The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
KJV
And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
Commentary
Commentary
And the battle went sore against Saul,.... Pressed heavy upon him; he was the butt of the Philistines, they aimed at his person and life:
and the archers hit him; or "found him" (a); the place where was, and directed their arrows at him:
and he was sore wounded of the archers; or rather "he was afraid" of them, as the Targum, for as yet he was not wounded; and so the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, and is the sense Kimchi and Ben Melech give of the word: he was not afraid of death, as Abarbinel observes, he chose to die; but he was afraid he should be hit by the archers in such a way that he should not die immediately, and should be taken alive and ill used; the Philistines, especially the Cherethites, were famous for archery; See Gill on
Zep 2:5
.
(a) "et inveserust cum", Pagninus, Montanus.
Commentary
Commentary