Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Chronicles 10:13 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 13. 13So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse opens the thought unit and establishes its first name, action, or speech: “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “The narrator interprets Saul's fall and transfers rule.”
Read It With
- 1 Chronicles 10:13–14
Read 1 Chronicles 10:13 with 10:13–14. The selected wording supplies one opening in the thought unit and establishes its first name, action, or speech; the surrounding verses supply the relationships and outcome summarized here: Saul's unfaithfulness, failure to keep the word, forbidden consultation, and failure to inquire of the LORD are given as reasons the kingdom turns to David.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “The narrator interprets Saul's fall and transfers rule,” 1 Chronicles 10:13 opens the thought unit and establishes its first name, action, or speech through the wording “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: The narrator interprets Saul's defeat and then transfers the kingdom before all Israel covenants with David; the theological claim does not erase battle causes or Philistine responsibility.
Read 1 Chronicles 10:13–14 together
Why these verses belong together: 1 Chronicles 10:13–14 forms the complete movement “The narrator interprets Saul's fall and transfers rule”: Saul's unfaithfulness, failure to keep the word, forbidden consultation, and failure to inquire of the LORD are given as reasons the kingdom turns to David.
Verse 13. 13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
Verse 14. 14 And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.
Follow the Context
- Saul's unfaithfulness, failure to keep the word, forbidden consultation, and failure to inquire of the LORD are given as reasons the kingdom turns to David.
- The evaluation supplies the hinge from Saul to the Davidic story while remaining shorter than Samuel's complex portrait.
What This Verse Is Not Saying
1 Chronicles 10:13 does not permit the wording “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the…” to be read apart from the selected verse's context. The judgment does not make every death a transparent punishment, condemn vulnerable people seeking help, or transfer Saul's guilt to descendants.
What Remains True
Faithful succession joins remembered promise with present responsibility; inherited office is never hereditary moral or spiritual superiority. This unit tests that truth through the narrated movement: Saul's unfaithfulness, failure to keep the word, forbidden consultation, and failure to inquire of the LORD are given as reasons the kingdom turns to David. In 1 Chronicles 10:13, the concrete line “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
How It Can Shape Life
- The evidence to keep visible in this verse is “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the….” Prepare successors with clear authority limits, truthful records, shared responsibility, and reviewable resources rather than demanding loyalty to a personality or family line. This response follows from the unit's own movement: Saul's unfaithfulness, failure to keep the word, forbidden consultation, and failure to inquire of the LORD are given as reasons the kingdom turns to David.
Teach It Back
Explain why 1 Chronicles 10:13 begins the narrator's evaluation with unfaithfulness, disobedience, and forbidden consultation. Use 10:13–14, paraphrase “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the…,” state one source or reconstruction limit, identify one person or group power can obscure, and reject one conclusion this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 1 Chronicles 10:13–14 — The narrator interprets Saul's fall and transfers ruleSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
Chronicles selects a theological summary from a much larger Saul tradition; the statements about inquiring must be read with 1 Samuel 28 and not flattened into a complete psychological biography.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: 1 Chronicles 10:13–14, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Chronicles
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, clauses, regnal formulas, temple vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Chr.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 10:13–14
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Full Notes: 1 Chronicles
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; STEP Bible presentation, 2019 edition; current web presentation
Supports: Unit-bounded translation comparisons and only those lexical, textual, grammatical, numerical, historical, and parallel-passage notes attached to these verses.
Exact location: STEP Bible NET2full, 1 Chronicles 10:13–14, verse-attached translation and translator notes
Open source ↗