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This article is about King Saul. For other uses, see Saul (disambiguation).

Saul (שאול המלך) (or Sha'ul) (Hebrew: שָׁאוּל, Standard Šaʾul Tiberian Šāʾûl ; "asked for") (reigned 1047 BC - 1007 BC) is identified in the Books of Samuel, 1 Chronicles and the Qur'an as the first king of the ancient Kingdom of Israel. Tiberian Hebrew is an extinct (yet very well documented Oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Tanakh, that was The Books of Samuel ( Hebrew: Sefer Sh'muel ספר שמואל are part of the Tanakh (part of Judaism 's Hebrew Bible) and also of The Books of Chronicles ( Hebrew Divrei Hayyamim, דברי הימים Greek Paraleipomêna) are part of the Hebrew Bible (Jewish The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran The United Monarchy ( United Kingdom of Israel and Judah) refers to a period in the traditional account of the History of ancient Israel and Judah lasting [1][2] Saul reigned from Gibeah during the closing decades of the second millennium B. Gibeah (גבעה – could be a variation of the Hebrew word meaning “hill” other names include Gibeah of Benjamin and Gibeah of Saul C. He died during a Philistine conquest, when a part of his kingdom succumbed to Philistine control and occupation. The Philistines ( Hebrew פלשתים plishtim) (see "other uses" below were a people who inhabited the southern coast of Canaan, The kingdom's remainder was contested by his surviving son Ish-bosheth and their common rival David. Ish-bosheth ( Standard: Ishbóshet Tiberian: ʼΚbṓšeṯ also called Eshbaal ( Standard Eshbáʻal Tiberian ʼEšbáʻal Ashbaal David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Saul's traditional biography in the Books of Samuel reveals two main sources, independent of each other. The Books of Samuel ( Hebrew: Sefer Sh'muel ספר שמואל are part of the Tanakh (part of Judaism 's Hebrew Bible) and also of

David and Saul (1885) by Julius Kronberg.
David and Saul (1885) by Julius Kronberg. Julius Kronberg, Swedish painter, 1850 - 1921 Julius Kronberg received education at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm in the

Contents

Nativity

According to the Books of Shmuel, Shaul was the son of Kish, and a member of the tribe of Benjamin (I Samuel 9:1); Hannah, who had been childless, had begged God for a son, and when she later became pregnant named the son Shmuel to reflect this; meaning this passage now refers to a different person, the last of the Hebrew Judges, rather than the person who would become king. Kish (qish Kis Keis "bow" "power" is the name of the father of the Israelite King Saul ( the first king of the Israelites The Tribe of Benjamin ( was one of the Tribes of Israel. At its height the territory it occupied was sandwiched between that of Ephraim to the north and Judah Samuel ( Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל, Standard Šəmuʼel Tiberian Šəmûʼēl) is an important [3]

Some scholars of Hebrew, however, find Shmuel (literally name of God) an odd name to be explained by this etymology; the traditional translation heard of God (i. e. God heard) requires a linguistically awkward rendering, as heard of God is actually Shamael; Saul, on the other hand, would have fit the explanation near-perfectly, since the Hebrew term used for asked is sha'ul. [4]

Appointment as King

In the source telling of his anointing (I Sam. 9:1-10:16), Saul is not referred to as a king (melech), but rather as a “leader” or “commander” (nagid) (I Sam. 9:16; 10:1). [5] However (possibly representing an opposing literary strain), Saul is said to be made a "king" (melech) at Gilgal (I Sam. 11:15). Even David, before he was anointed king, was referred to only as a future nagid, or military commander (I Sam. 13:14).

The people generally used the term “king,” because their desire was to be like the other nations (I Sam. 8:5; 10:19). 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 (I Sam. 11:14-12:2)

Saul's reign is said to be only two years in length. The Books of Samuel give three distinct accounts of how Saul came to be anointed as king:

According to many scholars using source criticism, the existence of three different explanations here is the result of the biblical narrative being spliced together from a number of originally distinct source texts. This entry is about Source evaluation (or information evaluation) in an interdisciplinary context and thus not limited to some discipline-specific understanding of This may be supported by text-critical evidence: in the Septuagint version of 1 Samuel 11:15, Saul is being publicly anointed as king by Samuel at Gilgal, rather than the crowd simply acclaiming him as such; i. The Septuagint (ˈsɛptuədʒɪnt or simply " LXX " is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the e. Saul gets anointed three times, and twice publicly.

Biblical scholars[6] argue that the three accounts are a reasonable process of gradual acceptance for the political climate of the time. Given that Israel was a loose confederation of tribes united by their faith, and without a strong political or theological leader, Sanford argues that a series of displays of ability (or, from a theological point of view, gifts from God as evidence that he was divinely chosen for rulership) were needed to bring all the tribes on board for the inevitable loss of individual freedom resulting from the institution of a monarchy.

Michmash

The Philistines had placed a garrison at Geba, in order to suppress the Israelites. The Philistines ( Hebrew פלשתים plishtim) (see "other uses" below were a people who inhabited the southern coast of Canaan, The article is about the Biblical location For the Naxi writing system see Geba script. After Saul was appointed king, according to Samuel, he amassed an army to throw off the Philistine yoke, and entered into battle against the Philistines at Michmash. Michmash - "Laid Up is concealed Place" a town of Benjamin (Ezra 227 east of Bethel and south of Migron, on the road to Jerusalem Saul's army was small, numbering around 600 men, a reasonable army for a small kingdom. The text portrays the Philistine army as vastly outnumbering this, with 30,000 chariots for example, but the numbers are unrealistic - the entire Roman Empire, at that time, only had about 150,000 men, so a small group such as the Philistines couldn't be expected to fit anything near this number into their small territory. Also considered unrealistic by historians is the suggestion by the text that Saul and Jonathan were the only men apart from the Philistines that had weapons; textual critics also believe that this suggestion (1 Samuel 13:19-22) is a later addition to the text, particularly as the narrative flows more naturally from the end of verse 18 onto the start of verse 23.

The text also states that during the early part of the battle the Hebrews, who the text treats as a distinct group separate from the Israelites, had sided with the Philistines (1 Samuel 14:21) and thus been enemies of the Israelites; a few modern translations insist that only some of the Hebrews did this, but both the Masoretic text and Septuagint refer to the Hebrews as a whole. Hebrews (or Hebertes, Eberites, Hebreians, " Habiru " or " Habiri " Hebrew: עברים The Masoretic Text ( MT) is the Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible ( Tanakh) The Septuagint (ˈsɛptuədʒɪnt or simply " LXX " is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the The text states that a man named Jonathan led the Hebrews, and that he was the son of Saul (as stated in 1 Samuel 13:16 & 14:1, 39). David and Jonathan is also the name adopted by recording duo Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. Scholars of biblical criticism, however, have proposed that this is simply an ethnology - indicating that the Hebrews were a branch of Israelites (and distinct from the others), rather than that they were led by a son of the Israelite King.

The text explains that Jonathan and his armor bearer left the Israelites and showed themselves to the Philistine camp, without the Israelites noticing the absence; some scholars of biblical criticism regard this as simply being an editorial excuse to justify the Hebrews' initial presence among the Philistine army. It would appear that the Hebrews betrayed the Philistines and changed sides, the text adding that Jonathan had started attacking the Philistines from outside their own camp. However, this is a far stretch from what the text states since it was only Jonathan and his armor bearer and they clearly showed themselves from the outside of the camp and fought into the camp, which caused the panic. It is true, however that some Hebrews had joined the Philistines and then reverted back when Jonathan's attack appeared to be succeeding, as the text clearly states in 1 Samuel 14:21-22. When the Israelites noticed the chaos, Saul consulted the Ephod for advice, and then decided that the Israelites should join in the attack on the Philistines. An ephod (pronounced either \ē´fod\ or \ef´od\ was a type of object in ancient Israelite culture and was closely connected with oracular practices

Alternatively the sentence "those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines" could be referring to a subset of the Hebrew race who had left their country and sided with the Philistines. Due to their treachery against their nation, the narrator no longer referred to them as Israelites until they had returned to their nation after the battle. Outside of this account of "those Hebrews who had gone over to the Philistines", the Hebrew people are synonymous with the nation of Israel, thus Jonathan was the son of Saul (as clearly stated in 1 Sam 14:20-23), and no hypothesis is needed to "explain" how a completely separate race was integrated with Israel.

In the text, having pushed back the Philistines, Saul makes a vow that no Israelite would eat until the battle is over, in order to ensure divine support for a victory. Jonathan, who has not heard the vow, consumes honey from a honeycomb that he found on the ground. Honey is a sweet and Viscous fluid produced by Honey bees (and some other species and derived from the nectar of Flowers According to the A honeycomb is a mass of Hexagonal Wax cells built by Honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of Honey and Although one of the soldiers tells Jonathan about Saul's vow, Jonathan remarks that Saul's vow was militarily unwise since lack of food physically weakened the army. When the battle was over, the Israelites, being famished, killed the livestock they had taken from the Philistines, and ate the meat on the spot, without first draining the blood (a violation of the sacred dietary laws (Kashrut or Kosher) of the Israelites, which demanded that blood should never be consumed). Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus, he כַּשְׁרוּת refers to Jewish dietary laws.

The people wanted to continue to pursue the Philistines by night, but the priest said they should consult God for advice. According to the text, God was silent, and Saul, deciding that someone must therefore have sinned, used cleromancy to find the guilty party, Jonathan. Cleromancy 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 Saul decides that Jonathan should die for his violation of Saul's rash vow, but the commanders of the Israelite army prevent Saul from doing this, as Jonathan had in their view brought them victory over the Philistines.

Rejection

According to the text as it stands, Samuel had told Saul to wait for him for seven days before attacking, but as Samuel did not arrive within the appointed time and the Israelites became restless, Saul started preparing for battle by offering sacrifices; when Samuel does finally arrive he criticises Saul for not waiting and curses him to fall from God's favour. Samuel offers no explanation or apology for not arriving when promised, and accepts no responsibility for the loss of faith because of this by the Israelite Army.

After the battle with the Philistines was over, the text describes Samuel as having instructed Saul to kill all the Amalekites, in accordance with the mitzvah to do so. According to the Book of Genesis and 1 Chronicles, Amalek ( Arabic, عماليق, was the son of Eliphaz and the grandson of See also Mitzvah See also Biblical law in Christianity The 613 Mitzvot ("commandments" (also " 613 Mitzvos Having forewarned the Kenites living among the Amalekites to leave, Saul went to war and won against the Amalekites, but only killed all the babies, women, children, poor quality livestock and men, leaving alive the king and best livestock. In the ancient Levant, the Kenites were a nomadic clan sent under Jethro to priest Midian.

When Samuel finds out that Saul has not killed them all, he becomes angry and launches into a long and bitter diatribe about how God regretted making Saul king, since Saul is disobedient. When Samuel turns away, Saul grabs Samuel by his clothes tearing a small part of them off, which Samuel states is a prophecy about what would happen to Saul's kingdom. Samuel then commands that the Amalekite king (who, like all other Amalekite kings in the Hebrew Bible, is named Agag) should be brought forth. Agag (ˈeɪɡæɡ (אגג was the king of the Amalekites mentioned by Balaam in Numbers xxiv Samuel proceeds to kill the Amalekite himself and makes a final departure.

According to textual critics, both the earlier passage about Saul's impatience (1 Samuel 13:7b-15a) and the later narrative of the Amalekite war (1 Samuel 15) are later redactions of the text that belong together. These are both designed to justify the later fate of Saul and division in his kingdom, when Saul had seemingly been divinely chosen to be king, and simultaneously portray ancient Israel as more of a theocracy than it would otherwise have appeared to be, making a king appear to take orders from a prophet. Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler

David's introduction

David Plays the Harp for Saul, by Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1658.
David Plays the Harp for Saul, by Rembrandt van Rijn, c. Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15 1606 &ndash October 4 1669 was a Dutch painter and etcher. 1658.

It is at this point that David, a son of Yishai, from the tribe of Yehudah, enters the story. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Jesse or Yishai ( meaning "God's gift" is the father of the Biblical David mentioned in the Books of Samuel of the Hebrew Bible. According to the narrative, David comes to prominence on three occasions:

Textual scholars see these three narratives as coming from three distinct sources, the first, in which David is anointed, being a late redaction into the text so as to portray David as having been divinely appointed, and to insert a prophet into the role of kingmaker, to be more suggestive of theocracy. " Kingmaker " is a term originally applied to the activities of Richard Neville 16th Earl of Warwick during the Wars of the Roses in England. The second narrative, which mocks Saul as being afflicted by an evil spirit, is thought to come from the republican source.

Assyrian warriors armed with slings from the palace of Sennacherib, 7th century BCE
Assyrian warriors armed with slings from the palace of Sennacherib, 7th century BCE

The third narrative, which is the most famous, is thought to come from the monarchical source. Sennacherib ( Akkadian Sîn-ahhe-eriba "(moon god Sîn has replaced (lost brothers for me" was the son of Sargon II, whom he It sits uneasily with the second; David, a renowned warrior who has just been appointed in court as Shaul's armour bearer (narrative 2), is very shortly afterwards an unknown unarmoured young shepherd boy delivering food to his brothers (narrative 3). An attempt to smooth over elements of these difficulties of the masoretic text appears to have been made by the Septuagint, which excludes the passages referring to David delivering food to his brothers, and Saul not having known him (specifically 17:12-31, 17:41, 17:50, 17:55-18:5) - these passages are marked with brackets in some translations. The Masoretic Text ( MT) is the Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible ( Tanakh) The Septuagint (ˈsɛptuədʒɪnt or simply " LXX " is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the

The third narrative also sits uneasily with 2 Samuel 21:19, which says that Elchanon, a soldier working for David, slew Golias (a few translations smooth over this by claiming that Elchanon slew a brother of Goliath). Scholars of biblical criticism generally consider the older tradition to be the one in which Elhanen slew Goliath, the tradition in which it was David, and in which it was the reason for defeat of the entire Philistine army, coming into existence to make David appear even more skilled/historically important than he actually was in reality. The use of a slingshot to cause Golias's death is not as remarkable as it at first seems; many soldiers in the ancient near east were equipped with slings as their main weapon. For example, there are several Assyrian carvings of their use as of the 7th century BCE. Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture

Saul's love with Glory

"Saul Throws Spear at David" by George Tinworth
"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. 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 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, Michal, 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 price would only be 100 foreskins from the Philistines, hoping that David would be killed trying to achieve this. Michal (מיכל was a daughter of King Saul in the Hebrew Bible, who loved and married David, who became king of the Israelite nation Bride 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 In Male Human Anatomy, the foreskin or prepuce (a technically broader term that also includes the Clitoral hood, the homologous 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 an Edomite named Doeg that Ahimelech assisted David. Doeg 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 A henchman is sought 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. 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 launched an attack on the Philistines at Keilahhe. Saul realised he could trap David and his men inside the city and besiege it. However, David hears about this, and having received divine council (via the Ephod), finds that the citizens of Keilah would betray him to Saul, decides to leave and flees to Ziph. An ephod (pronounced either \ē´fod\ or \ef´od\ was a type of object in ancient Israelite culture and was closely connected with oracular practices Saul discovers this and pursues David on two occasions:

According to textual scholars, this narrative is the result of the splicing together of two earlier narratives - the republican source and the monarchical source; the republican source being responsible for the passages involving Jonathan, the first pursuit to Ziph and the first reconciliation; the monarchical source being responsible for the passages involving Michal, Nob, the second pursuit to Ziph and the second reconciliation. Michal essentially plays the same role in the monarchical 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. Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. The monarchical 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; archeology 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). For information about Yahweh see God in Abrahamic religions, which provides useful links Asherah (from Hebrew אשרה generally taken as identical with the Ugaritic goddess Athirat (more accurately transcribed as ʼAṯirat) was

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). Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. Hebrews (or Hebertes, Eberites, Hebreians, " Habiru " or " Habiri " Hebrew: עברים 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. A proverb (from the Latin proverbium) also called a byword or nayword, is a simple and concrete Saying popularly known and repeated It is given an etymology on two separate occasions:

According to textual criticism, the reason for these two quite different explanations is that they come from two different sources - the first from the monarchical 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
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. Jean Fouquet or Jehan Fouquet (1420 - 1481 was the most important French painter of the 15th century a master of both panel painting and manuscript A vassal (also called feodary or fedary) in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of Medieval Europe, Emboldened by this, the Philistines prepared to attack Israel, and Saul led out his army to face them at Gilboa, but before the battle decided to secretly consult the witch of Endor for advice. Gilboa (גלבוע is a Hebrew word and the name of several places Mount Gilboa, a biblical locale in Israel Two towns in the United States are In the First book of Samuel (an ancient Jewish prophetic book included in the collection of texts known to Christians as the Old Testament) chapter, the 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. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Samuel ( Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל, Standard Šəmuʼel Tiberian Šəmûʼēl) is an important 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 suicide by falling on his sword when the armour bearer refuses. An Amalekite then claims to have killed Saul, and when the Amalekite tells David, David orders the Amalekite to be put to death. According to the Book of Genesis and 1 Chronicles, Amalek ( Arabic, عماليق, was the son of Eliphaz and the grandson of 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.

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 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. 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. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to A sin offering ( Hebrew: hattath) is a type of Biblical sacrifice, specifically a sacrifice made for the Atonement of an unintentional Sin 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. Tumah is a state of ritual impurity in Halakha ( Jewish law A person or item which contracts tumah is said to be tamei, or "impure , 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. Sheol (pronounced "Sheh-ole" in Hebrew שאול (Sh'ol is the "abode of the dead" the " Underworld " "the common 53b).

Old Testament scholars view

Two opposing viewpoints exist regarding Saul's visit with the witch of Endor. In the First book of Samuel (an ancient Jewish prophetic book included in the collection of texts known to Christians as the Old Testament) chapter, the Some scholars believe that God miraculously intervened and Saul spoke to Samuel himself. Other scholars believe that the encounter with the witch was a demonic manifestation of transforming itself to appear to be Samuel (Isaiah 5:11). Regarding Saul's salvation, many believe that God's mercy was taken away from him because of his disobedience and refusal to repent (1 Samuel 13:13-14).

References

Notes

  1. ^ Saul (King) - Biblical people. AboutBibleProphecy. com. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England.
  2. ^ Katz, Jochen. Saul, Gideon, David and Goliath. Sources of the Qur'an. Answering Islam. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England.
  3. ^ Ehrlich, Carl S. (editor), “Saul in Story and Tradition” Mohr Siebeck, (2006), p. 126.
  4. ^ Ronald A. Simkins. Samuel and Saul: The Rise of Kingship. Creighton University. Retrieved on 2008-04-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland.
  5. ^ Bright, John, "A History of Israel," The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1972, p. 185.
  6. ^ Lasor, William Sanford, et al. (1996), “Old Testament Survey,” Eerdmans Pub Co. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) , ISBN 0802837883.

See also

External links


Saul of the United Kingdom of Israel & Judah
House of Saul
Cadet branch of the Tribe of Benjamin
New title
Anointed king to
replace Judge Samuel
 King of the United Kingdom
of Israel and Judah
1047 BC – 1007 BC
 Succeeded by
Ish-bosheth

This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia article "Saul" by Joseph Jacobs, Ira Maurice Price, Isidore Singer, and Jacob Zallel Lauterbach, a publication now in the public domain. Muslims believe Saul ( Arabic: طالوت,Tālūt was the first king of Israel as do Jews and Christians The Tribe of Benjamin ( was one of the Tribes of Israel. At its height the territory it occupied was sandwiched between that of Ephraim to the north and Judah Samuel ( Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל, Standard Šəmuʼel Tiberian Šəmûʼēl) is an important The United Monarchy ( United Kingdom of Israel and Judah) refers to a period in the traditional account of the History of ancient Israel and Judah lasting Ish-bosheth ( Standard: Ishbóshet Tiberian: ʼΚbṓšeṯ also called Eshbaal ( Standard Eshbáʻal Tiberian ʼEšbáʻal Ashbaal The Jewish Encyclopedia was an Encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. Joseph Jacobs ( 29 August 1854 - 30 January 1916) was a literary and Jewish Historian. Isidore Singer (1859–1939 was an editor of the Jewish Encyclopedia and founder of the American League for the Rights of Man. Jacob Zallel Lauterbach (1873–1942 was an American Judaica scholar and author who served on the faculty of Hebrew Union College and composed Responsa The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone

Dictionary

Saul

-proper noun

  1. (Biblical) The first king of Israel.
  2. (Biblical) The original name of Apostle Paul.
  3. A male given name.
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