The design of Ezra, in these books of the Chronicles, was to preserve the records of the house of David, which, though much sunk and lessened in a common eye by the captivity, yet grew more and more illustrious in the eyes of those that lived by faith by the nearer approach of the Son of David. And therefore he repeats, not the history of Saul's reign, but only of his death, by which way was made for David to the throne. We need not repeat the exposition of it. Only let us observe, 1.
Princes sin and the people suffer for it.
We do not find that they were at this time guilty of idolatry, as they had been before, in the days of the judges, and were afterwards, in the days of the kings. Parents sin and the children suffer for it. Thus was the iniquity of the fathers visited upon the children, and they fell as parts of the condemned father. Those that love their seed must leave their sins, lest they perish not alone in their iniquity, but bring ruin on their families with themselves, or entail a curse upon them when they are gone. He had disobeyed the command of God in not destroying the Amalekites, and his armour-bearer disobeys him in not destroying him.