According to 1 Samuel 31, after Saul and his sons were killed in the battle on Mount Gilboa, the valiant men of Jabesh Gilead risked their lives to retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons from the walls of Beth-shan, where they had been hung by the Philistines. They gave them a proper burial in Jabesh Gilead as an act of honour and respect for Saul.