Saul (
שאול המלך) (or
Sha'ul) (reigned 1047 - 1007 BC?) was the first king of the united
Kingdom of IsraelThe united Kingdom of Israel was a kingdom in the Land of Israel according to the Bible, a period referred to by scholars as the United Monarchy.-Background:...
according to the
Hebrew BibleThe Hebrew Bible is a term referring to the books of the Jewish Bible as originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic...
. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel and reigned from
GibeahGibeah – could be a variation of the Hebrew word meaning “hill,” other names include Gibeah of Benjamin and Gibeah of Saul. The site is believed to be identical to Tell el-Ful meaning “mound of beans” in Arabic, a hill next to the modern Jerusalem neighbourhood of Pisgat Ze'ev.It is located along...
. He committed suicide during a battle with the
PhilistinesThe Philistines were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan, their territory being named Philistia in later contexts. Their origin has been debated among scholars...
at Mount Gilboa, during which three of his sons were also killed. The succession to his throne was contested by his only surviving son
Ish-boshethIsh-bosheth also called Eshbaal , Ashbaal or Ishbaal, appears in the Hebrew Bible. He was born in c. 1047 BCE and was one of the four sons of King Saul with Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz...
and
DavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Bible. He is depicted as a righteous king, although not without fault, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet .The biblical chronology sets his life c.1037–970 BCE, his reign over Judah c.1007–1000 BCE,...
, who eventually prevailed.
The main account of Saul's life and reign is found in the Book of Samuel.
House of Saul
According to the
TanakhThe Tanakh is a name for the Bible used in Rabbinic Judaism, also known as the Masoretic Text. The name "Tanakh" is a Hebrew acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
, Saul was the son of
KishKish is the name of the father of the Israelite King Saul , the first king of the Israelites.Kish was a Benjamite of the family of the Matrites , and there is some question over whether he is the brother or son of Ner...
, of the family of the Matrites, and a member of the
tribe of BenjaminAccording to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Benjamin was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes...
, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel. It appears that he came from
GibeahGibeah – could be a variation of the Hebrew word meaning “hill,” other names include Gibeah of Benjamin and Gibeah of Saul. The site is believed to be identical to Tell el-Ful meaning “mound of beans” in Arabic, a hill next to the modern Jerusalem neighbourhood of Pisgat Ze'ev.It is located along...
.
Saul married
AhinoamAhinoam is a Hebrew name literally meaning brother of pleasantness, thus meaning pleasant.There are two references in the Bible to people who bear that name:...
, daughter of
AhimaazAhimaaz, "brother of anger", "irascible" in Hebrew. The father of Ahinoam, the wife of Saul . The son and successor of Zadok in the office of highpriest . On the occasion of the revolt of...
. They had four sons and two daughters. The sons were
JonathanDavid and Jonathan were heroic figures of the Kingdom of Israel, whose intimate relationship was recorded favourably in the Old Testament books of Samuel....
,
AbinadabAbinadab may refer to:# A man of Kirjath-jearim widely identified as a Levite , in whose house the ark of the covenant was deposited after having been brought back from the land of the Philistines . It remained there twenty years, until it was at length removed by David .# The second of the eight...
, Malchishua and
Ish-boshethIsh-bosheth also called Eshbaal , Ashbaal or Ishbaal, appears in the Hebrew Bible. He was born in c. 1047 BCE and was one of the four sons of King Saul with Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz...
. Their daughters were named Merab and
MichalMichal was a daughter of Saul, king of Israel, who loved and became the wife of David, who later became king of Judah, and later still of the united Kingdom of Israel....
.
Saul also had a concubine named
RizpahRizpah - was the daughter of Aiah, and one of Saul's concubines. She was the mother of Armoni and Mephibosheth .After the death of Saul, Abner took her as wife, resulting in a quarrel between him and Saul's son and successor, Ishbosheth. The quarrel led to Abner's going over to the side of David,...
, daughter of Aiah, who bore him two sons,
ArmoniArmoni was the first-named of the two sons of Saul with his concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah. He and his brother Mephibosheth were two of the seven descendants of Saul to be given by David to the Gibeonites to be hanged....
and
MephiboshethMeri-baal - "beloved of Baal"/"beloved of the Lord". In view of later religious sensibilities, textually later parts of the Bible rename Meribaal to Mephibosheth - "exterminator of the shameful one", while textually earlier parts preserve the name Meribaal...
.
Saul offered Merab to
DavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Bible. He is depicted as a righteous king, although not without fault, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet .The biblical chronology sets his life c.1037–970 BCE, his reign over Judah c.1007–1000 BCE,...
as
wifeA wife is a female spouse, or participant in a marriage.-Origin and etymology:The term originated from the Middle English wif, from Old English wīf, woman, wife, from Germanic * wībam, woman, related to Modern German Weib , from the Indo-European root ghwībh-; wīb, meaning veiled or clothed,...
after his victory over Goliath, but David does not seem to have been interested in the arrangement. Saul then gave his other daughter Michal in marriage to David, but when David became Saul's rival to the kingship, Saul gave Michal in marriage to Palti, son of Laish.
Saul killed himself at the Battle of Mount Gilboa , and was buried in
ZelahZelah was a place in the territory of the Tribe of Benjamin, ancient Judea, known as the burial place of King Saul, his father Kish and his son Jonathan. Saul and Jonathan died during the Battle of Gilboa.-Source:...
, in the region of
BenjaminBenjamin in the Book of Genesis, is a son of Jacob, the second son of Rachel, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Benjamin; in the Biblical account, unlike Rachel's first son – Joseph, the father of Ephraim and Manasseh – Benjamin was born after Jacob and Rachel arrived in Canaan...
in modern-day
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
.
Ish-bosheth and Mephibosheth
Three of Saul's sons – Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua – died with him at Mount Gilboa . Ish-bosheth became king of Israel, at the age of forty. Michal was returned as wife to David.
Ish-bosheth reigned for two years and was killed by two of his own captains. Armoni and Mephibosheth (Saul's sons with his concubine, Rizpah) were given by David along with the five sons of Merab (Saul's daughter) to the Gibeonites, who killed them. Michal was childless.
The only male descendant of Saul to survive was
MephiboshethMeri-baal - "beloved of Baal"/"beloved of the Lord". In view of later religious sensibilities, textually later parts of the Bible rename Meribaal to Mephibosheth - "exterminator of the shameful one", while textually earlier parts preserve the name Meribaal...
, Jonathan's son, who had been five when his father and grandfather Saul had died in battle. In time, he came under the protection of David. Mephibosheth had a young son,
MicahMicah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible , and means "who is like God?", in the sense that God is unique.The name is sometimes found with theophoric extensions...
, of whom nothing more heard.
Anointed as king
Samuel, the Judge, had sons who were dishonest and not trustworthy of the
faithFaith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. The word "faith" can refer to a religion itself or to religion in general....
. The leaders of the Israelites feared that it would be disastrous if his sons were to be judge over them and requested that Samuel give them a king. God warns that if he appoints a king over them, they will suffer the dealings of the king. Saul (Talut), a young Israelite, was commanded by his father, Kish, to go and locate their lost donkeys. Saul obeys and Samuel sees him walking toward him. God reveals to Samuel that Saul will be the one to be anointed as the "first" King of Israel. Peter J. Leithart observes:
- Saul, the first king, begins as an ideal choice to lead and judge Israel ... Saul cares for his father's animals (as did Joseph and Moses
Moses was, according to biblical texts, a religious leader, lawgiver, and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. Also called Moshe Rabbeinu in Hebrew Moses was, according to biblical texts, a...
, and as DavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Bible. He is depicted as a righteous king, although not without fault, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet .The biblical chronology sets his life c.1037–970 BCE, his reign over Judah c.1007–1000 BCE,...
will), and he is a dutiful son ... Saul is a handsome man and a head taller than any Israelite
In the
Books of SamuelThe Books of Samuel are part of the Tanakh and also of the Christian Old Testament. The work was originally written in Hebrew, and the Book of Samuel originally formed a single text, as they are often considered today in Hebrew bibles.Together with what is now referred to as the Book of Kings,...
, Saul is not referred to as a king (
melech), but rather as a “leader” or “commander” (
nagid) . However (possibly representing an opposing literary strain), Saul is said to be made a "king" (
melech) at
GilgalGilgal is a place name mentioned by the Hebrew Bible. It is a matter of debate how many of the places named Gilgal are identical.-The Gilgal associated peacefully with Joshua:...
. Even David, before he was anointed king, was referred to only as a future
nagid, or military commander .
The people generally used the term “king,” because their desire was to be like the other nations . This may be indicative of the difference between what a certain faction of the people wanted, and a definite reluctance of certain leaders (e.g., the prophet Samuel) to break from the old tribal order:
viz., an attempt to satisfy everyone without creating a riot. But Saul was finally crowned as "king" (
melech) in Gilgal.
The Books of Samuel give three events in Saul's rise to the throne:
- Saul was sent with a servant to look for his father's donkeys, who had strayed; leaving his home at Gibeah
Gibeah – could be a variation of the Hebrew word meaning “hill,” other names include Gibeah of Benjamin and Gibeah of Saul. The site is believed to be identical to Tell el-Ful meaning “mound of beans” in Arabic, a hill next to the modern Jerusalem neighbourhood of Pisgat Ze'ev.It is located along...
, they eventually wander to the district of ZuphZuph meaning honeycomb in Hebrew - is the Biblical name of:* A Kohathite Levite, ancestor of Elkanah and Samuel ; called also Zophai and Ziph....
, at which point Saul suggests abandoning their search. Saul's servant however, remarks that they happened to be near the town of RamahRamathaim-Zophim , also called Ramah and Ramatha in the Douay-Rheims, a town that has been identified with the modern Neby Samwil , about 4 or 5 miles north-west of Jerusalem...
, where a famous seer was located, and suggested that they should consult him first. The seer (later identified by the text as Samuel), having previously had a vision instructing him to do so, offers hospitality to Saul when he enters Ramah, and later anointsTo anoint is to pour or smear with perfumed oil, milk, water, melted butter or other substances, a process employed ritually by many religions. People and things are anointed to symbolize the introduction of a sacramental or divine influence, a holy emanation, spirit, power or god...
him in private.
- ( and ) Desiring to be like other nations, there was a popular movement to establish a centralised monarchy. Samuel therefore assembled the people at Mizpah in Benjamin
Mizpah was a city of Benjamin.Some scholars have suggested that Mizpah is identical with Nob. It was some 4 miles north-west of Jerusalem, and situated on the loftiest hill in the vicinity, some 600 feet above the plain of Gibeon.There is a long-running debate about whether Nabi Samuel or Tell...
, and despite having strong reservations, which he made no attempt to hide, allows the appointment of a king. Samuel uses cleromancyCleromancy is a form of divination using sortition, casting of lots, or casting bones, in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but that are believed to reveal the will of God or other supernatural entities.- In classical...
to determine who it was that God desired to be the king, whittling the assembly down into ever smaller groups until Saul is finally identified. Saul, hiding in baggage, is then publicly affirmed.
- ( and ) The Ammon
The Ammon or Ammonites was a kingdom described in the Bible, said to occupy an area east of the Jordan river, Gilead and the Dead Sea....
ites, led by NahashNahash is a word that in several Semitic languages, means serpent.
It has long been thought to mean serpent in Ancient Hebrew, but it remains under debate ....
, lay siege to Jabesh-GileadJabesh-Gilead is an ancient town referred to in four books of the Old Testament. Some biblical scholars believe it to have been located east of the Jordan River, in the vicinity of Wadi Yabes....
, who are forced to surrender. Under the terms of surrender, the occupants of the city would be forced into slavery, and have their right eyes removed as a sign of this. The city's occupants send out word of this to the other tribes of Israel, and the tribes west of the Jordan assemble an army under the leadership of Saul. Saul leads the army to victory against the Ammonites, and, in both gratitude and appreciation of military skill, the people congregate at GilgalGilgal is a place name mentioned by the Hebrew Bible. It is a matter of debate how many of the places named Gilgal are identical.-The Gilgal associated peacefully with Joshua:...
, and acclaim Saul as king.
Rejection
According to , Samuel had told Saul to wait for seven days after which they would meet; Samuel giving Saul further instructions. But as Samuel did not arrive after 7 days and the Israelites restless, Saul started preparing for battle by offering sacrifices. Samuel arrived just as Saul finished offering his sacrifices and reprimanded Saul for not obeying his instructions. As a result of not keeping God's instructions, God took away Saul's kingship .
After the battle with the pkies was over, the text describes Samuel as having instructed Saul to kill all the Amalekites, which was in accordance with the
mitzvahThe 613 Mitzvot are statements and principles of law and ethics contained in the Torah or Five Books of Moses...
to do so. Having forewarned the
KeniteAccording to the Hebrew Bible, the Kenites were a nomadic clan in the ancient Levant, sent under Jethro a priest in the land of Midian. They played an important role in the history of ancient Israel. The Kenites were coppersmiths and metalworkers. Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, was a shepherd and...
s who were living among the Amalekites to leave, Saul went to war and defeated the Amalekites. Saul killed all the babies, women, children, poor quality livestock and men, and left alive the king and best livestock.
When Samuel found out that Saul had not killed them all, he became angry and launched into a long and bitter diatribe about how God regretted making Saul king, because Saul was disobedient. When Samuel turned away, Saul grabbed Samuel by his clothes and tore a small piece off them, which Samuel states is a prophecy about what will happen to Saul's kingdom. Samuel then commands that the Amalekite king (who, like all other Amalekite kings in the Hebrew Bible, is named
AgagAgag was the king of the Amalekites, mentioned by Balaam in Numbers xxiv.7 in a way that gives probability to the conjecture that the name was a standing title of the kings of Amalek. The name or title may mean "flame" in ancient West Semitic....
) should be brought forth. Samuel proceeds to kill the Amalekite himself and makes a final departure.
Saul and David
It is at this point that
DavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Bible. He is depicted as a righteous king, although not without fault, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet .The biblical chronology sets his life c.1037–970 BCE, his reign over Judah c.1007–1000 BCE,...
, a son of
JesseJesse or Yishay or Isai is the father of the Biblical David, who became the king of the nation of Israel. His son David is sometimes called simply "Son of Jesse" ....
, from the
tribe of JudahAccording to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Judah was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes....
, enters the story. According to the narrative:
- Samuel is surreptitiously sent by God to Jesse. While offering a sacrifice in the vicinity, Samuel includes Jesse among the invited guests. Dining together, Jesse's sons are brought one by one to Samuel, each time being rejected by him, speaking for God; running out of sons, Jesse sends for David, the youngest, who was tending sheep. When brought to Samuel, David is anointed by him in front of his other brothers.
- Saul is troubled by an evil spirit sent by God (some translations euphemistically just describe God not preventing an evil spirit from troubling Saul). Saul requests soothing music, and a servant recommends David the son of Jesse, who is renowned as a skillful harpist and soldier. When word of Saul's needs reach Jesse, he sends David, who had been looking after a flock, and David is appointed as Saul's armor bearer. David remains at court playing the harp as needed by Saul to calm his moods.
- The Philistines return with an army to attack Israel, but, having amassed on a hillside opposite to the Israelite forces, suggest that to save effort and lives on both sides, it would be better to have a proxy combat
A proxy war is a war that results when two powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly.While powers have sometimes used whole governments as proxies, terrorist groups, mercenaries, or other third parties are more often employed...
between their champion, a Rephaim from Gath named Goliath, and someone of Saul's choosing. David, a young shepherd boy, happens to be delivering food to his three eldest brothers, who are in the Israelite army, at the time that the challenge is made. David, who is faithful of God's power to defeat his enemies, talks to the nearby soldiers mocking the Philistines, but is reprimanded by his brothers for doing so. David's speech is overheard and reported to Saul, who summons David and on hearing David's views decides to fit him out with his (Saul's) own armour. Saul then appoints David as his champion, and David defeats Goliath with a single shot from a slingA sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone. It is also known as the shepherd's sling....
, which hits him in between the eyes. Goliath falls forward and David uses his sword to decapitate Goliath.
Saul's love of glory
In the text, Saul's son, Jonathan, and David become close friends and eventually David becomes Jonathan's brother-in-law by
MichalMichal was a daughter of Saul, king of Israel, who loved and became the wife of David, who later became king of Judah, and later still of the united Kingdom of Israel....
. Jonathan recognises David as the rightful king, and 1 Samuel 18 states "Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul." Jonathan even gives David his military clothes, symbolizing David's position as successor to Saul.
God makes David successful wherever Saul sends him. Therefore Saul sets David in charge of the army. After David returns from battle, the women heap praise upon him and refer to him as a greater military hero than Saul, driving Saul to jealousy, fearing that David constituted a rival to the throne.
Another day, while David is playing the harp, Saul, possessed by an evil spirit, throws a spear at him but misses on two occasions. Saul resolves to remove David from the court and appoints him an officer, but David becomes increasingly successful, making Saul more resentful of him. In return for being his champion, Saul offers to marry his daughter, Merob, to David, but David turns the offer down claiming to be too humble, and Merob is married to another man instead. Another daughter,
MichalMichal was a daughter of Saul, king of Israel, who loved and became the wife of David, who later became king of Judah, and later still of the united Kingdom of Israel....
, falls in love with David, so Saul repeats the offer to David with Michal, but again David turns it down claiming to be too poor; Saul persuades David that the
bride priceBride price, also known as bride wealth, is an amount of money or property or wealth paid by the groom or his family to the parents of a woman upon the marriage of their daughter to the groom...
would only be 100
foreskinIn male human anatomy, the foreskin is a retractable double-layered fold of skin and mucous membrane that covers the glans penis and protects the urinary meatus when the penis is not erect...
s from the Philistines, hoping that David would be killed trying to achieve this. David obtains 200 foreskins and is consequently married to Michal.
The narrative continues as Saul plots against David, but Jonathan dissuades Saul from this course of action, and tells David of it. Saul then tries to have David killed during the night, but Michal helps him escape and tricks his pursuers by using a household idol to make it seem that David is still in bed. David flees to Jonathan, who wasn't living near Saul. Jonathan agrees to return to Saul and discover his ultimate intent. While dining with Saul, Jonathan pretends that David has been called away to his brothers, but Saul sees through this and castigates Jonathan for being the companion of David, and it becomes clear that Saul wants David dead. The next day, Jonathan meets with David and tells him Saul's intent, and the two friends say their goodbyes, as David flees into the country. Saul later marries Michal to another man instead of David.
Saul is later informed by his head shepherd, an
EdomEdom is a name given to Esau in the Hebrew Bible, as well as to the nation descending from him. The nation's name in Assyrian was Udumi; in Syriac, ܐܕܘܡ; in Greek, Ἰδουμαία ; in Latin, Idumæa or Idumea....
ite named
DoegDoeg was an Edomite, chief herdsman to Saul, King of Israel. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible book of First Samuel, in chapters 21 and 22....
, that
AhimelechAhimelech , the son of Ahitub and father of Abiathar , described erroneously in 2 Sam. 8:17 as the son of Abiathar and in four places in 1 Chronicles. He descended from Eli in the line of Ithamar. In 1 Chr. 18:16 his name is Abimelech according to the Masoretic Text, and is probably the same as Ahiah...
assisted David. A henchman is sought to kill Ahimelech and the other priests of Nob. None of Saul's henchmen are willing to do this, so Doeg offers to do it instead, killing 85 priests. Saul also kills every man, woman and child living in Nob.
David had already left Nob by this point and had amassed about 400 disaffected men including a group of outlaws. With these men David launches an attack on the Philistines at Keilahhe. Saul realises he could trap David and his men inside the city and besiege it. However, David hears about this, and having received divine counsel (via the
EphodAn ephod was a type of object in ancient Israelite culture, and was closely connected with oracular practices...
), finds that the citizens of Keilah would betray him to Saul. He decides to leave and flees to
ZiphZiphIn the Hebrew Bible:* A son of Jehaleleel .* A city in the south of the Tribe of Judah , named between Ithnan and Telem....
. Saul discovers this and pursues David on two occasions:
- Some of the inhabitants of Ziph betray David's location to Saul, but David hears about it and flees with his men to Maon
Maon can refer to:*Preon, theoretical component of quarks*Ma'on, Har Hebron, an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank...
. Saul follows David, but while Saul travels along one side of the gorge, David travels along the other, and Saul is forced to break off pursuit when the Philistines invade. This is supposedly how the place became known as the gorge of divisions. DavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Bible. He is depicted as a righteous king, although not without fault, as well as an acclaimed warrior, musician and poet .The biblical chronology sets his life c.1037–970 BCE, his reign over Judah c.1007–1000 BCE,...
hides in the caves at EngediEngedi and similar can mean:*Ein Gedi, an oasis in Israel*Ein Gedi , a kibbutz in Israel**Engedi is a village 2 miles southeast of Bryngwran, Wales, named after the kibbutz in Israel...
and after fighting the Philistines, Saul returns to Engedi to attack him. Saul eventually enters the cave in which David had been hiding, but as David is in the darkest recesses Saul doesn't spot him. David swipes at Saul and cuts off part of his garment, but restrains himself and his associates from going further due to a tabooA taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and forbidden. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. The term comes from the Tongan language, and appears in many Polynesian cultures...
against killing an anointed king. David then leaves the cave, revealing himself to Saul, and gives a speech that persuades Saul to reconcile.
- On the second occasion Saul returns to Ziph with his men. When David hears of this he sneaks into Saul's camp by night, and thrusts his spear into the ground near where Saul is sleeping. David prevents his associates from killing Saul because of a taboo against killing an anointed king, and merely steals Saul's spear and water jug. The next day, David stands at the top of a slope opposite to Saul's camp, and shouts that he had been in Saul's camp the previous night (using the spear and jug as proof). David then gives a speech that persuades Saul to reconcile with David, and the two make an oath not to harm one another.
Saul is among the prophets
The phrase
Saul is among the prophets, is mentioned by the text in a way that suggests it was a
proverbA proverb , also called a byword or nayword, is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
in later Israelite culture. Two accounts of its origin are given:
- (1 Samuel 10:11 etc.) Having been anointed by Samuel, Saul is told of signs he will receive to know that he has been divinely appointed. The last of these signs is that Saul will be met by an ecstatic group of prophets leaving a high place and playing music on lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in classical antiquity and later. The recitations of the Ancient Greeks were accompanied by lyre playing. The lyre of Classical Antiquity was ordinarily played by being strummed with a plectrum, like a guitar or a zither, rather than...
, tambourineThe tambourine or Marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils"...
, and fluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
s. The signs come true (though the text skips the first two, suggesting that a portion of the text has been lost, or edited out for some reason), and Saul joins the ecstatic prophets, hence the phrase.
- (1 Samuel 19:24 etc.) Saul sends men to pursue David, but when they meet a group of ecstatic prophets playing music on lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in classical antiquity and later. The recitations of the Ancient Greeks were accompanied by lyre playing. The lyre of Classical Antiquity was ordinarily played by being strummed with a plectrum, like a guitar or a zither, rather than...
, tambourineThe tambourine or Marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils"...
, and fluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, they become possessed by a prophetic state and join in. Saul sends more men, but they too join the prophets. Eventually Saul himself goes, and also joins the prophets, hence the phrase.
Battle of Gilboa and the death of Saul
Despite the oath(s) of reconciliation, the biblical text states that David felt insecure, and so made an alliance with the Philistines, becoming their
vassalA vassal in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of medieval Europe, is one who enters into mutual obligations with a monarch, usually of military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain guarantees, which came to include the terrain held as a fief. By...
. Emboldened by this, the Philistines prepared to attack Israel, and Saul led out his army to face them at Mount Gilboa, but before the battle decided to secretly consult the
witch of EndorThe Witch of Endor was a woman who called up the ghost of the recently deceased prophet Samuel, at the demand of King Saul of Kingdom of Israel in the First Book of Samuel, chapter ....
for advice. The witch, unaware of who he is, reminds Saul that the king (i.e. Saul himself) had made witchery a
capital offenceCapital punishment or the death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for an offense. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences....
, but after being assured that Saul wouldn't harm her, the witch conjures up the ghost of Samuel. Samuel's ghost tells Saul that he would lose the battle and his life.
Broken in spirit, Saul returns to face the enemy, and the Israelites are duly defeated. To escape the ignominy of capture, Saul asks his armour bearer to kill him, but is forced to commit
suicideSuicide is the intentional killing of one's self. Many dictionaries also note the metaphorical sense of "willful destruction of one's self-interest"...
by falling on his sword when the armour bearer refuses. An Amalekite then claims to have killed Saul, and the Amalekite tells David. Infuriated, David orders the Amalekite to be put to death as punishment for killing the God's anointed, despite Saul's earlier assassination attempt against him. The body of Saul, with those of his sons, were fastened to the wall of Beth-shan, and his armor was hung up in the house of Ashtaroth (an
AscalonAshkelon or Ashqelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Bronze Age...
ian temple of the Canaanites). The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead (the scene of Saul's first victory) rescue the bodies and take them to Jabesh-gilead, where they burn their flesh and bury the bones (Sam.I 31,13).
Classical Rabbinical views
Two opposing views of Saul are found in classical rabbinical literature. One is based on the
reverse logicAbduction is a method of logical inference introduced by Charles Sanders Peirce which comes prior to induction and deduction for which the colloquial name is to have a "hunch". Abductive reasoning starts when an inquirer considers of a set of seemingly unrelated facts, armed with an intuition that...
that punishment is a proof of guilt, and therefore seeks to rob Saul of any halo which might surround him; typically this view is similar to the
republican source. The passage referring to Saul as
a choice young man, and goodly (1 Samuel 9:2) is in this view interpreted as meaning that Saul was not good in every respect, but
goodly only with respect to his personal appearance (Num. Rashi 9:28). According to this view, Saul is only a
weak branch (Gen. Rashi 25:3), owing his kingship not to his own merits, but rather to his grandfather, who had been accustomed to light the streets for those who went to the
bet ha-midrash, and had received as his reward the promise that one of his grandsons should sit upon the throne (Lev. Rashi 9:2).
The second view of Saul makes him appear in the most favourable light as man, as hero, and as king. This view is similar to that of the
monarchical source. In this view it was on account of his modesty that he did not reveal the fact that he had been anointed king (1 Samuel 10:16; Meg. 13b); and he was extraordinarily upright as well as perfectly just. Nor was there any one more pious than he (M. Q. 16b; Ex. Rashi 30:12); for when he ascended the throne he was as pure as a child, and had never committed sin (Yoma 22b). He was marvelously handsome; and the maidens who told him concerning Samuel (cf 1 Samuel 9:11-13) talked so long with him that they might observe his beauty the more (Ber. 48b). In war he was able to march 120 miles without rest. When he received the command to smite Amalek (1 Samuel 15:3), Saul said:
For one found slain the TorahThe term "Torah" , refers either to the Five Books of Moses or to the entirety of Judaism's founding legal and ethical religious texts...
requires a sin offering [Deuteronomy 21:1-9]; and here so many shall be slain. If the old have sinned, why should the young suffer; and if men have been guilty, why should the cattle be destroyed? It was this mildness that cost him his crown (
Yoma 22b; Num. Rashi 1:10) —the fact that he was merciful even to his enemies, being indulgent to rebels themselves, and frequently waiving the homage due to him. But if his mercy toward a foe was a sin, it was his only one; and it was his misfortune that it was reckoned against him, while David, although he had committed much iniquity, was so favored that it was not remembered to his injury (Yoma 22b; M. Q. 16b, and Rashi ad loc.). In many other respects Saul was far superior to David, e.g., in having only one concubine, while David had many. Saul expended his own substance for the war, and although he knew that he and his sons would fall in battle, he nevertheless went boldly forward, while David heeded the wish of his soldiers not to go to war in person (2 Samuel 21:17; Lev. Rashi 26:7; Yalq., Sam. 138).
According to the Rabbis, Saul ate his food with due regard for the rules of ceremonial purity prescribed for the sacrifice (Yalq., l.c.), and taught the people how they should slay cattle (cf 1 Samuel 14:34). As a reward for this, God himself gave Saul a sword on the day of battle, since no other sword suitable for him was found (ibid 13:22). Saul's attitude toward David finds its excuse in the fact that his courtiers were all tale-bearers, and slandered David to him (Deut. Rashi 5:10); and in like manner he was incited by Doeg against the priests of Nob (1 Samuel 22:16-19; Yalq., Sam. 131) - this act was forgiven him, however, and a heavenly voice (
bat qol) was heard, proclaiming:
Saul is the chosen one of God (Ber. 12b). His anger at the Gibeonites (2 Samuel 21:2) was not personal hatred, but was induced by zeal for the welfare of Israel (Num. Rashi 8:4). The fact that he made his daughter remarry (1 Samuel 25:44), finds its explanation in his (Saul's) view that her betrothal to David had been gained by false pretenses, and was therefore invalid (Sanhedrin 19b). During the lifetime of Saul there was no idolatry in Israel. The famine in the reign of David (cf 2 Samuel 21:1) was to punish the people, because they had not accorded Saul the proper honours at his burial (Num. Rashi 8:4). In
SheolSheol , in Hebrew שאול , is the "abode of the dead", the "underworld", or "pit". Sheol is the common destination of both the righteous and the unrighteous dead, as recounted in Ecclesiastes and Job....
, Saul dwells with Samuel, which is a proof that all has been forgiven him ('Er. 53b).
Further reading
- Wellhausen, Julius, Der Text der Bücher Samuelis
- Budde, Die Bücher Richter und Samuel, 1890, pp. 167–276
- Driver, S. R., Notes on the Hebrew Text of the Books of Samuel, 1890
- Cheyne, T. K., Aids to the Devout Study of Criticism, 1892, pp. 1–126
- Smith, H. P., Old Testament History, 1903, ch. vii.
- Cheyne, T. K., and Black, (eds.) Encyclopedia Biblica
- SAMUEL AND SAUL: A NEGATIVE SYMBIOSIS by Rabbi Moshe Reiss