Saul

Saul (שאול המלך) (or Sha'ul) (שָׁאוּל asked for, i.e. borrowed, Standard Hebrew Šaʾul, Tiberian Hebrew Šāʾûl) is a figure identified in the Books of Samuel as having been the first king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel.

David and Saul (1885) by Julius Kronberg

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Described in the Bible as a king of uncommon promise and valor, Saul united the tribes of Israel against the power of the Philistines, but soon lost the support of a key ally — namely Samuel, the powerful prophet and judge who had intitially identified and anointed him as God's chosen leader. Despite subsequent military successes and a promising heir in his son Jonathan, Saul became a tragic figure. He was plagued by what the Bible describes as "an evil spirit from the Lord," and what psychologists would recognize as classic symptoms of manic-depression.

Much of later part of Saul's reign was consumed by fighting against Israel's enemies on one hand and seeking to destroy his divinely-appointed successor, David, on the other. He died in battle soon after the death of his own son Jonathan, leaving several lesser sons as heirs. Within a few decades, his rival, David, had brought Saul's former kingdom under his sway and taken his only surviving son into captivity.

It should be noted that the story of Saul is largely written and edited by biblical writers who favored the southern, or Davidic, kingdom of Judah. Our picture of Saul is therefore not an objective one. If his own supporters had written histories of his reign which survived intact, we would no doubt have a very different portrait from the current one.

Nativity and Youth

According to the Books of Samuel, Saul was the son of a man named Kish, and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. We are told little about Saul's youth other than that he was "an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites—a head taller than any of the others."

However, biblical scholars suggest that some of the details in the story of Saul's childhood may actually be found in the infancy narratiive now attributed to Samuel. Evidence for this is found in the meaning of Saul's name and in the fact that the story of Samuel's infancy seems in some respects to describe that of a future king rather than a prophet.

The Hebrew version of Saul's name can mean, "lent," "asked for," or "given," and Samuel's mother Hanna seems to be making a pun on this word when she says to Eli the priest:

The Lord has granted me what I asked [sha'al] of him. So now I give [sha'al] him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over[sha'al] to the Lord." (1 Sam: 27-28)

Moreover, the Song of Hannah, a psalm of praise expressing Hannah's response to the birth of her son, can more easily be interpreted as directed towards a monarch than a prophet or judge: "He [God] will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed." (1 Sam. 2:10)

Whether or not the biblical story of Samuel's childhood originally described that of Saul, the rabbinical tradition and the Bible itself are unanimous in portraying the young Saul as a lad of great promise. The Jewish Encylopedia, summarizing the talmudic praise of Saul, says:

He was extraordinarily upright as well as perfectly just. Nor was there any one more pious than he; for when he ascended the throne he was as pure as a child, and had never committed sin. He was marvelously handsome; and the maidens who told him concerning Samuel talked so long with him that they might observe his beauty the more.[1]

Appointment as King

The Bible gives two and perhaps three accounts of how Saul came to be appointed as king. Traditionally these are read as a three-stage process by which Saul is 1) privately chosen and anointed as king, 2) re-anointed in public after a God confirms the choice by lottery, and 3) finally confirmed by popular acclaim after uniting the tribes of Israel in victorious battle. Mondern biblical scholars, on the other hand, tend to view the accounts as distinct, representing at least two and possibly three separate traditions which were later woven into a single account.

• (1 Samuel 9:1-10:16) Saul travels with a servant to look for his father's she-asses, who have strayed. Leaving his home at Gibeah, they eventually wander to the district of Zuph, at which point Saul suggests abandoning their search. Saul's servant however, suggests that they should consult the local "seer" first. The seer (later identified as Samuel) offers hospitality to Saul when he nears the high place at Ramah, and later anoints him in private.
• (1 Samuel 10:17-24 and 12:1-5) Seeing that Samuel's sons were corrupt and desiring to be like other nations, the Israelites demand a king. Samuel therefore assembles the people at Mizpah, and despite having strong reservations, obeys God's instruction to appoint a king. In this version, a lottery system is used to determine the choice. First the tribe of Benjamin is chosen, and then Saul. The seemingly unsuspecting Saul seeks to avoid his fate by hiding in the baggage. He is soon discovered, anointed, and publicly proclaimed. The text notes, however, that certain "troublemakers" grumble against the choice.
• (1 Samuel 11:1-11 and 11:15) In this story, Saul is living as a private lanholder. He rises to the kingship by uniting the several tribes to relieve the people of Jabesh Gilead, who are being besieges by the Ammonites. After Saul gains victory, the people congregate at Gilgal, and acclaim Saul as king. (This account is portrayed in the text as a confirmation of Saul's already confirmed kingship, but some scholars take the view that it describes a separate tradition about the origin of Saul's monarchy, which a later editor has characterized as a confirmation.)

The tribe Benjamin was an unlikely choice for a king. Saul's own declaration "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel?" (1 Sam. 9:21) betrays not only his own lack of confidence but also the fact that Benjamin was by this time a weak and despised part of the Israelite confederacy. Indeed, the final chapter of the Book of Judges speaks of the Israelites swearing that "Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite." (Judges 21:1) Although this oath was later rescinded, there can be little doubt that the choice of a Benjaminite as king would be problematic to many among the other tribes.

Michmash

Saul amasses an army to throw off the Philistine yoke. Just before this battle, however, he has a serous falling out with Samuel. Samuel has intructed Saul to wait seven days for him before attacking. Saul does so, but as the hour approaches, his men begin to desert. When the appointed time comes and goes without Samuel appearing, Saul prepares for battle by offering sacrifice to God. Samuel soon arrives on the scene and condemns Saul, apparently for ursurping the priestly role. Samuel withdraws his support from Saul and declares that God has chosen another to replace. Deprived of Samuel's blessing, Saul's army has become small, numbering only around 600 men. The text portrays the Philistine army as vastly outnumbering the Israelites and also having superior weaponry due to their master of the art of metalworking while the Israelites use mostly flint and wood weapons.

Jonathan and a small group of Isrealites sneak into a Philistine outpost wihtout Saul's knowledge to attack them from within, causing panic. However, trouble brews for the Israelites spirtually. Saul has vowed that his men will not eat unti the battle is over, and Jonathan — who has not heard the vow — consumes wild honey. Nevertheless, the battle goes well. When the Israelites notice the chaos, Saul joins in the attack and the Philistines are driven out. Some of the soldiers, however, sin by eating plundered meat that has not been properly slaughtered.

Saul asks his priest, Ahijah, to use divination to ask God whether he should pursue the Philistines and slaughter them, but God give no answer. Convinced that God's silence is due to someone's sin, Saul conducts a lottery and discovers Jonathan's sin of eating forbidden honey. Saul determines to slay Jonathan for his offense, but the soliders come to Jonathans defense. Saul relents, and he also cuts off his pursuit of the Philistines — an act that would haunt him.

All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service. (1 Sam. 14:52)

Rejection

Samuel now appears again and gives Saul another chance. He must make holy war against the people known as the Amalekites. To conduct the war acceptably to God, he must slay every last one of these people, including women and children, as well as livestock. His troops must also refrain from taking plunder of any kind.

Saul carries out a widspread assault against the Amalekites, killing all of them except their king, Agag. His troops, morevoer, keep some of the best cattle alive. Saul erects a victory monement at Mt. Carmel and returns to Gilgal. Samuel, however, does not share his sense of joy. He angrily accuses the king of disobience. The biwildered Saul protests, saying:

I did obey the Lord. I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.

Sameul rejects this explanation as an excuse for disobedience. Saul then admits his sin and begs for forgiveness, pleading for Samuel to return with him "so that I might worship God." Samuel, however, declares that God has rejected Saul as king. He turns away, and Saul desperately grabs his garment, which rips. Samuel interprets this as a prophetic act, confirming that God has torn the kingdom from Saul. Samuel makes one concession and allows Saul to worhsip God with him. He then commands that Agag should be brought forth. He promptly "hews Agag in pieces" and leaves the scene, never to see Saul again in this life.

Saul and David

The text soon tells us that God's spirit has left Saul, and an "evil spirit from the Lord" has obessessed him. (1 Sam. 16:14) 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 armour bearer. David remains at court playing the harp as needed by Saul to calm his moods. Previously, we have been informed that Samuel has gone to Bethlehem and secretly anointed the young David to be Israel's king.

The story of David and Goliath intervenes at this point. Here, (1 Samuel 17:1-18:5) the Philistines return with an army to attack Israel, and Jesse sends David not as a harper to the king, but merely as a messenger to carry food to his older brothers, who serve in the army. David learns that the giant Goliath has challenged Israel to send its champion to fight him. David volunteers for the task. Saul, who in this story seems not to have met David previously, then appoints the lad as his champion David defeats Goliath and becomes the king's favorite. Jonathan, a kindred spirit to David, makes a pact with him, giving him his own clothing and weapons. Saul dispatches David on various military errands, and he wins renoun. An ominous turn occurs, however, as Israelite women take up the dangerous chant: "Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands." Saul now begins to see David as a possible threat to the throne.

The text gives us an insight into Saul's spiritual character at this point as it describes him as "prophesying in his house." Earlier it has described his a engaging in ecstatic "prophesy" with the bands so roving prophets associated with Samuel. This prophetic tendency in Saul also apparently made him vulnerable to torments from the infamous "evil spirit from God." Thus while Saul was prophesying, the evil spirit from the Lord "came forcefully upon him" and inspired him to attempt to murder David. The harper twice eluded the king's attacks, and Saul then sent David away, fearing the Lord's presence with him.

Saul's enmity with David

File:Saul Throws Spear at David by George Tinworth.png

"Saul Throws Spear at David" by George Tinworth

In the text, after David is introduced at court, Jonathan becomes extremely fond of him, to the extent of loving him as himself, and stripping naked (or nearly naked) in front of him (1 Samuel 18:4) to give his military clothes to David; some scholars think that the text here, and elsewhere, refers to them having had a homosexual relationship. After David returns from killing Goliath, 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 was playing the harp, Saul threw a spear at him, due to having been possessed by an evil spirit, but missed, on two occasions. Saul resolved to get David out of the court, and appointed him an officer, but David became increasingly successful, making Saul resentful of him. Saul schemed to rid himself of the problem by offering David the hand of his daughter, Merob, in return for being his champion, but David turned the offer down claiming he was too humble, and Merob was married to another man instead. Another daughter, Michal, had fallen for David, so Saul repeated the offer in regard to her, but again David turned it down claiming he was too poor; Saul persuaded David that the bride price would only be 100 foreskins from the Philistines, hoping that David would be killed trying to achieve this. David managed to obtain 200 foreskins, and was thus married to Michal.

The narrative continues with Saul making further plots against David, but Jonathan dissuades Saul from this course of action, and tells David what had occurred. Saul then seemingly 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 look like David was still in bed. David flees to Jonathan, who seemingly wasn't living near Saul, and Jonathan agrees to return to Saul and find out his ultimate intent. When 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 at a pre-arranged spot, and tells him Saul's intent, and the two friends say their goodbyes, David fleeing into the country. Saul later causes Michal to marry another man instead of David.

Saul is later informed by an Edomite named Doeg that he had witnessed David hiding in a place named Nob, and that the priest of Nob, Ahimelech, had helped David with food, and by consulting God for him. Saul therefore summons Ahimelech, and criticises him for his assistance to David, then orders henchmen to kill Ahimelech, and the other priests of Nob. None of Saul's henchmen is willing to do this, so Doeg offers to do it instead, killing 85 priests, and Saul also kills every man, woman, and child living in Nob.

David had left Nob by this point and had amassed about 400 disaffected men together a group of outlaws. With his men David launched an attack on the Philistines at Keilah, and evicted them from the city, but when Saul heard about this, Saul lead his army there, so that he could trap David and his men inside the city and besiege it. David however heard about this, and having received divine council (via the Ephod) that the citizens of Keilah would betray him to Saul, decided to leave, and fled to Ziph. Saul finds out about this and pursues David there 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. 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. David hid in the caves at Engedi, and after fighting the Philistines, Saul went to Engedi to attack him. Saul eventually enters the cave in which David had been hiding, but as David was 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 taboo against killing an anointed king. David then leaves the cave, revealing himself to Saul, and gives a speech that persuades Saul to reconcile with David, and the two make an oath not to harm one another.
• Shortly afterwards some of the inhabitants of Ziph betray David's location to Saul, and so Saul goes 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 was sleeping. David prevents his associates from killing Saul due to 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 an oppositing slope to Saul's camp, and shouts out 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.

According to textual scholars, this narrative is the result of the splicing together of two earlier narratives - the republican source and the monarchial source; the republican source being responsible for the passages involving Jonathan, the first pursuit to Ziph and the first reconciliation; the monarchial source being responsible for the passages involving Michal, Nob, the second pursuit to Ziph and second reconciliation. Michal essentially plays the same role in the monarchial source as Jonathan does in the republican source - as David's protector in Saul's court.

Both narratives are interesting to scholars of biblical criticism, who, for example, view the republican source as having incorporated a folk etymology for the gorge of divisions into the narrative. The monarchial source mentioning a household idol is of interest as it indicates that such things existed and were not regarded as inappropriate in early Yahweh-religion; archaeology confirms a large number of household idols existed in early Israel, particularly statues of Asherah, Yahweh's wife (according to inscriptions on a number of surviving Asherah statues).

David's relationship with Jonathan, and David's subsequent flight, is seen by some as being an eponym-type narrative, in which nations are treated as people - David representing the Kingdom of Judah, and Jonathan representing the Hebrews (who the text of the books of Samuel appears to treat as distinct from Israel or Judah). David's 400 strong army thus would constitute the army of Judah (compare Saul's 600 strong army of Israel), while Jonathan's visits and association with David reflects an alliance between the Hebrews and Judah which became more important than the alliance between the Hebrews and Israel. In essence the narrative of David's flight and reconciliation with Saul becomes one of a rebellion by Judah, assisted by the Hebrews, that eventually became an uneasy truce.

Is Saul among the prophets?

The phrase is Saul among the prophets, is mentioned by the text in a way that suggests it was a popular phrase or proverb in later Israelite culture, perhaps in a similar way to is the Pope a Catholic. It is given an etymology on two separate occasions:

• (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, tamborine, and flutes. 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 the men meet a group of ecstatic prophets playing music on lyre, tamborine, and flute, they become overcome with a prophetic state and join in. Saul sends more men, but they too join the prophets. Eventually Saul himself goes, and also joines the prophets, hence the phrase.

According to textual criticism, the reason for these two quite different explanations is that they come from two different sources - the first from the monarchial source, which portrays the phrase as casting Saul in a positive light, while the second is considered to come from the republican source, and suggests the phrase was a mockery of Saul. Which of these is the true origin of the phrase, or whether another explanation is the genuine one, is unknown.

Battle of Gilboa

The Battle of Gilboa, by Jean Fouquet

Despite the oath(s) of reconciliation, the biblical text states that David felt insecure, and so made an alliance with the Philistines, becoming their vassal. Emboldened by this, the Philistines prepared to attack Israel, and Saul lead out his army to face them at Gilboa, but before the battle decided to secretly consult the witch of Endor for advice. The witch, unaware of who he is, reminds Saul that the king (i.e. Saul himself) had made witchery a capital offence, 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 the 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 suicide by falling on his sword, when the armour bearer refuses. An Amalekite then kills Saul, upon his request, and when the Amalekite tells David, he has him killed. The body of Saul, with those of his sons, was fastened to the wall of Beth-shan, and his armor was hung up in the house of Ashtaroth. The inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead (the scene of Saul's first victory) rescue the bodies and take them to Jabesh-gilead, where they burn them, and bury the ashes.

According to critical scholars, this, like much of the narrative of Saul's life, is essentially the splicing together of two originally distinct sources - the republican source and monarchial source. To the republican source is assigned the narrative of the witch of endor, which clearly mocks Saul, and Saul's suicide, while the monarchial source has the Amakelite as Saul's killer. The narrative of the witch of Endor is considered to simply be a satire by the author of the republican source against Saul, rather than being based on any tradition, and Saul's death at the hands of another is considered more likely than suicide, which seems to be an attack on his character.

Classical Rabbinical Views

Two opposing views of Saul are found in classical rabbinical literature. One is based on the reverse logic 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 favorable light as man, as hero, and as king. This view is similar to that of the monarchial 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. Ḳ. 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 Torah 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. Ḳ 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; Yalḳ., Sam. 138).

According to the Rabbis, Saul ate his food with due regard for the rules of ceremonial purity prescribed for the sacrifice (Yalḳ., 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; Yalḳ., Sam. 131) - this act was forgiven him, however, and a heavenly voice (bat ḳol) 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 Sheol, Saul dwells with Samuel, which is a proof that all has been forgiven him ('Er. 53b).

Kingdom of Israel

Succeeded by: Ish-bosheth

This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Wellhausen, Der Text der Bücher Samuelis
• K. Budde, Die Bücher Richter und Samuel, 1890, pp. 167-276;
• S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text of the Books of Samuel, 1890;
• T. K. Cheyne, Aids to the Devout Study of Criticism, 1892, pp. 1-126;
• H. P. Smith, Old Testament History, 1903, ch. vii.;
• Cheyne and Black, Encyclopedia Biblica

External links

• SAMUEL AND SAUL: A NEGATIVE SYMBIOSIS by Rabbi Moshe Reiss

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