Seven Suicides in the Bible | Bible.org Home Seven Suicides in the Bible 1. [Abimelech] called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died (Judges 9:54). 2. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed with all his might; and the house fell...upon all the people that were therein (Judges 16:30). 3. Saul took a sword and fell on it (1 Sam. 31:4). 4. When [Saul's] armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died (1 Sam 31:5). 5. When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he...got him home to his house, to his city, and put his house in order, and hanged himself, and died (2 Sam. 17:23). 6.

It came to pass, when Zimri saw that the city was taken, that he went into the palace of the king's house, and burnt the king's house over him with fire, and died (1 Kings 16:18). 7. [Judas] cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself (Matt. 27:5). J. L. Meredith, Meredith's Big Book of Bible Lists, (Inspirational Press, NY; 1980), pp. 143-144 What Does the Bible Say About Suicide? By Mary Fairchild Updated August 12, 2016. Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one's own life, or as some have called it, "self-murder." Over the years, I've received several emails from readers with questions about suicide: "What does the Bible say about suicide?" "Does God forgive suicide, or is it the unpardonable sin ?" "Do Christians who commit suicide go to hell ?" 7 People Committed Suicide in the Bible Let's begin by looking at the seven accounts of suicide in the Bible.

Abimelech - Judges 9:54 After having his skull crushed under a millstone that was dropped by a woman from the Tower of Shechem, Abimelech called for his armor bearer to kill him with a sword. He did not want it said that a woman had killed him. Judas - Matthew 27:5 After he betrayed Jesus, Judas Iscariot was overcome with remorse and hung himself. In each of these instances, except that of Samson, suicide is not presented favorably. These were ungodly men acting in desperation and disgrace. Samson's case was different. And while his life was not a model for holy living, Samson was honored among the faithful heroes of Hebrews 11 . Some consider Samson's final act an example of martyrdom, a sacrificial death that allowed him to fulfill his God-assigned mission. Does God Forgive Suicide? There's no doubt that suicide is a terrible tragedy. For a Christian it is an even greater tragedy because it is a waste of a life that God intended to use in a glorious way.

It would be difficult to argue that suicide is not a sin , for it is the taking of a human life, or to put it bluntly, murder. The Bible clearly expresses the sanctity of human life ( Exodus 20:13 ). God is the author of life, thus, the giving and taking of life ought to remain in his hands ( Job 1:21 ). In Deuteronomy 30:9-20, you can hear the heart of God crying out for his people to choose life: "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life..." (NLT) So, can a sin as grave as suicide destroy one's salvation? The Bible tells us that at the moment of salvation a believer's sins are forgiven ( John 3:16 ; 10:28 ).

When we become a child of God, all of our sins, even those committed after salvation, are no longer held against us. Ephesians 2:8 says, "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God." (NLT) So, we are saved by God's grace , not by our own good deeds. In the same way that our good works don't save us, our bad ones, or sins, cannot keep us from salvation. Paul made it plain in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from God's love: And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT) There is only one sin that can separate us from God and send a person to hell.

In this article, " What is Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit? ," I explain that the only unforgivable sin is refusing to accept Christ as Lord and Savior . Anyone who turns to Jesus for forgiveness is made righteous by his blood ( Romans 5:9 ) which covers our sin—past, present and future. God's Perspective on Suicide A few years ago, I attended the funeral of a Christian man who had committed suicide. The experience gave me a new perspective on the issue of Christians and suicide. The man who had killed himself was the son of one our church staff members. In the short time he had been a believer, he touched many lives for Jesus Christ. His funeral was one of the most moving memorials I had ever attended. With more than 500 mourners gathered, for nearly two hours, person after person testified of how this man had been used by God. He had pointed countless lives to faith in Christ and shown them the way to the Father's love . I left the service convinced that what had driven him to commit suicide had been his inability to shake his addiction to drugs and the failure he felt as a husband, father, and son.

Although it was a sad and tragic ending, nevertheless, his life testified undeniably of Christ's redemptive power in an amazing way. I do not believe this man went to hell. His funeral made me realize that no one can truly understand the depth of someone else's suffering, or the reasons that could drive a soul to such desperation. Only God knows what is in a person's heart ( Psalm 139:1-2 ). Only he knows the extent of pain which might bring a person to the point of suicide. In conclusion, it bears repeating that suicide is a terrible tragedy, but it does not negate the Lord's act of redemption. Our salvation rests securely in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross . So then, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13, NIV) What Does the Bible Say About Suicide and Depression? What Does the Bible Say About Suicide and Depression? Frequently Asked Questions Is someone who commits suicide condemned to hell? I have messed up my life by making bad decisions, and I often think about dying. What can I do? Will God forgive someone who kills himself? What does the Bible say about depression?

Is suicide prohibited in the Bible? I am very depressed and hate myself. Why won't God answer my prayers? I am very depressed. Who can I talk to? What happens to people who commit suicide? Introduction Suicide is the act of intentionally killing oneself. It is a tragedy not only for person whose life is lost, but also for surviving family and friends who may experience feelings of grief, emptiness, guilt, failure or shame. In the U.S., suicide is the 10th leading cause of death and accounts for over 38,000 deaths each year. Nearly all suicides result from treatable mental disorders. As with other illnesses like heart disease and cancer, suicide deaths cannot be prevented by prayer alone. Professional medical treatment is the answer God provides to our prayers. This article tells what the Bible says about suicide, and it also lists professional resources available if you or someone you care about is at risk for suicide.

The Bible The Bible mentions several instances of suicide ( Judges 16:29-30 , 1 Samuel 31:4-5 , 2 Samuel 17:23 , 1 Kings 16:18 , Matthew 27:3-5 ), but it does not give any specific teachings about suicide. However, there are several passages that indicate life is given by God and only God has the right to take it away. For example: "I came naked from my mother's womb," he said, "and I shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and they were his to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." (TLB, Job 1:21) More specifically, God has given life to each of us to do his work on Earth. Our bodies belong to God, not to ourselves. So, it is up to Him to decide when our work on Earth is finished, not up to us: Haven't you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that he lives within you? Your own body does not belong to you. For God has bought you with a great price.

So use every part of your body to give glory back to God because he owns it. (TLB, 1st Corinthians 6:19-20) Often, the hard times in our lives, when things may seem hopeless, are really opportunities to learn valuable lessons such as humility, dependence on God, the value of prayer, or to learn how to help others who are suffering. In times when things seem the worst, we can be sure that God loves us more than ever: Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (NIV, Luke 12:6-7 ) "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. "Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone? "Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (NAS, Matthew 7:8-11) People often wonder if a person who dies from suicide can be saved and get to heaven, but the Bible does not give an answer. Most Christians believe what matters most to God is how a person lives his or her life rather than how he or she dies. Depression Most thoughts of suicide are associated with the illness depression. Depression was not recognized as a illness in Biblical times, so there are no direct references to it in the Bible. But even Biblical heroes like Jacob ( Genesis 37:34-35 ), Job ( Job 3:1-11 ) and King David ( 2 Samuel 18:33 ) apparently suffered from depression at some point in their lives. God often uses other people to answer our prayers ( Genesis 24:12-16 , Ezra 1:1-3 , Acts 9:10-17 ). As with other illnesses, treatment from a healthcare professional is often God's answer to prayers about depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health , depression is a disorder of the brain that can be treated with medication and/or psychotherapy. Symptoms of depression include: Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness Irritability, restlessness Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex Fatigue and decreased energy Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping Overeating, or appetite loss Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment. Depression can make things seem hopeless when actually they are not. Anyone feeling severely depressed or having thoughts of suicide should promise himself or herself not to take any action until discussing it with a school guidance counselor, physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, hospital emergency room physician or suicide hotline. All these people are trained to recognize warning signs of depression and to know how to help. Recognizing the Warning Signs of Suicide Here is some information from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : The following signs may mean someone is at risk for suicide.

The risk of suicide is greater if a behavior is new or has increased and if it seems related to a painful event, loss, or change. All threats or talk of suicide should be taken seriously. If you or someone you know exhibits any of these signs, seek help as soon as possible. Talking about wanting to die or to kill oneself. Looking for a way to kill oneself, such as searching online or buying a gun. Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live. Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain. Talking about being a burden to others. Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs. Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly. Sleeping too little or too much. Withdrawing or feeling isolated. Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge. Displaying extreme mood swings. Free Help Resources If you, or someone you care about, is depressed or thinking about suicide, it is important to seek help right away. The resources listed below can help you to help yourself or to help someone else. Most of them provide free referrals, help and advice, or just someone to talk to if you are feeling down. United States: 99 Little Known Facts about Suicide 99 Little Known Facts About . . .

Suicide The word “suicide” comes from two Latin roots, sui (“of oneself”) and cidium (“killing” or “slaying”).i People have committed suicide in an endless variety of ways, including swallowing poisonous spiders, power-drilling holes in their heads, sticking hot pokers down their throats, choking on underwear, injecting peanut butter into their veins, crushing their necks in vices, and hurling themselves into vats of beer.b In China , someone takes his or her own life on average every two minutes. China accounts for nearly a quarter of the global total of suicides with between 250,000 and 300,000 suicides a year.b Among famous figures who committed suicide: Sigmund Freud, Cleopatra, Mark Antony, Brutus, Judas Iscariot, Hannibal, Nero, Virginia Wolf, Adolf Hitler, Ernest Hemmingway, Sylvia Plath, Vincent van Gogh, Jack London, Dylan Thomas, Judy Garland, Rudolph Hess, Pontius Pilate, Socrates, and possibly Tchaikovsky, Elvis Presley, and Marilyn Monroe.i It is more likely someone will die from suicide than from homicide.

For every two people killed by homicide, three people die of suicide.b The suicide rate in the United States has been climbing steadily since 1999 In America, someone attempts suicide once every minute, and someone completes a suicide once every 17 minutes. Throughout the world, approximately 2,000 people kill themselves each day.b Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in the United States.b The most common types of suicide include copycat, euthanasia, familicide, forced, honor, Internet, martyrdom, ritual, attack, and cop suicides.b The acne medication isotretinoin (Acutane) has been linked to a possible increase risk of suicide. The FDA requires Acutane to include a label warning that the product may be linked to suicide, depression , and psychosis.b The spring months of March, April, and May have consistently shown to have the highest suicide rate, 4-6% higher than the average for the rest of the year. Christmas season is actually below average. Some studies suggest greater seasonality in suicides in rural rather than urban areas.g When her husband Caecina Paetus hesitated to kill himself honorably, his wife Arria (d. A.D.

42) snatched the dagger from her husband, stabbed herself, and handed the weapon back with the words “Paete, non dolet“ (“Paeuts, it does not hurt”).i French philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960) perhaps best explains the divergent views philosophers and theologians hold concerning suicide when he said, “What is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying.”e David Carradine, famous for his roles in the 1970s series Kung Fu and the Kill Bill movie trilogy, was found hanging in a hotel closet with a yellow nylon rope around his neck and a black rope around his genitals. Family members deny it was a suicide.a Autoerotic asphyxiation, also know as sexual hanging, is a type of abnormal sexual behavior in which a person (usually a young male) tries to restrict the flow of oxygen to the brain (usually with a rope around the neck) while masturbating to enhance the sexual experience. The practice arose out of the observation that men executed by hanging often got an erection and sometimes ejaculated.

The practice is mentioned in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.b A college student committed suicide by taking a drug overdose in front of a live Web cam while some users egged him on. There are also several pro-Internet sites that give detailed information on the most effective ways to commit suicide.c Older adults have the highest suicide rates, more than 50% higher than young people While there is a common perception that suicide rates are highest among the young, the elderly, in fact, have the highest suicide rates.e Some studies suggest a correlation between a sport team’s performance and fans’ suicide rates.f Sylvia Plath’s (1932-1963) novel The Bell Jar, about a gifted young woman’s mental breakdown, mirrors Plath’s own breakdown and is considered to be one of the best-told tales of a woman’s descent into insanity. It was published only weeks before Plath killed herself.g One of the first defenses of suicide written in English was John Donne’s (1572-1631) unorthodox Biathanos (1609). In his work, Donne proposed that suicide is not incompatible with the laws of God, reason, and nature.

Other writers such as Voltaire (1694-1778) and Hume (1711-1776) also attacked suicide taboos and led the way to abandoning legal punishments of suicide attempters.i Many cultures have prohibited a normal burial for people who committed suicide, although the restrictions varied according to time and place. A common practice in England until 1823 was to bury a suicidal person at night in a crossroad with a stake driven through the heart. In France, the suicide’s body was dragged through the streets and then hanged from the public gallows. In Prussia, early laws required the victim to be buried under the gallows.j One in seven Canadians has seriously considered suicide, and more than 3,500 Canadians kill themselves each year. Canada’s suicide rate (currently 12.3 per 100,000) is consistently higher than the United Statesï¿½ rate (currently 11.2).b Over the last decade, the suicide rate among young children has increased dramatically.

In 2002, suicide was the sixth leading cause of death of five- to 14-year olds and the third leading cause of death in preteens. Suicidologists are alarmed that children as young as age two are also increasingly attempting suicide.b Five to 10% of suicides take place in mental hospitals.e There is some evidence that suicide attempts during the first week of the menstrual cycle may be associated with low levels of estrogen.g American troops are committing suicide in the largest numbers since records began in the 1980s During 2008, 140 American soldiers committed suicide, breaking all previous suicide records in the military. In the first four months of 2009, 91 soldiers committed suicide. If this rate continues throughout 2009, by the end of the year more than 270 soldiers will have killed themselves, leading some scholars to claim there is a suicide epidemic in the military.h Caucasians tend to have higher suicide rates than African Americans.b In ancient times, sometimes groups of people would commit suicide rather than be taken prisoner or tortured by their captors.

For example, in AD 473, 960 Jews died in what appears to have been a mass murder/suicide on top of Masada rather than be enslaved by the Romans. Only two women and five children escaped this death.i On November 18, 1978, the dynamic leader of a religious group called the People’s Temple ordered his followers to drink cyanide-laced juice. In all, 913 people died, including nearly 300 children. The leader, Jim Jones (1931-1978), shot himself in the head.f In India, a Hindu wife was expected to throw herself on her husband’s burning body on the funeral pyre so she could enter the next life with him. The practice (called suttee) was abolished in 1829 by British India, though isolated cases of it have occurred into the twenty-first century. The term derived from the goddess Sati, and the term sati is now sometimes used to describe a chaste woman.b In Japanese culture, seppuku (“stomach cutting”) was a ritual suicide performed by warriors (usually Samurai) about to get captured.

During the ritual, the warrior would slice up his abdomen and stretch out his neck, and then one of his comrades would behead him with one stroke. While the practice was banned in the seventeenth century, it has persisted to this day.b Only seven instances of suicide are reported in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. Old Testament suicides include Samson, Saul, Saul’s armor bearer, Ahitophel, Zimri, Razis, and Abimelech. In the New Testament, Judas Iscariot is the only recorded suicide.b Hegesias (320-280 B.C.) was known as the “Death Persuader” or the “Advocate of Death” and belonged to a minor school of Greek philosophy named Cyrenaics which advocated an early version of hedonism.

Hegasiasï¿½ lectures prompted so many listeners to commit suicide that he was forbidden to speak.i Aceldama (“field of blood”), where Judas killed himself near Jerusalem, became a pauper’s burial ground after priests bought it with the 30 pieces of silver flung at their feet by Judas.b Though the Bible doesn’t specifically prohibit suicide and there is no particular word for the act itself, Christianity general condemns the practice as initially stated by St. Augustine. He was concerned with the decimation of Christians by suicide and condemned those who committed suicide just so they could gain immediate entrance into heaven. He successfully supplanted the Roman ideal of heroic individualism with a Platonic concept of submission to divine authority. In A.D. 563, the Council of Braga officially condemned suicide.i The Qu’ran explicitly forbids suicide as the gravest sin, more serious even than homicide. Muslims believe that each individual has his or her kismet or destiny, which is preordained by God and must not be defied.

But killing oneself as an act of jihad (holy war) is not considered a suicide.b In the Mayan culture, hanging was the only method of suicide deemed appropriate and anyone who committed suicide this way was guaranteed a place in the afterlife. They even had a goddess of the noose and the gallows named Ixtab (“Rope Woman”).b Hanging is the leading method of suicide around the world and is particularly popular in rural areas Hanging is the leading method of suicide worldwide.b Although women attempt suicide about three times more often than men, men complete suicide about three times more often than women.f Four out of five people who commit suicide have attempted to kill themselves at least once previously.f Suicide is the leading cause of death for people with schizophrenia.f A number of suicidologists have criticized news coverage of suicides, citing that reading about suicide victims in the news often triggers copycat or “contagion” suicides.f During the Middle Ages, suicide was often equated with murder and even diabolical possession in various parts of Europe. Three common penalties existed: confiscation of property, degradation of corpse, and refusal of burial in consecrated grounds. These views persisted throughout the eighteenth century.j Although Nero (A.D.

37-68) insisted he wanted to commit suicide honorably, he actually had himself killed by an attendant. During his lifetime, he had caused several suicides, including that of his teacher Seneca, the poet Lucan, and Petroniu, who is thought to be the author of Satyricon. These were all compulsory suicides in lieu of execution.i Levels of a brain transmitter called serotonin is considered a possible predictor of suicide. Some researchers found that people with low levels of serotonin are six to 10 more times likely to commit suicide than are people with normal levels.f Suicide rates tend to reflect economic conditions. In the United States, for example, suicide rates declined during the prosperous years after WWI and WWII, but rose during the Great Depression . Ironically, suicide rates tend to decrease during times of war.b Oregon and Washington are the only states that specifically allow physician-assisted suicide under certain strict guidelines. A few of these guidelines include being diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death in six months, making two oral requests and one written request for assistance separated by 15 days, and persuading two physicians that the patient is sincere and is not influenced by depression.b Beliefs about suicide varied in ancient Greece.

The Stoics and Epicureans, for example, considered that one’s destiny was a personal choice. Cato, Pliny, and Seneca all thought the choice of suicide was acceptable. On the other hand, Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Ovid, and Cicero opposed suicide.i Some scholars suggest that there are national preferences for modes of suicide. For example, the Russians prefer hanging, the English and Irish prefer poison, the Italians prefer firearms, and the Americans prefer firearms, poisons, and gas. Proclivities for certain methods tend to travel with immigrants wherever they go.g In Rome , razors, scalpels, and daggers were more common methods of suicide than hanging (which was seen as unclean and shameful), jumping, and poisoning or other drugs. Less often, but not rarely, the Romans starved themselves to death by refusing to eat or set themselves on fire (immolation).i Martin Luther, Puritan religious leaders, and philosophers such as John Locke, Rousseau, and Kierkegaard were adamantly opposed to suicide.i In America, the most common suicide method for both men and women is firearms, accounting for 60% of all suicides.

For women, the next most common method is ingesting solid and liquid poison or pills. The next most common method for men is hanging/strangling/suffocation.f Though there is need to practice caution in the comparison of religion and suicide, studies suggest that in the United States, Catholics appear to have suicide rates higher than Jews but lower than Protestants. Generally speaking, higher suicide rates are found among the multi-denominational, loosely federated Protestants.b Several U.S. state and national studies suggest that suicide attempts among gay, lesbian, and bisexual high school students are higher than their heterosexual peers.b Abuse in early childhood may change the genetic structure of the brain, leading to a greater susceptibility to suicide Experts believe that early exposure to child abuse may disrupt the proper development of communication pathways within the brain and, consequently, abuse victims are more likely than their peers to commit suicide.f There is increasing evidence that individuals with a family history of suicide are more vulnerable to becoming victims of suicide themselves.b While some studies seem to suggest a link between the use of Prozac and suicide rates, the makers of Prozac minimize a correlation.b No suicides have been reported in the several small South Sea Islands and the Hindu Kush Mountains of India.

Countries that rank unusually high include Hungry, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and Japan. Countries on the low end include Philippines, Angola, Jamaica, Mexico, the Bahamas, Kuwait, Jordan, Kenya, and Egypt.b New and less stringent attitudes toward suicide emerged during the Renaissance as churchly taboos began to lose their power. For example, Shakespeare ’s tragedies typically present suicide in sympathetic terms, as seen in the suicides of Hamlet, Othello, Lear, Romeo, Juliet, Brutus, Antony, and Cleopatra. Sixteenth-century essayist Michel de Montaigne argues that the right to die was a personal choice, and Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) justified suicide as a form of euthanasia in his Utopia.i A provocative 1982 book titled Suicide, mode d’emploi is both a how-to manual and a political manifesto encouraging readers to exercise their right to die.

It contains information about those prescription drugs that ensure a “gentle death” along with how to calculate a lethal dose.e Famous literary suicides include Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary (Madame Bovary), Victor Hugo’s Inspector Javert (Les Miserable), Goethe’s Werther (The Sorrows of Young Werther), Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise (Thelma and Louise), and Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (Anna Karenina).b Most European countries formally decriminalized suicide in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, although it remained a crime in England and Wales until 1961 and in Ireland until 1993.i Kamikaze (“divine wind”) pilots are an example of an altruistic suicide. More than 2,000 young Japanese died in this manner. The number of ships they sank is a matter of debate, with figures as low as 34 and as high as 70.g Attempted suicide was once considered a felony in Kentucky.b The first suicide note is thought to have been written by an Egyptian four thousand years ago.

In his poems, he describes the pain of his existence and the attractions of death.b Russian poet Sergei Esenin (1895-1925) wrote an entire poem in his own blood that served as suicide note.e In a study of genuine suicide notes versus simulated ones, the genuine notes are much more specific about giving directives concerning property distribution and insurance policies and more concerned with the pain and suffering of others. They are more likely to express psychological pain and more likely to use “ love ” in their texts. The simulated notes give greater details about the motives of suicide, mention the act of suicide itself, and more often use euphemistic phrases for death and suicide.e Signs urging counseling are posted at the Golden Gate Bridge, the most popular place in the world to commit suicide Popular suicide locations include San Franciscoï¿½s Golden Gate Bridge, Japan’s Aokigahara Forest (“sea of trees” or “suicide forest”), and England’s Beachy Head. In all these places there are posted signs urging potential victims to seek help.g The jump from the Golden Gate Bridge is 250 feet. Trauma from the jump is dramatic and can cause ripped blood vessels, demolished central nervous systems, and a transected spinal cord.

While a few have died from drowning and one from a shark attack, most die from the impact of the body on the water. Only 1% who jump survive.g The Eskimo, Norse, Samoan, and Crow Indian cultures accepted and encouraged “altruistic” suicide among the elderly and sick.f Roman gladiators would sometimes thrust wooden sticks or spears down their throats or force their heads into the spokes of moving carts so that they could choose their own time of death rather than another person’s imposed time and way of dying.i September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day.b The top predictors for suicide are diagnosable mental condition, co-morbid substance abuse, loss of social support, and access to a firearm.e Children of parents who commit suicide are a higher risk to committee suicide later in life.e The first suicide recorded in the Bible was Abimelech, who lived in the twelfth century B.C. He was the son of Giddeon (Jerubbaal) and a concubine, and he attempted to kill his 70 half-brothers so he could be king.

In his final battle, a woman dropped a millstone on his head, and he ordered his sword bearer to kill him so it wouldn’t be said he was killed by a woman.b Thirty-nine members of the Heaven’s Gate cult killed themselves in March 1997 in a mansion near San Diego. The victims were between 18 and 24 years old, drank a lethal mixture of Phenobarbital and vodka, and died over a three-day period. They believed their spirits would rendezvous with a UFO behind Comet Hale-Bopp.e Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) writes about the Wood of the Suicides in Canto XIII of his The Divine Comedy. He writes that Minos sends a suicide victim’s soul to the Seventh Circle of Hell (below heretics and murders) where it falls into the ground, grows into a sapling, and then into a tree. Harpies feed on the tree, causing it great pain. After Judgment Day, the suicide victim’s soul will hang from the thorns of trees.b Divorce usually leads more men than women to suicide Divorced people are three times as likely to commit suicide as people who are married.

Moreover, children of divorce are at a higher risk for committing suicide when they grow up. Divorced and separated men are two and a half times more likely to commit suicide than married men. Divorce, however, doesn’t seem to lead more women to commit suicide.f Though studies remain inconclusive, among the professional disciplines, doctors are twice as likely to kill themselves as the general population. And female physicians are more likely than their male counterparts. Some scholars have identified psychiatry, anesthesiology, and ophthalmology as specialties at greater risk for suicide, with pediatrics having the least risk.b Druids or priests of the Celtic people believed that those who killed themselves to accompany their dead friends will live with them in the after life.b Prolonged exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields such as those emitted by large power lines may double the risk of suicide. Researchers suggest that electromagnetic fields may reduce the production of melatonin, a hormone that maintains daily circadian rhythms, which are also associated with depression.b The last time someone jumped off the Empire State Building was in 2000, but there have been more than 30 suicides at the 1,250 foot skyscraper since it opened in 1941.

Most people who jump never made it the street, but landed on one of the building’s setbacks.g The suicide rate for Alaskan Native Indians is twice that of the U.S. population, and in western Alaska, the Eskimo suicide rates are even higher. The most common method used is hanging.g Fiji Indians have the world’s highest female suicide rates. A major cause of the rise of suicides has been the erosion of social structures and values. Additionally, early Fiji Islanders forced the many wives of a tribal chieftain to kill themselves when he died. The women would actually compete to be the first to die, believing the first would become the chieftain’s favorite wife in the afterworld.f The odds that potentially suicidal adolescents will kill themselves double when a gun is kept in the home.b In the United States, Nevada consistently leads suicide rate statistics, with Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming variously falling within the top ten.

Highest regional rates are generally those of the Rocky Mountain and West Coast areas, with the South showing the lowest rate, except for Florida.b Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, more than 1,200 people have jumped to their deaths, making it the number one spot in the world for suicides.b Abel Griffiths was the last person who committed suicide in England to be dragged through the streets of London and buried at a crossroads. He was a 22-year-old law student and was buried in only his drawers, socks, and a sheet in June 1823. The usual tradition of driving a stake through the corpse was omitted. Crossroads represented the sign of the cross and the steady traffic over the grave was believed to help keep the person’s ghost down. Also, ancient sacrificial victims had been slain at crossroads.b In the movie Soylent Green (1973) starring Charlton Heston, people in an overcrowded world are encouraged to enter special suicide centers.

The corpses are later processed into Soylent Green wafers as food for the overpopulated world.b The first scientific study of suicide was Le Suicide written by French sociologist Emile Durkheim (1858-1917).e The M*A*S*H theme song is titled “Suicide is Painless” and contains the lyrics “. . . cause suicide is painless/It brings on many changes/And I can take it or leave it if I please.”b Most insurance policies include a suicide provision, given that the suicide took place two years after the policy issue date The usual modern life insurance policy will pay for death by suicide provided that the death occurs two years or more after the initiation of the policy.b Between 10% and 35% of people who commit suicide leave behind a note.e Publius Cornelius Tacitus (c. A.D. 55-120) reports on the ancient practice of pinning down the body of suicide victims in bogs. The practice predates Christianity among Germanic tribes and was done to prevent the spirits of the dead from haunting or harming the living.b Monday appears to be the day on which most suicides occur.

Saturday sees the fewest.e Some experts believe that 25% of drivers who die in auto accidents cause them subconsciously. “Autocides” are suicides disguised as automobile accidents.b Nearly 10% of fatal police shootings in the United States are a result of “suicide by cop.”b Many more suicides are linked to psychiatric illness than to serious medical disorders such as Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or cancer.e Many Jews imprisoned at Treblinka, one of the most notorious World War II Nazi concentration camps, chose to kill themselves as an affirmation of the freedom to control their own destiny.d One suicide victim who committed suicide by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge left behind a note saying: “I’m going to walk to the bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way, I will not jump.”e -- Posted July 15, 2009 References a Duke, Alan. “ Carradine’s Body to Return Home, While Questions Remain .” CNN.com. June 5, 2009. Accessed: June 23, 2009. b Evans, Glen, et. al. 2003. The Encyclopedia of Suicide. 2nd ed.

New York, NY: Facts on File, Inc. The Five Most Brutal Deaths in the Bible - Weird Worm Weird Worm The Five Most Brutal Deaths in the Bible March 12, 2012 Image Sources Subscribe to our newsletter It's common knowledge that Jesus was a bit of a softy, pushing his peace and love agenda until his death and well after his foray into zombie-ism, but people tend to forget that His father operated on an absurdly short temper. God's Old Testament policy can be summed up succinctly with “talk shit, get hit.” What follows are five of the most brutal deaths you'll find in the Bible. 1. King Eglon The Who: As far as biblical douche bags go, Eglon's name isn't exactly memorable. He wasn't quite a power player, but the dude was still a dick: during the time of the Judges he suppressed the people of Israel because hey, why not? He was also a bit of a glutton, which while not always the ear mark of a tyrant, it is still a sin, so we'll stack that against him, too.

The Death: Jolly Old Eglon was approached by Judge Ehud, who claimed to have a very important message for the king. Eglon sent all of his aides away. Ehud then uttered the most bad-ass line in the entire Bible, “I have a message from God for you,” and stabbed Eglon right in the stomach. The grievous wound combined with his Fat Albert physique lead to the dagger being swallowed by his girth. Depending on which translation you're reading, excrement also leaked out of the wound, so there you go. A case of the Mondays. Ehud escaped and locked all the doors. When Eglon's aides returned they assumed that their king was relieving himself and waited to enter. Finally, unable to wait any longer, they broke in and found their king a bloated, bleeding, unpleasantly feces-soaked corpse. 2. Samson The Who: Samson is pretty much the Old Testament equivalent to the Incredible Hulk. Though born during a time when God was punishing the Israelites by having them live under the rule of the Philistines, Samson was blessed with unparalleled strength so he could brutally slay the captors of his people and return them to God.

Throughout his narrative he's prone to fits of anger that leave thousands of people corpsed. To put it bluntly, Samson was metal. Seriously, he killed one-thousand people with the jawbone of a donkey. THAT’S NOT EVEN A WEAPON. The Death: The catch to Samson's fists of fury was that he wouldn't cut his hair. Naturally, that had to happen; his lover Deliah was bought out by the Philistines to discover his secret, and though he did lead her on for quite some time he eventually told her. She cut his hair and he was promptly captured and blinded by swords, because that's really the only way to avenge the deaths of thousands. The Philistines forced the blind and weak Samson to grind grain. However, they didn't keep tabs on the whole "hair" thing. Once his hair grew back and Samson realized that he'd found a holy loophole, he prayed to God to restore his strength so he can at least go out with a bang. Samson then knocked over two pillars in a temple, bringing the whole damn thing down and killing more Philistines than every single one of his murderous rages before combined.

But because God's forgiveness doesn't make a whole lot of sense, Samson died with his enemies having learned a lesson about keeping your promise to God but having absolutely no time to apply it. 3. Sisera The Who: Commander of a Canaanite army who took his turn at oppressing the Israelites, a popular hobby of the day. He commanded several hundred iron chariots and in legends outside of the Bible could shake walls and kill wild animals with his voice. He also conquered every enemy he faced. Consider him the evil, more vocal Samson, if you will. The Death: Sisera does have one official loss under his belt. An Israelite force of ten-thousand turned the tables at the Battle of Mount Tabor. After his own forces were swept away by a river, Sisera called it a night and fled to Heber in the Kenite's settlement. Heber, an apparent associate of his, offered to hide him out until the heat died down. The mighty Sisera was hidden underneath a rug, and that was that. While a rug may have been good enough to fool the average Israeli army, no one took Heber’s wife Jael into account.

While Sisera was asleep Jael took a spike and a hammer and crushed his freaking skull, pinning it to the ground and killing him at once. With Sisera dead the Israelites lived in peace for forty years. Interestingly enough, some narratives claim that Jael first tried to exhaust Sisera through sex, apparently doing the deed with him seven times before doing God's work with the ol' spike and mallet. However, because this sin was committed so she could better carry out the work of God (i.e. killing a sleeping man with a giant nail), it's not frowned upon. Go figure. God works in horribly violent ways. 4. Absolom The Who: Third son of King David, Absolom was the most handsome man in his father's kingdom. His good looks were framed by long, flowing hair. God's twisted sense of irony should tell you that last bit is an important detail, so please do take note of it. Absolom was, however, a bit of a cocky bastard and staged a revolt against his father (but not before sleeping with his concubines, because hey, rebellion).

Israel and Judea joined his cause, forcing David and his own supporters to get the hell out of Dodge and flee as Absolom took the capital. But David wasn't about to be outfoxed by his own son. Instead he sent an aide to infiltrate his son's court and force an attack. Shit was gonna get real. The Death: The two armies met in the Ephraim Wood and Absolom was completely routed. While fleeing, his manly locks got stuck in a tree. His mule ran out from underneath him, leaving him to hang high and dry. David's commander Joab took advantage of the situation and executed him – still hanging from the tree – with a group of spearmen and swordsmen. David was upset by this, but it's kind of his fault since he did trick his son into attacking him. Help a brother out? Christian Perspectives on Suicide Christian Perspectives on Suicide by William E. Phipps Dr. Phipps is professor of religion and philosophy at Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, West Virginia. His forthcoming book Before and After Death (John Knox) contains a chapter on suicide.

This article appeared in The Christian Century, October 30, 1985, pp. 970-972. Copyright by The Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. Current articles and subscription information can be found at . This material was prepared for Religion Online by Ted and Winnie Brock. Suicide remains a taboo subject, even though there are about as many suicides in the nation each year as there were American deaths in the entire Vietnam war. Of the 50,000 annual suicide deaths, about half are not reported as such. Even though suicide occurs with frequency and in virtually every community, I have never heard or read a sermon on the subject. No mention is made of suicide in several books I possess that deal with Christian morality. James Clemons, in his article "Suicide and Christian Moral Judgment," rightly indicts biblical scholars, Christian ethicists and contemporary pastors for neglecting to think through suicide-related issues in a responsible manner (The Christian Century. May 8, 1985). The Bible tells of six self-killings. The best known is that of the betrayer Judas as recorded in Matthew.

A thousand years earlier, King Saul fell on his sword rather than become a captive of the Philistines who had defeated his army. Another notable suicide is recorded in the Book of Judges. Samson desired to take revenge on the Philistines who had tortured him, and so he prayed: "Please God, give me back my strength just this one time more, so that I can get even with the Philistines for making me blind." He then pushed against the pillars supporting the temple of the god Dagon and shouted. "Let me die with the Philistines!" When the building fell, Samson perished, along with many of his enemies. The biblical writers neither condemn nor commend those whom they record as having taken their own lives. Perhaps the narrators thought it was fitting for Samson, Saul and Judas to respond to their varied situations by committing suicide. (The other three biblical suicides were minor Old Testament figures.) In early Christianity, suicide was sometimes regarded as a virtuous act.

Eusebius, in his account of martyrs at Antioch (Ecclesiastical History, Book 8, chapter 12), tells of a mother who taught her two beautiful unmarried daughters to regard rape as the most dreadful thing that could happen to them. Eventually the mother and daughters were captured by a band of lustful soldiers. On realizing their plight, they modestly requested to be excused for a minute. They then threw themselves into a nearby river and drowned. In the fourth century Bishop Augustine discussed suicide at length. Recognizing that certain Christian women had committed suicide rather than permit their bodies to be ravaged, Augustine granted that they may have done what was right in the sight of God, but in his view the women should not have assumed that rape would necessarily have deprived them of their purity. Purity is a state of mind, he affirmed, so bodily violence cannot damage it. Job kept his moral integrity amid terrible suffering and did not take his life, Augustine noted. He found it significant that at no point does the Bible make it lawful to take oneï¿½s life.

The command "Thou shalt not kill" implies, he argued, that oneï¿½s own life as well as the lives of others should be preserved. Samsonï¿½s suicide was a rare exception to this rule, for he received special divine permission. Concluded Augustine: "He who knows it is unlawful to kill himself may nevertheless do so if he is ordered by God" (City of God, Book I, Sections 18-26). Augustineï¿½s viewpoint on suicide has heavily influenced both Roman Catholics and Protestants. Thomas Aquinas, the most outstanding of Catholic theologians, gave three succinct arguments why suicide is a sin against self, neighbor and God. First, suicide is contrary to nature: every living organism naturally desires to preserve its life. Second, it is contrary to our social obligations: the whole human community is injured by self-killing. Third, suicide is contrary to our religious rights: God alone should decide when a person will live or die. Aquinas reasoned: "To bring death upon oneself in order to escape the other afflictions of this life is to adopt a greater evil in order to avoid a lesser. . . .

Suicide is the most fatal of sins because it cannot be repented of" (Summa Theologica 2-2, q. 64,5). The poet Dante, following Aquinasï¿½s theology, placed those who take their own lives on the seventh level of hell, below the greedy and the murderous (Inferno 13). For centuries those who committed the unconfessed and therefore unforgivable sin of suicide were not buried in cemeteries that Catholic priests had consecrated. The 17th-century Westminster Shorter Catechism, which remains authoritative for Calvinists, follows Augustine in relating one of the Ten Commandments to suicide.

The Catechism asserts: "The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto." Lutheran pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer also showed his indebtedness to Augustine when he wrote: "God has reserved to himself the right to determine the end of life, because he alone knows the goal to which it is his will to lead it." When that leader of the German resistance to Hitler was being persecuted -- prior to his imprisonment and execution -- he affirmed: "Even if a personï¿½s earthly life has become a torment for him, he must commit it intact to Godï¿½s hand, from which it came" (Ethics [Macmillan, 1955], pp. 124-5). An examination of our biblical and church heritage discloses different degrees of tolerance toward suicide. For some it is always absolutely wrong; for others it may be an appropriate response in exceptional situations. The historical discussion provides some guidance for facing current dilemmas. Modern medicine occasionally extends artificially the time of death -- a fact that has generated fresh inquiry into situations in which suicide might be acceptable. Let us consider three cases involving elderly persons.

After a 78-year-old man was admitted to a hospital, an examination revealed an erratic heart beat, an enlarged prostate, a bowel obstruction and arthritic joints. When the patient learned that surgery was being planned, he pleaded: "Listen, doctor, I donï¿½t want to die with tubes sticking out all over me. I donï¿½t want my children to remember their father that way. Iï¿½m old and tired and have seen enough of life, believe me. But still I want to be a man, not a vegetable that someone comes and waters every day. You see, the engine is broken down; it is time for the engineer to abandon it." Despite this eloquent request, a tube for feeding was placed down the old manï¿½s nose into his stomach. Intravenous injections were made four times a day. Later the man was hooked up to a respirator to increase his oxygen intake. One night he reached over and switched off his respirator. For several hours the hospital staff did not realize what had happened. On the bedside table they found this suicide note: "Death is not the enemy, doctor.

Inhumanity is." Another pathetic case concerns an 80-year-old blind widow who had lived for years in a nursing home. Having endured uninterrupted pain from her cancer, she saved up morphine tablets to swallow all at once in the hope of dying. She sank into a coma, but an attendant discovered the suicide attempt. The womanï¿½s consciousness revived after she was rushed to a hospital emergency room and injected with an antimorphine drug. She was later returned to the nursing home, where she had to suffer much longer. Had she the right to take the deadly dosage of the drug and to die undisturbed after doing so? The third case is the much-publicized one of Elizabeth and Henry Pitney Van Dusen. Dr. Van Dusen, age 77, was the former president of New Yorkï¿½s Union Theological Seminary and a distinguished Presbyterian minister. He and his wife, Elizabeth, age 80, discussed suicide with their friends and then signed a pact before taking an overdose of sleeping pills. She wrote: We have both had very full and satisfying lives. . . .

But since Pitney had his stroke five years ago, we have not been able to do any of the things we want to do . . . and my arthritis is much worse. There are also many helpless old people who without modern medicinal care would have died, and we feel God would have allowed them to die when their time had come. Nowadays it is difficult to die. We feel that this way we are taking will become more usual and acceptable as the years pass. We are both increasingly weak and unwell, and who would want to die in a nursing home? . . . "O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world, grant us thy peace." The Van Dusens realized that some nursing homes are virtual tombs where the elderly are buried alive. They asked for Godï¿½s forgiveness in advance for any wrong they might be committing by their decision to leave this life before they needlessly suffered even more. Although they did not say so, they were probably also disturbed by the thought of the loneliness that would follow if one survived the other.

In 1980, the New York-based organization Concern for Dying convened a group of psychiatrists, philosophers and theologians who prepared a statement on suicide for the terminally ill which is relevant to the cases I have cited: Historically, suicide has been judged as "sinful" by organized religion. . . . We do not dispute the contention that the majority of suicides represent a rejection of the "gift of life" and, as such, are evidence of severe emotional distress. We believe, however, that a person with a progressive terminal disease faces a unique situation -- one which calls for a new look at traditional assumptions about the motivation for choosing suicide. In our view, this choice might be found to be reasoned, appropriate, altruistic, sacrificial, and loving. We can imagine that an individual faced with debilitating, irreversible illness, who would have to endure intractable pain, mutilating surgery, or demeaning treatments -- with added concern for the burden being placed on family and friends -- might conclude that suicide was a reasonable, even generous, resolution to a process already moving inexorably toward death. The Concern for Dying group that made this declaration also urges that suicide decisions of the terminally ill not be made in secret.

Consultation should be encouraged with family, friends and/or trusted health-care professionals who have an intimate knowledge of the patient. Impulsive acts could thereby be curtailed; on the other hand, assistance could be given in implementing thoughtful decisions. Also, bungled suicide attempts which leave a person in a worse state of health might be avoided. At a 1981 Concern for Dying conference, Margaret Battin, who has written texts on ethical issues in suicide, envisioned a time in the distant future when Christians would come to treat suicide as a kind of sacrament involving a serious grappling with ultimate questions. She thinks that because of their impact on the immediate family and the larger community, suicide decisions should not be treated as exclusively private matters. Families who are uninvolved can suffer debilitating guilt. Although Battinï¿½s hopes for a new sacrament may be unrealistic, most Christians and non-Christians will probably agree that Aquinasï¿½s condemnation of all suicides is too harsh. Certainly there is no basis in biblical or patristic teachings for regarding suicide as the most deadly sin. As we have seen, there is no explicit prohibition of suicide anywhere in the canonical texts of Christianity.

In his essay "On Suicide," philosopher David Hume comes closer than Augustine in giving a correct contextual interpretation of a law of Moses. "Resignation to Providence is indeed recommended in Scripture," he stated, "but that implies only submission to ills that are unavoidable, not to such as may be remedied by prudence or courage. ï¿½Thou shalt not killï¿½ is evidently meant to exclude only the killing of others over whose life we have no authority." Besides eschewing the traditional condemnatory stance toward all suicides, Christians need to be correctly informed about people who contemplate, attempt or carry out suicide. It is frequently asserted, for example, that suicide is the product of a diseased mind. The fact is that while psychotics are higher suicide rises than the rest of the population, most of those who commit suicide have no history of severe mental illness. Another half-truth is that suicide runs in families. The fact is that there is no evidence that genetic inheritance predisposes some people to self-destruction. It is also misleading to say that it is only depressed people who commit suicide. Not all suicidal persons have suffered from depression, and those who are in a despondent mood may lack the energy to fulfill their resolve.

Many suicides occur after individuals come out of depression and are presumed by their friends to have regained mental health. It is also unsupported folk wisdom that suicide tends to be seasonal, with more suicides taking place during bad weather or at Christmastime when some people are most lonely. Some people distance themselves from those who talk about suicide, believing that there is no stopping those who have decided on that course of action. Actually, most who seem intent on suicide are ambivalent and never carry out their decision. Related to this is another half-truth: the suicide-prone are so deeply disturbed that only a professional psychotherapist should deal with them. Sensitive listening by laypersons has often reduced stress and preserved life. Christians need to learn to be especially understanding of families that have sustained suicides. It is appalling to a family when one of its members decides that he or she would rather be dead than continue to share their company. Since no illness or accident is to blame for the killing, they are consumed with guilt. A father of a son who committed suicide said: "Everyone has a skeleton in the closet.

But the person who kills himself leaves his skeleton in anotherï¿½s closet." Family members tend to think: if only they had avoided those quarrels, it would not have happened. Sometimes they are so ashamed that they dread facing their acquaintances in the community. Not only do they feel socially isolated, but they may also feel spiritually alienated. Such alienation may be expressed in resentment toward God for allowing such an injustice to happen to them. Or they may feel self-hatred for having contributed to the nurture of someone who, as they see it, arrogantly took his or her life -- a prerogative of God alone: A survivorï¿½s grief may be so severe that it can become a cause of self-execution on the part of the bereaved. Having reflected on the usual tragedy of suicide and its horrendous impact on survivors, we must ask: Are there any situations in which it is morally right? Donneï¿½s position is a helpful guide for facing the broad range of circumstances confronting the Christian. There may well be situations in which suicide can be a conscientious act resulting from a careful weighing of alternatives.

The Van Dusensï¿½s suicide note, for example, displays serious and rational decision-making by Christians. After the couple died, a committee of the Presbytery of New York City wisely concluded that for some Christians, as a last resort in the gravest of situations, suicide may be an act of their Christian conscience." Viewed 104061 times. Passages relating to suicide in the Hebrew Scriptures Passages in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) that discuss suicide Sponsored link. Suicide in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament): There are many stories of individuals who either pleaded with God to end their life, or who killed themselves, or who sought the assistance of another to kill them: Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 contain two similar version of the Ten Commandments. Both Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17 appear in the King James Version of the Bible as "Thou shalt not kill." This obviously cannot be interpreted literally, because people continually kill plants and animals for food. It has generally been interpreted as meaning that one should not murder a human being, except in cases of self defense or warfare. Christians are divided over whether these verses include suicide.

Religious conservatives tend to say that it does; many liberals believe that there are circumstances where suicide is morally justifiable. A decade of experience as a volunteer at a suicide prevention line has led me to believe that suicide is rarely justifiable; it is often a permanent solution to a temporary problem. However, it can bring an end to a life made intolerable by pain and loss of personal control caused by a terminal illness. Numbers 11:12-15 Moses was in despair because of the complaints of the Israelites whom he was leading. The burden of leadership was too heavy for him to bear. He asked God "If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now..." Judges 9:52-54: The warrior-king of Israel, Abimelech, was attacking a tower in Thebez, hoping to exterminate large numbers of unarmed civilians as he had just done in Shechem. As he attempted to burn the door to the tower, a woman dropped a piece of a millstone on Abimelech's head. He felt that he was mortally wounded.

The king's contempt for women was so great that he quickly asked his armor bearer to kill him with his sword, in order that people not say that he had been killed by a woman. Throughout much of the Hebrew Scriptures, women were regarded as property. To be attacked and fatally injured by someone whom he considered so inferior was more than he could handle. Judges 16:29-30 Samson had been chained to the two middle pillars of a temple. He pushed them apart. thereby knowingly causing the collapse of the building, his own suicide and the death of a few thousand Philistines inside. The death toll exceeded the number of people that he had killed during the rest of his life -which was considerable. Samson had been blinded, and no longer wanted to live as a captive. By causing his own death, he had a chance to destroy many of the enemy. 1 Samuel 31:4-6 In a war against the Philistines, Saul's sons Johnathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua were killed, and Saul himself was seriously wounded. He asked his armor bearer to kill him, but his assistant refused. So he took a sword and fell on it.

The armor bearer then also fell on his sword. Both ended up committing suicide. The same events are also described in a parallel passage: 1 Chronicles 10:3-7. Saul's justification for committing suicide was that because of his injuries, if the Philistines arrived, he would have been abused and killed by uncircumcised men. 2 Samuel 1:2-17 An unidentified Amalekike man described to David a very different account about Saul's death. The versions in 1 Samuel 31 and 1 Chronicles 10, describe how Saul committed suicide by himself, after his armor bearer refused to perform the task. In this version, Saul had the Amalekite, a stranger, kill him, in a form of assisted suicide. After hearing the story of how the Amalekike had carried out the wishes of Saul, David had him executed on the spot, because he had "slain the LORD's anointed." The implication is that one can assist in the suicide of a commoner, but not in the case of a king. There is no criticism of Saul asking for help in committing suicide.

2 Samuel 17:1-29 Ahithophel recommended that he be allowed to choose 12,000 men, to pursue King David immediately, and kill him. When his advice was not accepted, he became so depressed that he returned to his city, "put his household in order, and hanged himself, and died..." 1 King 16:15-20 Zimri, king of Tirzah, saw his city besieged and taken. He was distressed at the sins that he had committed. He "went into the citadel of the king's house and burned the king's house down upon himself with fire, and died..." I King 18:40 and 19:4 In an act of vicious religious intolerance, Elijah ordered 400 priests of Baal executed. Ahab went to Jezebel, telling her that Elijah had "executed all the prophets with the sword." She swore to kill Elijah within the next 24 hours. Elijah fled for this life to Beersheba, went into the wilderness, and "prayed that he might die." He said, "It is enough!

Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" Jonah 4:1-11 God had threatened the destruction of the Nineveh, a city of 120,000 people. But the king and people of the city listened to Jonah, repented of their sins, and fasted. God changed his mind and did not destroy the city. Jonah was so angry at God's display of mercy that he asked God to kill him, "for it is better for me to die than to live!" He repeated the same request to God on the next day. Site navigation:

Question: How many suicides are recorded in the Bible?
Answer: Seven