Synopsis of the Chapter
Saul, rejected by God because of his sins, is killed together with his sons by the Philistines. His head is hung in the temple of Dagon, and the rest of his body is buried by the men of Jabesh.
Verse 10: The Temple of Dagon ¶
10. THEY CONSECRATED HIS ARMOR IN THE TEMPLE OF THEIR GOD. — That is, of Ashtaroth, as is said in 1 Kings, last chapter, 31. 'Ashtaroth' was Venus, who was worshipped now as a goddess, now as a god.
THEY FASTENED HIS HEAD IN THE TEMPLE OF DAGON — as though thus ascribing the victory to Dagon, and therefore offering the head of the defeated King Saul as the noblest spoil to him.
Verse 14: He Did Not Seek the Lord ¶
14. AND DID NOT SEEK THE LORD. — This was the first cause of Saul's sin: that having distrusted God, whom he had offended by disobedience, he trusted in the devil and summoned him through the sorceress.