The Meaning of 1 Samuel 31:13 Explained

1 Samuel 31:13

KJV: And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

YLT: and they take their bones, and bury them under the tamarisk in Jabesh, and fast seven days.

Darby: And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

ASV: And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they took  their bones,  and buried  [them] under a tree  at Jabesh,  and fasted  seven  days. 

What does 1 Samuel 31:13 Mean?

Context Summary

1Samuel 31:1-13 - One Brave Deed On A Dark Day
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Chapter Summary: 1Samuel 31

1  Saul, having lost his army, and his sons slain,
4  he and his armor bearer kill themselves
7  The Philistines possess the forsaken towns of the Israelites
8  They triumph over the dead bodies
11  They of Jabesh Gilead recovering the dead bodies by night,
12  burn them at Jabesh,
13  and mournfully bury their bodies

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 31:13 mean?

And they took - their bones and buried [them] under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh and fasted seven days -
וַיִּקְחוּ֙ אֶת־ עַצְמֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם וַיִּקְבְּר֥וּ תַֽחַת־ הָאֶ֖שֶׁל בְּיָבֵ֑שָׁה וַיָּצֻ֖מוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים פ

וַיִּקְחוּ֙  And  they  took 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
עַצְמֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם  their  bones 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: עֶצֶם 
Sense: bone, essence, substance.
וַיִּקְבְּר֥וּ  and  buried  [them] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קָבַר  
Sense: to bury.
תַֽחַת־  under 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
הָאֶ֖שֶׁל  the  tamarisk  tree 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵשֶׁל  
Sense: tamarisk tree.
בְּיָבֵ֑שָׁה  at  Jabesh 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יָבֵשׁ 
Sense: a town in the territory of Gilead; according to Eusebius, it is beyond the Jordan, 6 miles (0 km) from Pella, on the mountain road to Gerasa; site unknown but may be modern ‘Wadi Yabes’.
וַיָּצֻ֖מוּ  and  fasted 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: צוּם  
Sense: (Qal) to abstain from food, fast.
שִׁבְעַ֥ת  seven 
Parse: Number, masculine singular construct
Root: שֶׁבַע  
Sense: seven (cardinal number).
יָמִֽים  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation