Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 31:3

"And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers." — 1 Samuel 31:3 (ASV)

And the battle went sore against Saul. —That is, after the death of Jonathan and his brothers. The great warrior king no doubt fought like a lion, but one by one his brave defenders fell in battle by his side; and the enemy seems to have directed their principal attention, at this period of the fight, to killing or capturing the famous Saul.

And the archers hit him. —It would seem as though, in that deadly combat, no one could strike down that giant kingly form, so the archers—literally, as in the marginal note of our Bible version, shooters, men with bows, skilful shots—were designated, and these, aiming at the warrior towering above the other combatants, with the crown on his head (2 Samuel 1:10), hit him.

And he was sore wounded by the archers. —This is the usual rendering of the word, but the more accurate translation is, He was sore afraid (or was greatly alarmed at them), according to Gesenius, Keil, Lange, and others.

All seemed against him. His army was routed, his sons were dead, his faithful captains and companions were gone, and these bowmen were shooting at him from a distance where his strong arm could not reach them.

Gradually weakened through loss of blood—perhaps with the words he had heard only a few hours before at En-dor from the dead prophet ringing in his ears, To-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me—the great undaunted courage at last failed him, and he turned to his armorbearer, who was still by his side.