1 Samuel 31:3The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
The setting
Mount Gilboa battlefield, ~1010 BC. King Saul, separated from his army, faces Philistine archers closing in. His sons are dead, his forces scattered...
The emotion here: chronicling the moment when God's anointed king faced his darkest hour
The original word
yāṣar (יָצַר) — 'greatly distressed,' the same word used for a woman in labor pains
Why it matters
Philistine archers were elite troops — their composite bows could pierce armor at 200 yards
Read with care
What most readers miss in 1 Samuel 31:3
The archers 'overtook' him — Saul was trying to flee but couldn't escape
Common misconceptionPeople think Saul was a coward, but he stayed and fought even after his sons died and his army fled — this was a king making his final stand.
The thread continues
Verses that echo 1 Samuel 31:3
Bible Genome reading
1 Samuel 31:3 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
1 Samuel 31:3 comes from the book of 1 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. The setting is the battlefield. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include desperation, warfare, distress. Notable phrases: greatly distressed; archers overtook.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
What does 1 Samuel 31:3 mean to you, today?
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