Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 31:12
All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
12. burnt them ] Cremation was not a Hebrew practice, but in the present case was probably adopted to avoid the possibility of further insult to the bodies, if the Philistines should take Jabesh. The condensed account in Chronicles omits the mention of the burning.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
burnt them – Burning was not the usual mode of sepulture among the Hebrews. But in this case from a pious desire to disguise the mutilation of the headless corpses, and exempt them from any possible future insult, the men of Jabesh burned the bodies, yet so as to preserve the bones 1Sa 31:13; 2Sa 21:12.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. And burnt them there.] It has been denied that the Hebrews burnt the bodies of the dead, but that they buried them in the earth, or embalmed them, and often burnt spices around them, c. These no doubt were the common forms of sepulture, but neither of these could be conveniently practiced in the present case. They could not have buried them about Beth-shan without being discovered and as to embalming, that was most likely out of all question, as doubtless the bodies were now too putrid to bear it. They therefore burnt them, because there was no other way of disposing of them at that time so as to do them honour; and the bones and ashes they collected, and buried under a tree or in a grove at Jabesh.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Burnt their flesh, after the manner.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. valiant men arose, and went allnight, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of hissonsConsidering that Beth-shan is an hour and a half’sdistance, and by a narrow upland passage, to the west of the Jordan(the whole being a journey from Jabesh-gilead of about ten miles),they must have made all haste to travel thither to carry off theheadless bodies and return to their own side of the Jordan in thecourse of a single night.
burnt themThis was nota Hebrew custom. It was probably resorted to on this occasion toprevent all risk of the Beth-shanites coming to disinter the royalremains for further insult.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
All the valiant men arose,…. Of the city of Jabeshgilead, fired with indignation at the Philistines’ ill usage of Saul and the bodies of his sons:
and went all night; not only for secrecy, but for haste:
and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh; brought them with them thither, the Philistines either having no knowledge of it, or not daring to oppose them:
and burnt them there: that is, the flesh of them, for the bones they buried, as in 1Sa 31:13; and this they did, contrary to the common usage of the country, which was not to burn; but this they did, that if the Philistines should come to recover them, they would not be able to do it: though the Targum is,
“they burnt over them, as they burn over their kings there;”
they made a burning for them of spices over them; or of their beds, and other household goods, as Kimchi and Ben Melech observe, though they prefer the other sense; see 2Ch 16:14 perhaps the true reason might be, because they were putrid and infectious.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(12) And burnt them there.This burning the corpse was never the custom in Israel, and was restricted to criminals convicted of a crime of the deepest dye (Lev. 20:14). The Jews in all cases buried their dead. The Chaldee therefore interpret the words relating this act of the men of Jabesh-Gilead, in the case of Saul and the princes, as referring to the solemn burning of spices, a ceremony which was afterwards performed at the burial of some of the kings of Judah. (See 2Ch. 16:14; 2Ch. 21:19; Jer. 34:5.) But the language used in these cases is different; here it is expressly stated that they burnt them. The reason for their thus acting is clear. The mutilated trunks had been exposed for some days to the air, and the flesh was no doubt in a state of putrefaction. The flesh here only was burned. The bones (see next verse) were reverently and lovingly preserved, and laid to rest beneath the friendly shade of the great tamarisk tree of Jabesh.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. Burnt them Such disposal of the bodies of the dead was not a custom among the Israelites, but has been accounted for in the present case on the supposition that these bodies were mutilated and already putrid, so that they could not receive honourable burial; and there was danger that the Philistines, finding the bodies stolen from the wall of Beth-shan, would hasten to recapture them, and do them some greater dishonour.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Sa 31:12 All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
Ver. 12. And went all night. ] To rescue his dead body, as he had marched all night to rescue them from the Ammonites.
And burnt them there.
“ Ingentem struxere pyram, &c. ” – Aen., lib. vi.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
men. Hebrew. ‘ish. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
burnt Contra. 2Ch 16:14.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
burnt them there: 2Ch 16:14, Jer 34:5, Amo 6:10
Reciprocal: Jos 17:11 – Manasseh 2Sa 2:7 – let your 1Ki 4:12 – Bethshean