“When they came to strip the slain and found King Saul and his sons dead, do you know what those stinking Philistines did?”
“What did they do?”
“They cut off the king’s head and stripped him of his armor. Then, they sent word that his death should be proclaimed in their pagan temple and throughout the land of Philistia.”
“How awful.”
“They put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.”
“How barbaric.”
“Granted, Saul was a rotten and corrupt king but he didn’t deserve what they did to him.”
100 Words
This post is based on the unfortunate end to the reign of Saul, Israel’s first king.
This post is for the Friday’s Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. You can find this week’s prompt here. To read other stories or to participate, click here.
Source: Blue Letter Bible
Notes to Women 
Justice was much more clinical in those days!
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I think it was swifter in those days.
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Shocking how punishment scales vary from country to country and era to era isn’t it. Good story!
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Yes, it is. I’m inclined to agree with that no matter how awful he became, Saul didn’t deserve what they did to him. Nobody did.
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No he really didn’t deserve that.
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Not the glorious end the average warrior hopes for, but an end just the same.
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Actually, he was severely wounded in the battle. After begging his armor-bearer to kill him, he committed suicide because he didn’t want the uncircumcised Philistines thrust him through and abuse him. His was an inglorious end.
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The ugliness of war. Always.
The cruelty.
The display of both.
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You’re so right about war, Na’ama. It’s ugly, cruel and at times, senseless as Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
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Indeed.
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Barbaric. I wonder if we’re a whole lot more civilised now, though.
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Dear Adele,
War is senseless and cruel. Why do people do this to each other? I’ll never understand. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
Yes, it is. And like you, I will never understand why people do these things to each other. Thanks.
Shalom,
Adele
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Such a symbolic piece _ cutting the head off a King ends the rule of his kingdom. Of course they all start again looking for another head to roll into the gutter.
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One commentary suggests that the Philistines cut off Saul’s head in an act of retaliation for what happened to their champion, Goliath and that they acted in accordance with the customs of ancient warfare.
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