וַיָּקוּמוּ֮ כָּל־אִ֣ישׁ חַיִל֒ וַיִּשְׂא֞וּ אֶת־גּוּפַ֣ת שָׁא֗וּל וְאֵת֙ גּוּפֹ֣ת בָּנָ֔יו וַיְבִיא֖וּם יָבֵ֑ישָׁה וַיִּקְבְּר֨וּ אֶת־עַצְמוֹתֵיהֶ֜ם תַּ֤חַת הָאֵלָה֙ בְּיָבֵ֔שׁ וַיָּצ֖וּמוּ שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃
ay tumindig ang lahat ng magigiting na lalaki, at kinuha nila ang bangkay ni Saul at ang mga bangkay ng kanyang mga anak, at dinala nila ang mga ito sa Jabes; at inilibing nila ang kanilang mga buto sa ilalim ng punong terebinto sa Jabes, at nag-ayuno sila nang pitong araw.
Radak
על הפגרים, the carcasses which are whole. This term is not applied to the animals which had been cut in half as part of the sacrificial procedures, [presumably, the author does not feel comfortable in the Torah describing sacrifices which had been accepted by G’d winding up as the food for vultures. Ed.] The author quotes a number of examples where the word פגר occurs in the Bible, in all of which the reference is to a whole carcass, not to a section of it. (compare Isaiah 14,19; Chronicles I 10,12; Samuel I 31,12) The symbolism in all this is that there would hardly be a generation in which the gentile nations would not attempt to devour the Jewish people, and to annihilate them utterly. Nonetheless, in the final analysis, G’d has always saved us from becoming total victims. This confirms the prediction in Leviticus 26,44 that even during our darkest days when we are being punished collectively for our sins and the sins of our fathers, “I will not despise you and allow you to be wiped out completely.” In the verse following the one we just quoted, the Torah adds verbatim: וזכרתי להם ברית ראשונים, at such a time “I will remember for them the covenant I concluded with the forefathers.”