href="#ulink_2dba3d20-78d0-57b0-aced-ab5e01ee0845">49. C. H. Gordon, Before the Bible, 241.
50. Similarly, Elijah directed Ahab on his journey from Carmel to Jezreel (1 Kgs 18:45–46). Elisha prophesied to Kings Jehoram and Jehoshaphat what would take place in their military campaign to Moab (2 Kgs 3:19, 25).
51. 1 Sam 10:24; 1 Kgs 1:39; 2 Kgs 9:13; 11:12.
52. Alt, Kleine Schriften, 2:324; Noth, Geschichte Israels, 156 n. 2; Bright, History of Israel, 185.
53. T. Sanh. 4:11.
54. Elat, Samuel, 97.
55. Ibid.
56. Halpern, Constitution, 127–28.
57. “Divine Nomination” ANET, 446–47.
58. “Divine Oracle,” ANET, 449.
59. For Assur-rêsh-ishi and Ashurbanipal, see Luckenbill, Ancient Records, 209, 765. For Nabonidus see Langdon, Die neubabylonischen, 218, 1:4–5.
60. Afterwards, David, to Saul’s displeasure, will accept bread from the priest of Nob (1 Sam 21:7).
61. Wiseman, “Is it Peace?,” 318.
62. Hertzberg, I & II Samuel, 87.
63. McCarter, I Samuel, 196.
64. Daube, New Testament, 19
65. Note the story of Athtar in the Baal myth, where we read: “sits on Mighty Ba‘lu’s seat. (But) his feet do not reach the footstool; his head does not reach the top (of the seat).” Thus, because he was short, he was rejected as king. See Pardee, “The Ba‘lu Myth,” 269.
66. R. P. Gordon, 1& 2 Samuel, 121.
67. 1 Kgs 5:1; 2 Kgs 3:4; 17:3–4.
68. Bright, History of Israel, 182–83; Jagersma, History of Israel, 88–89.
69. McKenzie, King David, 29.
70. Mettinger, King and Messiah, 83–84.
71. Edelman follows Halpern, who pointed to a three-part designation; the search for a candidate, his anointing that showed divine approval, and public acclamation, expressed by the phrase “Long live the king.” She believes that those three stages were followed by a testing stage. However, the rescue of Jabesh-gilead could not have been the catalyst triggering the foundation of the monarchy. See Edelman, “Saul,” 993; Edelman, “Saul’s Rescue,” 195; Halpern, Constitution, 127, 130, 134.
72. BDB, 293–94; HALOT, 1:294.
73. Elat, Samuel, 124.
74. Interestingly, the author of 1 Chr 29:22 uses the word šēnît meaning again and not leh.addēš to describe Solomon’s second coronation.
75. Another place we read that Saul rejoiced is after the victory against Goliath. But this is indirectly described by Jonathan (19:5).
76. Klein, 1 Samuel, 109.
77. Alt, “Formation,” 195.
2
Saul’s Wars
In the book of Judges, God gave up the Israelites to their enemies on all sides, and they could no longer hold their own against their enemies (Judg 2:14). Consequently, God sent judges to deliver the Israelites from their enemies. Not a single Judge delivered the Israelites from all their enemies. Instead, God sent different Judges to fight against Israel’s enemies. Yet in the book of Samuel, a new picture emerges: “After Saul had secured his kingship over Israel, he waged war on every side against all his enemies: against the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, the Philistines, and the kings of Zobah; and wherever he turned he worsted [them]. He was triumphant, defeating the Amalekites and saving Israel from those who plundered it” (1 Sam 14:47–48).
In addition, Saul fought three major wars: the war against the Ammon-ites (chapter 11); the war against the Philistines that includes three major battles (chapters 13–14; 17; 28–31); and battles with the Philistines on a smaller scale (18:27, 30; 19:8; 23:1, 27). The third major battle was the war against the Amalekites described in chapter 15. It was no coincidence that Saul fought against all the enemies from all sides. Saul was the first king of Israel; his kingship signifies a transition from the period of the Judges to the monarchical era. Unlike a Judge who fought a single battle, Saul, as king of Israel, fought many battles against the enemies of Israel. This was one of the distinctions between a King and a Judge. The first part of this chapter will examine Saul’s wars with the Philistines and the Amalekites. The second part will look into his wars in the Trans-Jordan. This chapter will analyze Saul’s war from a literary and historical perspective, attempting to distinguish between the fictional embellishment and the historical truth that is behind Saul’s wars. In addition, we will try to find out why Saul fought against those particular enemies and what he tried to achieve in those battles.
The Rebellion against the Philistines
Geba
Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison in Geba which was an act of rebellion, initiating the war between the Philistines and Israelites that would last throughout Saul’s life. The intention was to remove the Philistine presence from the hill country, and thus unite the Israelites. Surprisingly, the reader is not told who Jonathan is. There is no hint that he was the king’s son, and this information is revealed only in the last verse of chapter 13. Here the narrator used the technique of delay. It is possible that the narrator did not provide the reader with Jonathan’s background because he was famous.1 However, it is more likely that the narrator
