Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 31:8

"And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa." — 1 Samuel 31:8 (ASV)

They found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount Gilboa. — It is expressly stated that the Philistines only found the royal corpses on the following day of the great fight. So desperate had been the valour with which the King and his gallant sons had defended their last positions on the hill, that night had fallen before the din of battle ceased. Nor were the enemy aware of the completeness of their success until the morning dawn revealed to the soldiers, as they went over the scene, the great ones who were numbered among the slain.

In the meantime, the Amalekite had found and carried off the crown and royal bracelet. Only the bodies of Saul and the princes, and the armourbearer, are spoken of here. The crown royal, which would have formed so splendid a trophy, was already taken.

“O Saul,
How ghastly did you look, on your own sword
Expiring: in Gilboa, from that hour
Never visited with rain from heaven, nor dew.”

DANTE: Purgatorio 12

The curse of barrenness alluded to by the great Italian poet was called down on the hill where the first anointed of the Lord fell, and where the body was stripped and dismembered by the triumphant foe (2 Samuel 1:21). Quickly the news was told, we learn, in the capital of Gath, and proclaimed through the streets of Askelon.

The historian with extreme brevity records the savage treatment of the royal remains, which, after all, was but a reprisal. The same generation had witnessed similar barbarous procedure in the case of Goliath, the great Philistine champion!