Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G Messageevery fighting man of valour rose up and marched through the night. They recovered the bodies of Saul and his sons from the walls of Beth-shan, carried them back to Jabesh, and burned them there.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.Gevery man of valour rose up and marched all through the night. They took the body of Sha'ul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beit-Shean, came to Yavesh, and burned them there.
KJV
King James VersionAll the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
BSB
Berean Standard Bibleall their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.
Footnotes
The men of Yavesh-Gil'ad act here as *anshei khayil* (כָּל־אִישׁ חַיִל) — 'every man of valour/strength' — the same term used of Boaz (Ruth 2:1) and of the noble woman of Proverbs 31:10, denoting courageous, covenant-faithful character rather than mere military muscle. Their night march is *hesed* in action — covenant-love embodied in bodily risk. The loyalty is rooted in memory: Sha'ul's very first military act as king was to rescue Yavesh-Gil'ad from the brutal Ammonite Nachash (1 Sam. 11). They repay what they owe, even at risk of P'lishtim reprisal. The burning of the bodies was highly unusual in Israelite practice, where burial of intact remains was normative; it most likely served to prevent further desecration or enabled the transport of bones across dangerous territory. FOG renders *anshei khayil* as 'men of valour' to honour the full resonance of *khayil*; FOG Message uses 'fighting men of valour' to balance martial and moral connotation.