥יu.va.'a.Leiand [the] owners ofH1167
הַפָּרָשִׁ֖יםha.pa.ra.Shimthe horsesH6571
הִדְבִּקֻֽהוּ\׃hid.bi.Ku.huthey overtook himH1692

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

Cross references for 2 Samuel 1:6

  • 1 Samuel 28:4

    And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.

  • 1 Chronicles 10:4-6

    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.

  • 1 Samuel 6:9

    And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth–shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.

  • Luke 10:31

    And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

  • 2 Samuel 1:21

    Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

  • Ruth 2:3

    And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

  • 1 Samuel 31:1-7

    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 upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi–shua, Saul’s sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. …

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
As I happened.The story of this young man appears to be wholly a fiction, formed for the purpose of ingratiating himself with David, as the next probable successor to the crown. There is no fact in the case, except for the bringing of the diadem and bracelets of Saul, as a sufficient evidence of his death, which, as he appears to been a plunderer of the slain, he seems to have stripped from the dead body of the unfortunate monarch. It is remarkable, that Saul, who had forfeited his crown by his disobedience and ill-timed clemency with respect to the Amalekites, should now have the insignia of royalty stripped from his person by one of those very people.
Ru 2:3; 1Sa 6:9; Lu 10:31
mount.
21; 1Sa 28:4; 31:1
Saul.
1Sa 31:2-7

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

Context

  • 2 Samuel 1:5

    And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?

  • 2 Samuel 1:6

    And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

  • 2 Samuel 1:7

    And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.

Read all of 2 Samuel 1

2 Samuel 1:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y el mancebo que le daba las nuevas respondió: Casualmente vine al monte de Gilboa, y hallé á Saúl que estaba recostado sobre su lanza, y venían tras él carros y gente de á caballo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et le jeune homme qui lui rapportait ces choses dit: Je passais par aventure sur la montagne de Guilboa; et voici, Saül s’appuyait sur sa lance, et voici, les chars et les gens de cheval le serraient de près.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und der Jüngling, der ihm berichtete, sprach: Ich geriet zufällig auf das Gebirge Gilboa, und siehe, Saul lehnte sich auf seinen Speer; und siehe, die Wagen und die Reiter setzten ihm hart nach.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ait adolescens qui nuntiabat ei: Casu veni in montem Gelboë, et Saul incumbebat super hastam suam: porro currus et equites appropinquabant ei,