The sages believed that power changes people and affects their attitude: “Because when Samuel came to anoint Saul as a king, Saul ran away (from the kingship). But once he had ascended (the throne) and Samuel told him to step down from it in favor of David, (Saul) tried to kill David.”12
Many important works have appeared in recent years concerning Saul and the establishment of the Israelite monarchy, including: Birch, The Rise of the Israelite Monarchy: The Growth and Development of I Samuel 7–15; Edelman, King Saul and the Historiography of Judah; Edelman, Saulide Israel: A Literary and Historical Investigation; Garsiel, The First Book of Samuel: A Literary Study of Comparative Structures, Analogies and Parallels; Brooks, Saul and the Monarchy: A New Look; and Ehrlich and White, eds., Saul in Story and Tradition. In addition, there are two important commentaries on the book of Samuel by Hertzberg, I & II Samuel and McCarter, I Samuel and II Samuel. All of them are limited to particular aspects of this topic. By contrast, we shall attempt to look at the subject from additional perspectives including those of the Talmud and Midrashim and the Jewish medieval commentators. The Babylonian Talmud contains a vast amount of aggadot—stories. The Midrash includes anthologies and compilations of homilies including biblical exegesis and public sermons. The various sects and currents in Judaism left their mark on it; and almost everything that Jews thought during a period of more than a thousand years can be found there. Though the interpretative methods of the medieval commentators vary, we still find that they compromise between the literal and the Midrashic interpretation of the biblical text. In addition, they pursue philological-contextual interpretation with a view to reason and science.
In this book, our main goal is to rediscover Saul, to have a better understanding of his achievements and failures as the first king of Israel. In chapter 1, we examine the establishment of the Israelite monarchy and we look for the reasons behind its formation. Did fear of the Philistines require a political change? Or were other reasons more important, reasons such as social and political motives for the demand. Why did Samuel reject the idea of monarchy, and why do we read that Saul was anointed as king three times: the first time in secrecy, the second time in Mizpah before all the people, and the third time in Gilgal?
In chapter 2 we scrutinize Saul’s wars. According to the biblical narrative, Saul waged war against the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, the Philistines, and the kings of Zobah (1 Sam 14:47–48). In addition, Saul fought three major wars which are described in detail: the war against the Ammonites (chapter 11), the war against the Philistines where three major battles are described (chapters 13–14; 17; 28–31), as well as battles with the Philistines on a smaller scale (chapters 18:27, 30; 19:8; 23:1, 27). The third major battle was the war against the Amalekites portrayed in chapter 15. In this chapter, we analyze Saul’s wars from a literary and historical perspective. We will try to find the historical truth behind Saul’s wars. Thus, we discuss the questions why Saul fought those particular enemies, and what exactly he wanted to achieve.
In chapter 3 we contrast the two major heroes in the book of Samuel—Saul and David. We examine the images that the narrator creates for our heroes. We review them as they are described in the book of Samuel, and we evaluate the reasons for this description. We compare the coronations of Saul and David. We examine the stories dealing with Saul’s hostility towards David. Saul tried to kill David on several occasions. We look at the narrator’s depiction of David. Was he totally different from Saul? We trust that our comparison will provide a basis for understanding why the kingship was taken from Saul and transferred to David.
In chapter 4 we will monitor the feuds in the king’s court. Saul is portrayed as fighting and distrusting the people in his inner circle. Even among his own family, there is constant tension, and suspicion between Saul, his son Jonathan, and his daughters, who side with David against their father. In addition, we describe Saul’s relations with his courtiers and warriors, and we evaluate the reasons for their support of David. We also look at the relations between Saul and the prophet Samuel, who rejected Saul as the king of Israel, but nevertheless grieved over him in the end. This study will provide a deeper understanding of Saul’s character. It will shed a different light on his personality and ultimately help us to understand his seemingly bizarre behavior.
In chapter 5 we survey Saul’s achievements. Since Saul was the first king of Israel, the inevitable question is, what changes did he introduce? Did Saul create a new administrative system? Kings in the ancient world relied on their army to rule. Did Saul establish a standing army? Did he impose taxes in order to govern? Kings in the ancient world were known for grandiose building projects—capital cities, religious centers, and fortresses. Did Saul have any part in this? These questions will help us discover if the new king achieved his goal to change Israel from a loose federation of tribes into a unified monarchy.
In chapter 6 we look at the story of Saul and the witch of Endor. In his distress, Saul seeks a medium to bring up the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel, because the Lord has failed to answer him, whether by dreams, by the Urim ve–Tummim, or through prophets. What did Saul see and what rites did the medium employ to raise Samuel? The Midrash reports that “she did what she did, and she said what she said, and raised him.” Why was Samuel angry with Saul: “Why have you disturbed me (hirgaztani) and brought me up?” (1 Sam 28:15). Finally how did Saul and the witch react to Samuel’s message?
Chapter 7 deals with the downfall of the house of Saul. There are three different versions of Saul’s death on Mount Gilboa during his last battle. What is the reason for the inclusion of these accounts? How do they differ from each other, and what message are they trying to convey? Saul’s death did not end the long feud between the House of Saul and the House of David. With Saul’s death we find that Abner crowned Ish-bosheth as Saul’s successor, while the men of Judah anointed David over the House of Judah. The war between the House of Saul and the House of David continued. What lay behind these wars? Ish-bosheth and Abner were both murdered. Was David responsible, and also behind the death of Saul, as some suggest? According to the biblical narrative, David handed Saul’s seven descendants to the Gibeonites because of alleged bloodguilt. Was this bloodguilt the main reason for his action, or were there some other hidden motives for David’s act? Finally, what prompted David to restore lands to Mephibosheth and offer him a seat at the royal table? We consider these and other questions at length.
We trust that this study will afford a provocative and useful insight into the character of Saul, the first king of Israel.
1. B. Bat. 15a.
2. McCarter, I Samuel, 15. For a similar conclusion see: Weiser, Old Testament, 168; Haran, Biblical Collection, 285–87.
3. For a summary on the different views of the composition of the book of Samuel see Garsiel, “Book of Samuel, ” 1–42.
4. Mid. Sam. 11:78–79.
5. 1 Sam 9:2; Ber. 48b
6. Tanh. B Lev. 2b:4
7. Midr. Sam. 11:1; Midr. Pss 7:2
8. Midr. Sam. 7:2; b. Zebah. 120a
9. Yoma 23b.
10. Succah 52b.
