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Topic:
Persons Of The Bible -- Samuel
The name "Saul" is from the Hebrew name
שָׁאוּל (Sha'ul) which meant
"asked for" or "prayed for".
The meaning of the name "Saul" from
Easton
's Bible Dictionary is as follows:
A person named "Saul" is a king of
Edom
(Gen. 36:37, 38); called Shaul in 1 Chr. 1:48.
Another person named "Saul" is the son of
Kish
(probably his only son, and a child of prayer, "asked for"),
of the tribe of Benjamin, the first king of the Jewish nation. The
singular providential circumstances connected with his election as king
are recorded in 1 Sam. 8-10. His father's she-asses had strayed, and
Saul was sent with a servant to seek for them. Leaving his home at
Gibeah (10:5, "the hill of God," A.V.; lit., as in R.V. marg.,
"Gibeah of God"), Saul and his servant went toward the
north-west over Mount Ephraim, and then turning north-east they came to
"the land of Shalisha," and thence eastward to the land of
Shalim, and at length came to the district of Zuph, near Samuel's home
at Ramah (9:5-10). At this point Saul proposed to return from the three
days' fruitless search, but his servant suggested that they should first
consult the "seer." Hearing that he was about to offer
sacrifice, the two hastened into Ramah, and "behold, Samuel came
out against them," on his way to the "bamah", i.e., the
"height", where sacrifice was to be offered; and in answer to
Saul's question, "Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house
is," Samuel made himself known to him. Samuel had been divinely
prepared for his coming (9:15-17), and received Saul as his guest. He
took him with him to the sacrifice, and then after the feast
"communed with Saul upon the top of the house" of all that was
in his heart. On the morrow Samuel "took a vial of oil and poured
it on his head," and anointed Saul as king over
Israel
(9:25-10:8), giving him three signs in confirmation of his call to be
king. When Saul reached his home in Gibeah the last of these signs was
fulfilled, and the Sprit of God came upon him, and "he was turned
into another man." The simple countryman was transformed into the
king of
Israel
, a remarkable change suddenly took place in his whole demeanour, and
the people said in their astonishment, as they looked on the stalwart
son of
Kish
, "Is Saul also among the prophets?", a saying which passed
into a "proverb." (Comp. 19:24.) The intercourse between Saul
and Samuel was as yet unknown to the people. The "anointing"
had been in secret. But now the time had come when the transaction must
be confirmed by the nation. Samuel accordingly summoned the people to a
solemn assembly "before the Lord" at Mizpeh. Here the lot was
drawn (10:17-27), and it fell upon Saul, and when he was presented
before them, the stateliest man in all Israel, the air was rent for the
first time in Israel by the loud cry, "God save the king!" He
now returned to his home in Gibeah, attended by a kind of bodyguard,
"a band of men whose hearts God had touched." On reaching his
home he dismissed them, and resumed the quiet toils of his former life.
Soon after this, on hearing of the conduct of Nahash the Ammonite at
Jabeshgilead (q.v.), an army out of all the tribes of Israel rallied at
his summons to the trysting-place at Bezek, and he led them forth a
great army to battle, gaining a complete victory over the Ammonite
invaders at Jabesh (11:1-11). Amid the universal joy occasioned by this
victory he was now fully recognized as the king of
Israel
. At the invitation of Samuel "all the people went to Gilgal, and
there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal." Samuel now
officially anointed him as king (11:15). Although Samuel never ceased to
be a judge in
Israel
, yet now his work in that capacity practically came to an end. Saul now
undertook the great and difficult enterprise of freeing the land from
its hereditary enemies the Philistines, and for this end he gathered
together an army of 3,000 men (1 Sam. 13:1, 2). The Philistines were
encamped at Geba. Saul, with 2,000 men, occupied Michmash and
Mount
Bethel
; while his son Jonathan, with 1,000 men, occupied Gibeah, to the south
of Geba, and seemingly without any direction from his father
"smote" the Philistines in Geba. Thus roused, the Philistines,
who gathered an army of 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and
"people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude,"
encamped in Michmash, which Saul had evacuated for Gilgal. Saul now
tarried for seven days in Gilgal before making any movement, as Samuel
had appointed (10:8); but becoming impatient on the seventh day, as it
was drawing to a close, when he had made an end of offering the burnt
offering, Samuel appeared and warned him of the fatal consequences of
his act of disobedience, for he had not waited long enough (13:13, 14).
When Saul, after Samuel's departure, went out from Gilgal with his 600
men, his followers having decreased to that number (13:15), against the
Philistines at Michmash (q.v.), he had his head-quarters under a
pomegrante tree at Migron, over against Michmash, the Wady esSuweinit
alone intervening. Here at Gibeah-Geba Saul and his army rested,
uncertain what to do. Jonathan became impatient, and with his armour-bearer
planned an assault against the Philistines, unknown to Saul and the army
(14:1-15). Jonathan and his armour-bearer went down into the wady, and
on their hands and knees climbed to the top of the narrow rocky ridge
called Bozez, where was the outpost of the Philistine army. They
surprised and then slew twenty of the Philistines, and immediately the
whole host of the Philistines was thrown into disorder and fled in great
terror. "It was a very great trembling;" a supernatural panic
seized the host. Saul and his 600 men, a band which speedily increased
to 10,000, perceiving the confusion, pursued the army of the
Philistines, and the tide of battle rolled on as far as to Bethaven,
halfway between Michmash and
Bethel
. The Philistines were totally routed. "So the Lord saved
Israel
that day." While pursuing the Philistines, Saul rashly adjured the
people, saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth any food until
evening." But though faint and weary, the Israelites "smote
the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon" (a distance of
from 15 to 20 miles). Jonathan had, while passing through the wood in
pursuit of the Philistines, tasted a little of the honeycomb which was
abundant there (14:27). This was afterwards discovered by Saul (ver.
42), and he threatened to put his son to death. The people, however,
interposed, saying, "There shall not one hair of his head fall to
the ground." He whom God had so signally owned, who had
"wrought this great salvation in
Israel
," must not die. "Then Saul went up from following the
Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place" (1 Sam.
14:24-46); and thus the campaign against the Philistines came to an end.
This was Saul's second great military success. Saul's reign, however,
continued to be one of almost constant war against his enemies round
about (14:47, 48), in all of which he proved victorious. The war against
the Amalekites is the only one which is recorded at length (1 Sam. 15).
These oldest and hereditary (Ex. 17:8; Num. 14:43-45) enemies of
Israel
occupied the territory to the south and south-west of
Palestine
. Samuel summoned Saul to execute the "ban" which God had
pronounced (Deut. 25:17-19) on this cruel and relentless foe of
Israel
. The cup of their iniquity was now full. This command was "the
test of his moral qualification for being king." Saul proceeded to
execute the divine command; and gathering the people together, marched
from Telaim (1 Sam. 15:4) against the Amalekites, whom he smote
"from Havilah until thou comest to Shur," utterly destroying
"all the people with the edge of the sword", i.e., all that
fell into his hands. He was, however, guilty of rebellion and
disobedience in sparing Agag their king, and in conniving at his
soldiers' sparing the best of the sheep and cattle; and Samuel,
following Saul to Gilgal, in the Jordan valley, said unto him,
"Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he also hath
rejected thee from being king" (15:23). The kingdom was rent from
Saul and was given to another, even to David, whom the Lord chose to be
Saul's successor, and whom Samuel anointed (16:1-13). From that day
"the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from
the Lord troubled him." He and Samuel parted only to meet once
again at one of the schools of the prophets. David was now sent for as a
"cunning player on an harp" (1 Sam. 16:16, 18), to play before
Saul when the evil spirit troubled him, and thus was introduced to the
court of Saul. He became a great favourite with the king. At length
David returned to his father's house and to his wonted avocation as a
shepherd for perhaps some three years. The Philistines once more invaded
the land, and gathered their army between Shochoh and Azekah, in
Ephes-dammim, on the southern slope of the
valley
of
Elah
. Saul and the men of
Israel
went forth to meet them, and encamped on the northern slope of the same
valley which lay between the two armies. It was here that David slew
Goliath of Gath, the champion of the Philistines (17:4-54), an exploit
which led to the flight and utter defeat of the Philistine army. Saul
now took David permanently into his service (18:2); but he became
jealous of him (ver. 9), and on many occasions showed his enmity toward
him (ver. 10, 11), his enmity ripening into a purpose of murder which at
different times he tried in vain to carry out. After some time the
Philistines "gathered themselves together" in the plain of
Esdraelon, and pitched their camp at Shunem, on the slope of Little
Hermon; and Saul "gathered all Israel together," and
"pitched in Gilboa" (1 Sam. 28:3-14). Being unable to discover
the mind of the Lord, Saul, accompanied by two of his retinue, betook
himself to the "witch of Endor," some 7 or 8 miles distant.
Here he was overwhelmed by the startling communication that was
mysteriously made to him by Samuel (ver. 16-19), who appeared to him.
"He fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid,
because of the words of Samuel" (ver. 20). The Philistine host
"fought against
Israel
: and the men of
Israel
fled before the Philistines, and fell down slain in
Mount
Gilboa
" (31:1). In his despair at the disaster that had befallen his
army, Saul "took a sword and fell upon it." And the
Philistines on the morrow "found Saul and his three sons fallen in
Mount
Gilboa
." Having cut off his head, they sent it with his weapons to
Philistia, and hung up the skull in the
temple
of
Dagon
at
Ashdod
. They suspended his headless body, with that of Jonathan, from the
walls of Bethshan. The men of Jabesh-gilead afterwards removed the
bodies from this position; and having burnt the flesh, they buried the
bodies under a tree at Jabesh. The remains were, however, afterwards
removed to the family sepulchre at Zelah (2 Sam. 21:13, 14).
The meaning of the name "Saul" from
Smith's Bible Dictionary is as follows:
A person named Saul was one of the early kings of
Edom
, and successor of Samlah. (Genesis 36:37,38; 1 Chronicles 1:48) (B.C.
after 1450.)
Another person named "Saul" was the first
king of
Israel
, the son of
Kish
, and of the tribe of Benjamin. (B.C, 1095-1055.) His character is in
part illustrated by the fierce, wayward, fitful nature of the tribe and
in part accounted for by the struggle between the old and new systems in
which he found himself involved. To this we must add a taint of madness.
which broke out in violent frenzy at times leaving him with long lucid
intervals. He was remarkable for his strength and activity, (2 Samuel
1:25) and, like the Homeric heroes, of gigantic stature, taller by head
and shoulders than the rest of the people, and of that kind of beauty
denoted by the Hebrew word "good," (1 Samuel 9:2) and which
caused him to be compared to the gazelle, "the gazelle of
Israel." His birthplace is not expressly mentioned; but, as Zelah
in Benjamin was the place of
Kish
's sepulchre. (2 Samuel 21:14) it was probable; his native village. His
father,
Kish
, was a powerful and wealthy chief though the family to which he
belonged was of little importance. (1 Samuel 9:1,21) A portion of his
property consisted of a drove of asses. In search of these asses, gone
astray on the mountains, he sent his son Saul It was while prosecuting
this adventure that Saul met with Samuel for the first time at his home
in Ramah, five miles north of
Jerusalem
. A divine intimation had made known to him the approach of Saul, whom
he treated with special favor, and the next morning descending with him
to the skirts of the town, Samuel poured over Saul's head the
consecrated oil, and with a kiss of salutation announced to him that he
was to be the ruler of the nation. (1 Samuel 9:25; 1 Samuel 10:1)
Returning homeward his call was confirmed by the incidents which
according to Samuel's prediction, awaited him. (1 Samuel 10:9,10) What
may be named the public call occurred at Mizpeh, when lots were cast to
find the tribe and family which was to produce the king, and Saul, by a
divine intimation was found hid in the circle of baggage which
surrounded the encampment. (1 Samuel 10:17-24) Returning to Gibeah,
apparently to private life, he heard the threat issued by Nahash king of
Ammon against Jabesh-gilead. He speedily collected an army, and Jabesh
was rescued. The effect was instantaneous on the people, and the
monarchy was inaugurated anew at Gilgal. (1 Samuel 11:1-15) It should
be, however, observed that according to (1 Samuel 12:12) the affair of
Nahash preceded and occasioned the election of Saul. Although king of
Israel
, his rule was at first limited; but in the second year of his reign he
began to organize an attempt to shake off the Philistine yoke, and an
army was formed. In this crisis, Saul, now on the very confines of his
kingdom at Gilgal, impatient at Samuel's delay, whom he had directed to
be present, offered sacrifice himself. Samuel, arriving later,
pronounced the first curse, on his impetuous zeal. (1 Samuel 13:5-14)
After the Philistines were driven back to their own country occurred the
first appearance of Saul's madness in the rash vow which all but cost
the life of his soil. (1 Samuel 14:24; 44) The expulsion of the
Philistines, although not entirely completed, ch. (1 Samuel 14:52) at
once placed Saul in a position higher than that of any previous ruler of
Israel
, and he made war upon the neighboring tribes. In the war with Amalek,
ch. (1 Samuel 14:48; 15:1-9) he disobeyed the prophetical command of
Samuel, which called down the second curse, and the first distinct
intimation of the transference of the kingdom to a rival. The rest of
Saul's life is one long tragedy. The frenzy which had given indications
of itself before now at times took almost entire possession of him. In
this crisis David was recommended to him. From this time forward their
lives are blended together. David In Saul's better moments he never lost
the strong affection which he had contracted for David. Occasionally,
too his prophetical gift returned, blended with his madness. (2 Samuel
19:24) But his acts of fierce, wild zeal increased. At last the monarchy
itself broke down under the weakness of his head. The Philistines
re-entered the country, and just before giving them battle Saul's
courage failed and he consulted one of the necromancers, the "Witch
of Endor," who had escaped his persecution. At this distance of
time it is impossible to determine the relative amount of fraud or of
reality in the scene which follows, though the obvious meaning of the
narrative itself tends to the hypothesis of some kind of apparition. ch.
(2 Samuel 19:28) On hearing the denunciation which the apparition
conveyed, Saul fell the whole length of his gigantic stature on the
ground, and remained motionless till the woman and his servants forced
him to eat. The next day the battle came on. The Israelites were driven
up the side of Gilboa. The three sons of Saul were slain. Saul was
wounded. According to one account, he fell upon his own sword, (1 Samuel
31:4) and died. The body on being found by the Philistines was stripped
slid decapitated, and the headless trunk hung over the city walls, with
those of his three sons. ch. (1 Samuel 31:9,10) The head was deposited
(probably at
Ashdod
) in the
temple
of
Dagon
(1 Chronicles 10:10) The corpse was buried at Jabesh-gilead. (1 Samuel
31:13)
Saul was the Jewish name of
St. Paul
.
Derived from Easton's and Smith's Bible Dictionaries
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