Read 1 Chronicles 10 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
10:1-4a Saul’s sons killed in battle with the Philistines/ Saul mortally wounded {s}
10:4b-5 The suicide of Saul and his armorbearer in the battle with the Philistines {s}
10:6-7 The death of Saul’s house/ Israel forsook their cities, which the Philistines took over {s}
10:8-10 The Philistines took Saul’s head and armor and displayed them in the house of Dagon {s}
10:11-14 Jabesh Gilead buried Saul, his sons/ Saul died for his unfaithfulness and kingdom turned to David {p}
The Strong theme:
10:1-14 {sx4+p} The death of Saul and his sons, because of his unfaithfulness/ kingdom turned over to David
The Chiastic structure:
1 Chronicles 9:1-10:14 Chiasm.
The word “valiant” in verse 12, is chayil in Hebrew, the same word used to say that the Levites were mighty men of valor, doing the work for the service of the house of God in 1 Chr 9:13. The Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew says that chayil means “to enable, to concentrate power and resources.” In our study in Kings, we saw that David’s mighty men were called, “mighty men of valor,” because often they were up against forces larger than themselves where they should have been defeated, but because of valor, they instead defeated their enemies. It is why their fame spread abroad.
Valiant is Strong’s H2428, chayil, “strength, ability, valor, virtue;” from Strong’s H2342 חול chuwl, “to twist or writhe” (negative spin); “to be strong or firm” (the opposite, positive spin). The ancient pictographs:
chet ח = wall (outside, divide, half)
vav ו = tent peg (add, secure, hook)
lamed ל = shepherd’s staff (teach, yoke, to, bind)
The Hebrew Root Word parable is that as a wall (chet) secures (vav) authority (lamed), so strength, ability, valor, and virtue are as a firm wall securing the man. Cognate words are wall, but also writhe, dance from its association with the bow drill.
A bow drill was used in ancient days to bore a hole. The bow string wrapped around (chet, fenced) the drill shaft (lamed) and by twirling the string, the shaft bored the hole. How is this related to valor? When an army is faced with a wall, as in a walled city, or a man is faced with a giant, who is as a wall, an obstacle to overcome, it is valor that enables him to concentrate power or resources to bore a hole into that wall, and make a breach.
When the fearful men of Israel forsook their cities and fled, so that the Philistines came and settled in them, the valiant men of Jabesh-gilead arose, concentrated power to make a breach into the Philistines’ homeland, and recover the bodies of Saul and his sons, to give them a proper burial.
If there are questions, this is a good resource:
1 Samuel 11, Saul delivers the men of Jabesh-gilead – Christine Miller
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