Saül (Bible)

Biblical account

Institution of the royalty

The circumstances and reasons of its election as king by the prophet Samuel are described in I Samuel 8-12. Samuel got old and its sons did not have so much the favor of the people to succeed to him. As it wished very little that monarchy develop, Yahvé was addressed to him for him to advise to reach at the requests of its people. Samuel then informs his people of the risks generated by a new king with the capacity, but the people, in front of the threat of the Philistins, needed a chief to ensure the engagements.

The she-asses of his/her father being mislaid, Saül left with a servant to their research. It crossed the mountain of Éphraïm, the country of Shalisha and the country of Benjamin to the country of Çuph without finding them. As Saül proposed to return, the servant suggested to him going to the city to consult an indicator before setting out again. They arrived near the house of Samuel to ask where to find the indicator and this last announced to them that it was this conspicuous. Yahvé had warned Samuel of this visit and with its request, he announced in Saül that he would proclaim it king. The following day, as envisaged, Saül accepted three signs assure him that it was to be a king d' Israël. Arrived at his place at Gibéa, these signs had appeared with him the same day, the spirit of God melted on him and it understood that one recognized it as king. But Samuel convened the people with Miçpa to confirm his new statute. Saül turned over at his place to take again its usual tasks. To face the Ammonites which tried an invasion, Saül accepted a new support of Yahvé which encouraged the people to join him to push back the enemy. After this obvious divine proof, Saül was finally proclaimed king in front of the people and Samuel could withdraw himself.

The reign of Saül

Saül thus inherited the heavy task to release the country of the pressure of the Philistines. It gathered a strong army of 3 000 men. The Philistines had posted a camp with Géba. Saül took two thousand men with him for Mikmas and in the mountain of Béthel and thousand others left with his/her son Jonathan for Gibéa to the south Géba. Jonathan got rid of the prefect of the Philistines and started a reaction of the Philistines against Israel. Those gathered an army of thirty thousand tanks (or three thousand according to the translations), six thousand horses and as many men as sand at the seaside to occupy Mikmas than Saül had evacuated while leaving for Guilgal. According to the term ordered by Samuel, Saül will be terra there during seven days before making any movement. The seventh day, its impatience pushed it to offer a Holocauste, but Samuel was able to prevent it long enough consequences of his disobedience while not waiting. By this action, Saül was going to lose its royalty on Israel. It noted that its troops were reduced to six hundred men when it started from Guilgal for Mikmas against the Philistines. Jonathan, impatient, organized with its rider an attack without the knowledge of Saül and its army. They surprised and massacred twenty Philistines, which sowed the disorder and terror at the enemies. All the Jews which had deserted Saül rejoined with him to pursue the Philistines. Jonathan made the error however violate a prohibition to eat proclaimed by his/her father and this last threatened of the immoler for its disobedience. Although he was recognized guilty for his gesture, Jonathan was saved by the people which opposed the judgment. Saül renonça then to continue the Philistines and put thus fine at the conflicts, which represented its second military success.

The reign of Saül continued however in the war against several enemies which it left always victorious. The war against the Amalécites is the only one which is brought back in detail. These former enemies of Israel occupied the territory in the south and the south-west of the Philistine one. At the request of Samuel, Saül gathered the people against Amalécites, but failed to carry out their king Agag, which displeased in Yahvé. Saül beseeched its forgiveness in vain, because the spirit of God was diverted of him. Saül and Samuel were left never to be re-examined.

David meets Saül

David was sent to Saül to play to him of the zither when the spirit of this last disturbed it and it gained the benevolence of the king thus. After a certain time, it regained the paternal house and resumed its work of shepherd during a few years. The Philistines invaded the country once more and settled between Soko and Azéqa, with Éphès-Dammim. Saül, Abner, its general and his men left to face them and David united with his army. It is at this place that David embanked Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, an exploit which made flee the enemy and ensured the victory the men of Saül. The king took David with his service but became jealous about it. It developed for the new hero an animosity which encouraged it several times to try to kill it, without however achieving the gesture. He says: “You Choose a man! ”

The death of Saül

After some time, the Philistines had been begun again and Saül still had to gather its men. In the incapacity to discover the will of God, Saül left to consult the witch of Deaden and was surprised by a communication with Samuel who appeared to him. It was alarmed at the words of Samuel and the men of Israel escaped in front of the Philistines. Despaired vis-a-vis the disaster which fell on its army, it was thrown on its sword. The Philistines found Saül and its three sons lying on the mountain of Gelboé. They sliced the head to him, stripped them of their weapons and made them parade in the Philistine country. They deposited them in the temple of Astarté. They suspended also its body decapitated with the rampart of Beït-Shéan. the inhabitants of Yabesh, prevented of what it was occurred of Saül and its sons, left to seek the bodies, burned them and buried them under the tamaris of Yabesh.

Bibliography (chronological order)

2004 : legends of the Jews. , Josué, Judges, Samuel and Saül, David, Solomon , Louis Ginzberg, Stag & Institute A. of Rothschild, coll " Inheritances Judaism , Paris.

2003 : Saül, David, Solomon: royalty and the destiny of Israel , Jacques Cazeaux, Stag, coll " Lectio Divina" n°193, Paris.

1999 : Saül, tragic hero of the Bible: literary study of the account of its reign according to the Books of Samuel (1S IX-XXXI and 2S I) modern , Robert Couffignal, Letters Minard, coll " Topics and mythes" n°19, Paris - Caen.