דברי הימים א, פרק י׳, פסוק י״א

The devastating news regarding the fate of Israel's first king and the desecration of his body reached a community that felt a profound moral and historical debt toward him. The entire population of the city of Jabesh-gilead mobilized in response [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Their swift awakening to action, which surpassed the reaction of the other Israelite tribes, stemmed from a close, enduring relationship they shared with the tribe of Benjamin as a whole, and with the fallen king specifically [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This deep bond was anchored in immense gratitude. Years earlier, God had delivered a great salvation to the residents of Jabesh-gilead through the king's leadership. When their city was besieged by an Ammonite enemy who offered a peace treaty only on the cruel condition that every resident's right eye be gouged out, it was the king who rushed to their aid and rescued them [רלב״ג].