Saul (King)

Portrait of Saul (King)

Saul was anointed as the first king of Israel by the prophet Samuel after the people demanded a monarch to lead them like surrounding nations. Despite early military victories, his repeated disobedience. Such as offering unauthorized sacrifices and sparing the Amalekites. Resulted in God rejecting him as ruler and directing Samuel to anoint the young David instead. Consumed by jealousy, Saul then persecuted David for years, driving him into exile while an evil spirit tormented the king. This account in 1 Samuel underscores the biblical principle that obedience matters more than position and marks the shift from the era of judges to the monarchy, paving the way for the Davidic line.

0:00

Biography

Born
c. 1080 BC, Gibeah
Died
c. 1010 BC, Mount Gilboa
Occupation
King of Israel
Tribe
Benjamin
Father
Kish
Spouse
Ahinoam
Children
Jonathan, Ishbosheth, Michal, Merab
Era
United Kingdom (c. 1050-1010 BC)
Nationality
Israelite

Family

Parents
Kish
โ†“
Saul (King) โšญ Ahinoam
โ†“
Children
Jonathan, Ishbosheth, Michal, Merab
Old Testament United Kingdom King 1 Samuel

Did You Know?

1

Saul was privately anointed by Samuel while searching for his father's lost donkeys, an event that occurred before his public selection by lot among Israel's tribes at Mizpah, highlighting the tension between divine choice and popular confirmation in early monarchy.

2

Despite his royal status, Saul was found plowing fields with oxen when messengers arrived seeking aid for Jabesh-Gilead, illustrating how Israel's first king initially maintained a modest agrarian life rather than adopting immediate courtly separation.

3

Saul erected Israel's first recorded royal altar after his victory over the Philistines at Michmash, yet this act of devotion contrasted sharply with his later failure to fully execute the ban on Amalek, revealing inconsistencies in his religious observance.

4

The tall Benjamite king experienced ecstatic prophetic episodes both at his anointing and later among a group of prophets, prompting the popular saying "Is Saul also among the prophets?" which underscored the unexpected charismatic dimensions of his early reign.

5

In his final battle, Saul's body was displayed in the temple of Dagon after his suicide on Gilboa, an ironic desecration given his earlier zeal against idolatry and his own decrees banning mediums, which he himself violated by consulting the witch of Endor.

Key Passages

Saul Anointed King

1 Samuel 10:1-8

This passage reveals how God sovereignly chooses and empowers ordinary people to lead, guiding them with His Spirit for His greater purposes.

T1hen Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

2 When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachelโ€™s sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? 3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: 4 And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands. 5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. 8 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.

Read full chapter: 1 Samuel 10 โ†’

Saul's Disobedience

1 Samuel 15:10-23

This passage shows that God values wholehearted obedience above rituals or excuses, guiding us to follow Him fully for true blessing.

T10hen came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. 12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. 13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. 14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. 17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. 19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? 20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. 22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

Read full chapter: 1 Samuel 15 โ†’

Saul Pursues David

1 Samuel 18:6-16

This passage shows how jealousy erodes a leader's heart while humble trust in God brings protection and favor amid rising opposition.

A6nd it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.

7 And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? 9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. 10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saulโ€™s hand. 11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice. 12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul. 13 Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. 15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

Read full chapter: 1 Samuel 18 โ†’

Death of Saul

1 Samuel 31:1-6

Saul's tragic end shows how rejecting God's guidance brings sorrow, gently urging us to walk faithfully with Him each day.

N1ow the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.

2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saulโ€™s sons. 3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers. 4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. 5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. 6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

Read full chapter: 1 Samuel 31 โ†’

Related

Characters

Places

Timeline Events

Battles