Saul
Saul שָׁאוּל | |||||
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House | House of Saul | ||||
Father | Kish |
Saul (
The historicity of Saul and the United Kingdom of Israel is not universally accepted, as what is known of both comes exclusively from the Hebrew Bible.[3][5] According to the text, he was anointed as king of the Israelites by Samuel, and reigned from Gibeah. Saul is said to have committed suicide when he "fell on his sword" during a battle with the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, in which three of his sons were also killed. Saul's son Ish-bosheth succeeded him on the throne and was later murdered by his own military leaders, and then his son-in-law David became king.
Biblical account
The biblical accounts of Saul's life are found in the Books of Samuel:
House of King Saul
According to the
According to the
Saul married
Saul also had a
Saul died at the Battle of Mount Gilboa,[9] and was buried in Zelah, in the region of Benjamin.[10] Three of Saul's sons – Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua – died with him at Mount Gilboa.[11] His surviving son Ish-bosheth became king of Israel, at the age of forty. At David's request Abner had Michal returned to David. Ish-bosheth reigned for two years, but after the death of Abner, was killed by two of his own captains.[12]
During a famine, God told king David that the famine happened because of how Saul treated the
The only male descendant of Saul to survive was Mephibosheth, Jonathan's lame son,[20] who was five years old at the time of his father's and grandfather's deaths. In time, he came under the protection of David.[21] Mephibosheth had a young son, Micah,[22] who had four sons and descendants named until the ninth generation.[23]
Anointed as king
The First Book of Samuel gives three accounts of Saul's rise to the throne in three successive chapters:
- Saul is sent with a servant to look for his father's strayed donkeys. Leaving his home at Gibeah, they eventually arrive at the district of Zuph, at which point Saul suggests abandoning their search. Saul's servant tells him that they happen to be near the town of Ramah, where a famous seer dwells, and suggests that they should consult him first. The seer (later identified by the text as Samuel) offers hospitality to Saul and later anoints him in private.[24][25]
- A popular movement having arisen to establish a centralized monarchy like other nations, Samuel assembles the people at However, some of the people are openly unhappy with the selection of Saul.
- The Saul's first act is to forbid retribution against those who had previously contested his kingship.
André Lemaire finds the third account probably the most reliable tradition.[31] The Pulpit Commentary distinguishes between a private and a public selection process.[32]
Saul among the prophets
Having been anointed by Samuel, Saul is told of signs indicating that he has been divinely appointed. The last of these is that Saul will be met by an ecstatic group of prophets leaving a high place and playing the lyre, tambourine, and flutes. Saul encounters the ecstatic prophets and joins them.[29] Later, Saul sends men to pursue David, but when they meet a group of ecstatic prophets playing music, they are overcome by the Spirit of God and join in giving prophetic words. Saul sends more men, but they too join the prophets. Eventually, Saul himself goes and also joins the prophets.[33]
Military victories
After relieving the siege of Jabesh-Gilead, Saul conducts military campaigns against the
In the second year of his reign, King Saul, his son Jonathan, and a small force of a few thousand Israelite soldiers defeated a massive Philistine force of 3,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and more than 30,000 infantry in the pass of
Rejection
During Saul's campaign against the Philistines, Samuel said that he would arrive in seven days to perform the requisite rites. When a week passed with no word of Samuel, and with the Israelites growing restless, Saul prepares for battle by offering sacrifices. Samuel arrives just as Saul is finishing sacrificing and reprimands Saul for not obeying his instructions.
Several years after Saul's victory against the Philistines at Michmash Pass, Samuel instructs Saul to make war on the
- When the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies on every hand, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; do not forget.
Having forewarned the
Saul and David
After Samuel tells Saul that God has rejected him as king, David, a son of Jesse, from the tribe of Judah, enters the story: from this point on Saul's story is largely the account of his increasingly troubled relationship with David.
- Samuel heads to Bethlehem, ostensibly to offer sacrifice and invited Jesse and his sons. Dining together, Jesse's sons are brought one by one to Samuel, each being rejected; at last, Jesse sends for David, the youngest, who is tending sheep. When brought to Samuel, David is anointed by him in front of his other brothers.
- In 1 Samuel 16:25-23, Saul is troubled by an evil spirit sent by God.[41] He requests soothing music, and a servant recommends David the son of Jesse, who is renowned for his skills as a harpist and other talents:[42]
- a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him
- When word of Saul's needs reaches Jesse, he sends David, who had been looking after Jesse's flock, with gifts as a tribute,[43] and David is appointed as Saul's armor bearer. With Jesse's permission he remains at court, playing the harp as needed to calm Saul during his troubled spells.[44]
- The Philistines return with an army to attack Israel, and the Philistine and Israelite forces gather on opposite sides of a valley. The Philistine's champion Goliath issues a challenge for single combat, but none of the Israelite accept. David is described as a young shepherd who happens to be delivering food to his three eldest brothers in the army, and he hears Goliath's challenge. David speaks mockingly of the Philistines to some soldiers; his speech is overheard and reported to Saul, who summons David and appoints David as his champion. David easily defeats Goliath with a single shot from a sling. At the end of the passage, Saul asks his general, Abner, who David is.[45]
Saul offered his elder daughter Merab as a wife to the now popular David, after his victory over Goliath, but David demurred. David distinguishes himself in the Philistine wars. Upon David's return from battle, the women praise him in song:
- Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands [46]
implying that David is the greater warrior. Saul fears David's growing popularity and henceforth views him as a rival to the throne.
Saul's son Jonathan and David become close friends. Jonathan recognizes David as the rightful king, and "made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul."[47] Jonathan even gives David his military clothes, symbolizing David's position as successor to Saul.
On two occasions, Saul threw a spear at David as he played the harp for Saul. David becomes increasingly successful and Saul becomes increasingly resentful. Now Saul actively plots against David. Saul offered his other daughter, Michal in marriage to David. David initially rejects this offer also, claiming he is too poor. Saul offers to accept a bride price of 100 Philistine foreskins, intending that David die in the attempt. Instead, David obtains 200 foreskins and is consequently married to Michal. Jonathan arranges a short-lived reconciliation between Saul and David and for a while David served Saul "as in times past"[48] until "the distressing spirit from the Lord" re-appeared. Saul sends assassins in the night, but Michal helps him escape, tricking them by placing a household idol in his bed. David flees to Jonathan, who arranges a meeting with his father. While dining with Saul, Jonathan explains David's absence, saying he has been called away to his brothers. But Saul sees through the ruse and reprimands Jonathan for protecting David, warning him that his love of David will cost him the kingdom, furiously throwing a spear at him. The next day, Jonathan meets with David and tells him Saul's intent. The two friends say their goodbyes, and David flees into the countryside. Saul later marries Michal to another man.
Saul is later informed by his head shepherd, Doeg the Edomite, that high priest Ahimelech assisted David, giving him the sword of Goliath, which had been kept at the temple at Nob. Doeg kills Ahimelech and eighty-five other priests and Saul orders the death of the entire population of Nob.
David had left Nob by this point and had amassed some 300 dissatisfied men, including some outlaws. With these men David rescues the town of
- 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 is forced to break off pursuit when the Philistines invade. After dealing with that threat Saul tracks David to the caves at Engedi. As he searches the cave David manages to cut off a piece of Saul's robe without being discovered, yet David restrains his men from harming the 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 slips into Saul's camp by night, and again restrains his men from killing the king; instead he steals Saul's spear and water jug, leaving his own spear thrust into the ground by Saul's side. The next day, David reveals himself to Saul, showing the jug and spear as proof that he could have slain him. David then persuades Saul to reconcile with him; the two swear never to harm each other. After this they never see each other again.
Battle of Gilboa and the death of King Saul
The Philistines make war again, assembling at
Saul's death is described by the narrator (and also in 1 Chronicles 10) but a conflicting account is given by a young Amalekite who lies, thinking to win David's favour.
The victorious Philistines recover Saul's body as well as those of his three sons who also died in the battle, decapitate them and display them on the wall of Beth-shan. They display Saul's armour in the temple of Ashtaroth (an Ascalonian temple of the Canaanites). But at night the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead retrieve the bodies for cremation and burial.[53] Later on, David takes the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan and buries them in Zela, in the tomb of his father.[54][55] The account in 1 Chronicles summarises by stating that:
- Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance.[56]
Biblical criticism
There are several textual or narrative issues in the text, including the aforementioned conflicting accounts of Saul's rise to kingship and his death, as well as plays on words, that biblical scholars have discussed.
The birth-narrative of the prophet
The Bible's tone with regard to Saul changes over the course of the narrative, especially around the passage where David appears, midway through 1 Samuel. Before, Saul is presented in positive terms, but afterward his mode of ecstatic prophecy is suddenly described as fits of madness, his errors and disobedience to Samuel's instructions are stressed and he becomes a paranoiac. This may indicate that the David story is inserted from a source loyal to the House of David; David's lament over Saul in 2 Samuel 1 then serves an apologetic purpose, clearing David of the blame for Saul's death.[58]
In the narrative of Saul's private anointing in 1 Samuel 9:1-10:16, Saul is not referred to as a king (melech), but rather as a "leader" or "commander" (nagid)[59][60] Saul is only given the title "king" (melech) at the public coronation ceremony at Gilgal.[61]
Various authors have attempted to harmonize the two narratives regarding Saul's death. Josephus writes that Saul's attempted suicide was stalled because he was not able to run the sword through himself, and that he therefore asked the Amalekite to finish it.[62] Later biblical criticism has posited that the story of Saul's death was redacted from various sources, although this view in turn has been criticized because it does not explain why the contradiction was left in by the redactors.[62] But since 2 Samuel records only the Amalekite's report, and not the report of any other eye-witness, some scholars theorize that the Amalekite may have been lying to try to gain favor with David. On this view, 1 Samuel records what actually happened, while 2 Samuel records what the Amalekite claimed happened.[63]
Classical rabbinical views
Two opposing views of Saul are found in classical rabbinical literature. One is based on the
The second view of Saul makes him appear in the most favourable light as man, as hero, and as king. In this view, it was on account of his modesty that he did not reveal the fact that he had been anointed king;[67] and he was extraordinarily upright as well as perfectly just. Nor was there any one more pious than he;[68] for when he ascended the throne he was as pure as a child, and had never committed sin.[69] He was marvelously handsome; and the maidens who told him concerning Samuel (1 Samuel 9:11–13) talked so long with him in order to observe his beauty for longer.[70] In war he was able to march 120 miles without rest. When commanded to smite Amalek (1 Samuel 15:3), Saul said: For one found slain the Torah requires a sin offering;[71] 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 humaneness which cost him his crown. And while Saul was merciful to his enemies, he was strict with his own people; when he found out that Ahimelech, a kohen, had assisted David with finding food, Saul, in retaliation, killed the remaining 85 kohanim of Ahimelech's family and the rest of his hometown, Nob.[72] The fact that he was merciful even to his enemies, being indulgent to rebels themselves, and frequently waiving the homage due to him, was incredible as well as deceiving. But if his mercy toward a foe was a sin, it was his only one; it was his misfortune that it was reckoned against him, while David (who had committed many sins) was so favored that it was not remembered to his injury.[73] In some respects Saul was superior to David, e.g., in having only one concubine (Rizpah), 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 forward, while David heeded the wish of his soldiers not to go to war in person.[74]
According to the Rabbis, Saul followed the rules of
In Islam
In the
Name
The name 'Ṭālūt' has uncertain
Saul as the King of Israel
In the Qur'an, Israelites demanded a King after the time of Musa (Moses). God appointed Talut as their King. Saul was distinguished by the greatness of his knowledge and of his physique; it was a sign of his role as King that God brought back the Ark of the Covenant for Israel. Talut tested his people at a river; whoever drank from it would not follow him in battle excepting one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand. Many drank but only the faithful ventured on. In the battle, however, David slew Goliath and was made the subsequent King of Israel.[85]
The Qur'anic account[85] differs from the Biblical account (if Saul is assumed to be Talut) in that in the Bible the sacred Ark was returned to Israel before Saul's accession, and the test by drinking water is made in the Hebrew Bible not by Saul but by Gideon.[87]
Historicity
The
In the Jewish Study Bible (2014),
Psychological analyses
Accounts of Saul's behavior have made him a popular subject for speculation among modern psychiatrists. George Stein views the passages depicting Saul's ecstatic episodes as suggesting that he may have suffered from mania.[96] Martin Huisman sees the story of Saul as illustrative of the role of stress as a factor in depression.[97] Liubov Ben-Noun of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, believes that passages referring to King Saul's disturbed behavior indicate he was afflicted by a mental disorder, and lists a number of possible conditions.[98] However, Christopher C. H. Cook of the Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University, UK recommends caution in offering any diagnoses in relation to people who lived millennia ago.[99]
See also
- David in Islam
- Kings of Israel and Judah
- Midrash Samuel
- Saul of Tarsusas a Pharisee)
References
- ISBN 978-0-50077428-1. Archivedfrom the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ISBN 9780567458575. Archivedfrom the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ ISBN 9781575061283. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- JSTOR 1518499.
- ^ a b Baruch Halpern (2003). David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 208–211.
- ^ Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ 1 Samuel 14:49 lists three sons – Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchi-shua – and the two daughters. But see also 2 Samuel 2:8 and 1 Chronicles 8:33
- ^ 2 Samuel 21:8
- ^ 1 Samuel 31:3–6; 1 Chronicles 10:3–6
- ^ 2 Samuel 21:14
- ^ 1 Samuel 31:2; 1 Chronicles 10:2
- ^ 2 Samuel 4:5
- ^ 2 Samuel 21:1-6
- ISBN 0878202234.
- ^ 2 Samuel 21:8–9
- ^ 2 Samuel 21:8-9
- ^ 2 Samuel 21:10
- ^ 2 Samuel 21:13-14
- ^ 2 Samuel 6:23
- ^ 2 Samuel 4:4
- ^ 2 Samuel 9:7–13
- ^ 2 Samuel 9:12
- ^ 1 Chronicles 8:35–38
- ^ 1 Samuel 9
- ^ a b Driscoll, James F. (1912). "Saul". The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ 1 Samuel 8
- ^ Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 1 Samuel 10, accessed 1 May 2017.
- ^ 1 Samuel 10:17-24
- ^ a b ""Saul, First King of Israel", Chabad.org".
- ^ 1 Samuel 11
- ^ a b "King Saul".
- ^ Pulpit Commentary on 1 Samuel 10, accessed 1 May 2017.
- ^ 1 Samuel 19:24
- ^ 1 Samuel 14:47
- ^ 1 Samuel 14:47: New Living Translation; other translations vary
- ^ Benson Commentary on 1 Samuel 14, accessed 7 May 2017.
- ^ 1 Samuel 14:24–45
- ^ 1 Samuel 15:3
- ^ Deuteronomy 25:19
- ^ 1 Samuel 15:33–35
- ^ Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 1 Samuel 16, accessed 12 May 2017.
- ^ 1 Samuel 16:14–23
- ^ 1 Samuel 16:20: a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat
- ^ 1 Samuel 17:15 suggests David only attended court periodically.
- ^ 1 Samuel 17:1–18:5
- ^ 1 Samuel 18:7, recurring in 1 Samuel 21:11 and 1 Samuel 29:5
- ^ "1 Samuel 18; ESV – David and Jonathan's Friendship". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ 1 Samuel 19:1–7
- ISSN 0003-2980.
- ISBN 978-3-16-148569-5.
17. Of the two conflicting accounts of Saul's death in 1 Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1, ...
- ISBN 978-0-19-870273-3.
What thematic purpose is served, however, and how is the 'unity' of the narrative advanced, by two conflicting accounts of Saul's death: what has a twofold account of this incident to do with the legitimizing of David and how does it place Saul in an 'unfavourable light'?
- ISBN 978-0-313-35180-8.
The Bible is clear that King Saul died by suicide; however, it contains conflicting accounts of the particulars.
- ^ 1 Samuel 31:8–13, 1 Chronicles 10:12
- ^ 2 Samuel 21:12–14
- ^ G. Darshan, "The Reinterment of Saul and Jonathan's Bones (II Sam 21, 12–14) in Light of Ancient Greek Hero-Cult Stories", ZAW, 125,4 (2013), 640–645.
- ^ 1 Chronicles 10:13–14
- Kyle McCarter's influential commentary on I Samuel (P. Kyle McCarter, "I Samuel: A New Translation with Introduction, Notes and Commentary", Anchor Bible Series, 1980)
- ^ Hayes, Christine. "Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible): Lecture 13 – The Deuteronomistic History: Prophets and Kings (1 and 2 Samuel)". Yale Open Courses. Yale University. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ 1 Samuel 9:16; 1 Samuel 10:1
- ^ Bright, John, A History of Israel, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1972, p. 185.
- ^ 1 Samuel 11:15
- ^ a b Bill T. Arnold (1989). "The Amalekite report of Saul's death: political intrigue or incompatible sources?" (PDF). Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. 32 (3): 289–298.
- ^ Life Application Study Bible: Note on 2 Samuel 1:13
- ^ Numbers Rabbah 9:28
- ^ Genesis Rabbah 25:3
- ^ Leviticus Rabbah 9:2
- ^ 1 Samuel 10:16; Megillah 13b
- Moed Kattan 16b; Exodus Rabbah30:12
- ^ Yoma 22b
- ^ Berachot 48b
- ^ Deuteronomy 21:1–9
- ^ Yoma 22b; Numbers Rabbah 1:10
- ^ Yoma 22b; Moed Kattan 16b, and Rashi ad loc.
- ^ 2 Samuel 21:17; Leviticus Rabbah 26:7; Yalkut Shimoni, Samuel 138
- ^ Yalkut Shimoni, Samuel 138
- ^ cf 1 Samuel 14:34
- ^ 1 Samuel 13:22
- ^ Deuteronomy Rabbah 5:10
- ^ 1 Samuel 22:16–19; Yalkut Shimoni, Samuel 131
- ^ Berachot 12b
- ^ a b Numbers Rabbah 8:4
- ^ Sanhedrin 19b
- ^ Eruvin 53b
- M. A. S. Abdel Haleem: The Qur'an, a new translation, note to 2:247.
- ^ a b c Quran 2:246-252
- ^ Leaman, Oliver, The Quran, An Encyclopedia, 2006, p. 638.
- ^ Judges vii. 5–7
- ISBN 9781628370065
- ISBN 978-1-4674-5949-5.
- ISBN 978-0-8028-2797-5.
- ISBN 9789004281226.
- ISBN 978-0-19-997846-5.
As this essay will show, however, the premonarchic period long ago became a literary description of the mythological roots, the early beginnings of the nation and the way to describe the right of Israel on its land. The archeological evidence also does not support the existence of a united monarchy under David and Solomon as described in the Bible, so the rubric of "united monarchy" is best abandoned, although it remains useful for discussing how the Bible views the Israelite past. [...] Although the kingdom of Judah is mentioned in some ancient inscriptions, they never suggest that it was part of a unit comprised of Israel and Judah. There are no extrabiblical indications of a united monarchy called "Israel."
- ISBN 978-0-19-997846-5.
Archeological evidence for the early stages of the monarchy is minimal at best. [...] In any case, the lack of substantive epigraphic materials from this early stage of the Iron Age II (after 1000 BC), and other extensive archeological evidence, indicate that even if an early united monarchy existed, its level of political and bureaucratic complexity was not as developed as the biblical text suggests. The mention of the "House of David" in the Tel Dan inscription, which dates to the mid/late 9th c. BC, does not prove the existence of an extensive Davidic kingdom in the early 10th c. BC, but does indicate a Judean polity during the 9th c. that even then associated its origin with David. [...] Although there is archeological and historical evidence (from extra biblical documents) supporting various events of the monarchical period (esp. the later period) recorded in the Bible, there is little, if any evidence corroborating the biblical depiction of early Israelite or Judean history.
- ISBN 978-1-4674-5949-5.
Finkelstein's low chronology, never followed by a majority of mainstream scholars, is a house of cards. Yet it is the only reason for attributing our copious tenth-century-BC archaeological evidence of a united monarchy to the ninth century BC. Finkelstein himself seems to have doubts. Originally, he insisted that no Judean state emerged until the eighth century BC. Then it was the ninth century BC. Eventually he posited a tenth-century-BC "Saulide polity" with its "hub" at Gibeon—not Jerusalem, and not Solomon, only his predecessor! But there is absolutely no archaeological evidence for such an imaginary kingdom. Finkelstein's radical scenario is clever, but not convincing. It should be ignored. The reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon are reasonably well attested.
- ISBN 9789004281226.
The continuous debate concerning the evaluation of the United Monarchy as an historical entity cannot be resolved unequivocally by archaeology due to the current disagreements among archaeologists regarding the interpretation of the evidence. In my view, when taking into account the combined evidence presented above, as well as in previous papers, we cannot simply deny the existence of such an entity. How to define and explain this state in the tenthcentury is a matter of debate. In previous papers, I explained David's kingdom as a tribal state that emerged at a time of political vacuum in most of the southern Levant, caused by the great weakness of the earlier Canaanite population and the increase in the Israelite population in the highlands. This background, combined with personal qualities and a small but effective milittary force, may have enabled David to create a substantial political and military power, which may have included large parts of the country.
- .
- PMID 17873225.
- S2CID 220300173.
- .
Bibliography
- 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
- Kent, Grenville J.R. (2014-01-01). ""Call up Samuel": Who Appeared to the Witch at En-Dor? (1 Samuel 28:3-25)". Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS). 52 (2). ISSN0003–2980.
- 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
- Hudson, J. Francis, 'Rabshakeh' [Lion Publishing 1992] is a fictionalisation of Saul's tragedy.
- Green, A., 'King Saul, The True History of the First Messiah' [Lutterworth Press 2007]
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Joseph Jacobs, Ira Maurice Price, Isidore Singer, and Jacob Zallel Lauterbach (1901–1906). "Saul". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
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External links
- Media related to Saul (Biblical figure) at Wikimedia Commons