Strengthen your faith in God's word

First Samuel says that when his armourbearer would not kill him, “Saul took a sword, and fell upon it,” and that the armourbearer, seeing “that Saul was dead,” fell on his own sword (1 Samuel 31:4–5). Second Samuel has an Amalekite tell David that he found Saul leaning on his spear and, at Saul’s request, “stood upon him, and slew him” (2 Samuel 1:10).

Scripture records truly what the Amalekite said; it doesn’t say what he said was true. The historian’s own account is in 1 Samuel 31: Saul died by his own sword, and his armourbearer saw him dead. The Amalekite, finding the body on Gilboa and taking the crown and bracelet, came to David with a story that would win him a reward from Saul’s successor (2 Samuel 4:10: “thinking to have brought good tidings”).

His story betrays itself. He says Saul was “leaning upon his spear” with “my life is yet whole in me,” and then that he slew him “because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen” (Gill). He was rewarded by the words of his own mouth (2 Samuel 1:16).