Saul is the first King of Israel whose mention can be found in the Hebrew Bible in 1 Samuel 9-31 and Acts 13:21.He was the youngest son of Kish and hailed from the Benjamin tribe, which was the smallest of the tribes of Israel by his own admission. Saul was a young man who was a shepherd by vocation until he was anointed the King by Judge Samuel under direct orders from God.Saul was born circa 1050 BCE and became King circa 1020 BCE at the age of 30 and ruled the Israelites for 42 years. Under his courageous guidance and valour, the various tribes were able to unite and fight Israel’s enemies together for the first time and defeated them to extend the national boundary. Yet, the impulsive nature of Saul and his direct disobedience of the orders of God, as well as his jealousy towards David, led to his ultimate demise.Like the tales of almost every character found in the Bible, Saul’s death also helps us to understand our own imperfections and aid us in making ourselves better. If you are interested in the grand Biblical tale of hubris of Saul that tells us about his meteoric rise and his ultimate demise, then this article on the life of Saul is a must-read for you.Keep on reading this article on the Saul King of Israel facts to know more about this historical figure!Saul King Of Israel: Life And HistoryThe exact date of birth of King Saul is not known, with many scholars and researchers offering different dates. The Hebrew text of the Bible states that Saul ascended the throne of Israel at the age of one, which is obviously implausible and far-fetched. However, some early Greek translations of the Hebrew Biblical text suggest that Saul became the first King of Israel when he was just around 30 years of age. Under this assumption that he became the King circa 1020 BCE at the age of 30, it can be concluded that approximately he was born circa 1050 BCE.Saul belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was the youngest son of Kish. He resided in Gibeah and was a modest shepherd boy before stumbling upon a chance meeting with the prophet Samuel. Samuel discreetly chose him and anointed him the first King of Israel. Israel was going through a period of national humiliation after facing defeat in the Philistine Wars with the Philistine Army seizing the Ark of the Covenant, a national symbol of divinity in Ancient Israel. Saul succeeded in defeating Israel’s enemies and unifying the various tribes of Israelites into fighting with the intruders and opponents such as the Ammonites, Amalekites, Arameans, Edomites, Moabites, and the Philistines. King Saul was also successful in extending the boundaries of his kingdom in the process, and his gallant rescue of the town of Jabesh-Gilead from the oppressing Ammonites made him the rightful King in a public ceremony at Gilgal.Much of the 42 years of the reign of Saul saw war with countries such as Amalek, Edom, Moab, and Philistia. The King and his son Jonathan waged a successful war against them with their voluntary army. However, Saul’s heroic life was hindered by his direct disobedience of the orders of God and his jealousy towards David.The initial conflict between Saul and Samuel began when Saul assumed the office of Samuel by offering a sacrifice to God. Saul chose to offer the burnt and fellowship offerings on the battlefield instead of waiting for Samuel to show up and do the ritual. Samuel condemned Saul and professed that Saul’s sons would not be able to continue on the throne of Israel. The second major conflict between Saul and Samuel took place when the former decided to retain the war booty after defeating the Amalekites, who were the traditional enemy of the Israelites, and decided to spare the life of their King Agag. This was directly disobeying God’s command of destroying the Amalekites, and this led to a fracture in his relationship with God as well as Samuel.With this public fallout with Samuel, Saul went into depression, and a lad called David was brought into Saul’s court who could play the harp/lute and sing songs to soothe him. David also got embroiled in the army and soon proved himself to be a trusted soldier. As the fame of David grew with passing time, Saul became jealous of David. This obsessed jealousy turned him crazy as he tried to poison the minds of his own daughter and his son Jonathan against David. Yet when all these attempts failed, he tried to kill David, chasing him to the borders of Israel.As the Philistines prepared to attack Israel once again, Saul spent all his energy and time chasing David instead of prepping for the impending war with the Philistines. However, David respected the rightful King chosen by God and refused to harm Saul even when he had the chance to. As David eluded Saul and the Philistines were at the door, desperate Saul reached out to a witch of Endor and decided to call for the spirit of Samuel, who had died a while ago. This satanic act was the final nail in the coffin of Saul as it angered God. The dead spirit of Samuel professed the impending doom of Saul.In the Battle of Mount Gilboa, all the sons of Saul were killed at the hand of the Philistines, and Saul was forced to commit suicide. Ironically, it was David, whom he spent the last few years hounding, who sincerely mourned his death and even sired Saul’s only alive male descendant. David even composed an exquisite elegy lamenting the death of the King and his family, which is one of the most beautiful poems in the Old Testament.Grandchildren Of Saul King Of IsraelSaul wedded Ahinoam, who was the daughter of Ahimaaz. Ahimaaz was the son of the high priest, Zadok. The couple sired seven sons and two daughters. The seven sons of Saul were Jonathan, Malchishua, Mephibosheth, Ish-bosheth, Abinadab, Ishvi, and Armani. His two daughters were named Merab and Michal.The whole of Saul’s kin was slaughtered in the Battle of Mount Gilboa along with the fallen monarch. The sole male descendant of King Saul to survive was Mephibosheth, who was the lame ward of Saul’s son Jonathan. He was an infant of five years when his father and grandfather got slaughtered in the Battle of Mount Gilboa. After that, he was protected and sired by David. Mephibosheth had a young son, Micah, who had four sons and descendants named until the ninth generation.Characteristics Of Saul KingLike the story of every Biblical character ever, the life story of King Saul also serves as a mirror for us to discover our own flaws and shortcomings, admit them to God, and try to better ourselves.While King Saul definitely had a few character strengths, such as his exemplary courage on a battlefield, his leadership qualities to command his men in a bloody war, and his generosity that led him to be respected and loved by his people during the initial period of Saul’s reign, he had his shortcomings too.His major character flaws were his impulsiveness that led to unwise choices of actions, his jealousy of David which ultimately drove him mad, and his thirst for vengeance and revenge. The Hebrew Bible states how throughout Saul’s life, he disobeyed the instructions of God more than once, which ultimately led to his demise.The ultimate nail in the coffin of Saul was his direct disobedience of the orders of God throughout his life. He disrespected Samuel by forcefully taking away his office and explicitly went against God’s orders of completely destroying the Amalekites. His final act of performing a satanic ritual with the aid of a witch to summon the dead spirit of Samuel was the indication of his impending doom in the hand of his enemies.Contributions Made By Saul King Of IsraelKing Saul’s reign of 42 years over the Israelites saw many wonderful accomplishments over the years. He was chosen by God and Prophet Samuel to be the King.Saul was successful in defending all national enemies, especially the Philistine army, and recovering the glory of the nation after the humiliating defeat in the Philistine wars. His acts of valor on the battlefield and his powerful leadership helped the Israelites defeat the enemies such as Ammonites, Amalekites, Arameans, Edomites, Moabites, and the Philistines.Under his guidance and courage, the country was able to extend its national boundaries, especially his valiant rescue of the town of Jabesh-Gilead from the oppressing Ammonites made him the anointed King.His able and generous leadership made it possible for the numerous scattered tribes of Israelites to unite together and fight for the country, which ultimately gave it greater strength.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for curious Saul King of Israel facts revealed for history buffs then why not take a look at cool facts on ‘The Iron Rattler’ roller coaster at Fiesta Texas, or Iroquois facts for kids: know more about these Native American tribes?
Saul is the first King of Israel whose mention can be found in the Hebrew Bible in 1 Samuel 9-31 and Acts 13:21.
