How long did saul reign over israel

How impolitic Saul was, who did not, in the beginning of his reign, set himself to redress this. Want of true sense always accompanies want of grace. Sins which appear to us very little, have dangerous consequences. Miserable is a guilty, defenceless nation; much more those who are destitute of the whole armour of God. Saul reigned one year -- see Margin. The transactions recorded in the eleventh and twelfth chapters were the principal incidents comprising the first year of Saul's reign; and the events about to be described in this happened in the second year.

Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel --This band of picked men was a bodyguard, who were kept constantly on duty, while the rest of the people were dismissed till their services might be needed. It seems to have been his tactics to attack the Philistine garrisons in the country by different detachments, rather than by risking a general engagement; and his first operations were directed to rid his native territory of Benjamin of these enemies.

And Jonathan --that is, "God-given. The word rendered "garrison" is different from that of 1 Samuel , , and signifies, literally, something erected; probably a pillar or flagstaff, indicative of Philistine ascendency. That the secret demolition of this standard, so obnoxious to a young and noble-hearted patriot, was the feat of Jonathan referred to, is evident from the words, "the Philistines heard of it," which is not the way we should expect an attack on a fortress to be noticed.

Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land --This, a well-known sound, was the usual Hebrew war summons; the first blast was answered by the beacon fire in the neighboring places.

A second blast was blown--then answered by a fire in a more distant locality, whence the proclamation was speedily diffused over the whole country. As the Philistines resented what Jonathan had done as an overt attempt to throw off their yoke, a levy, en masse, of the people was immediately ordered, the rendezvous to be the old camping ground at Gilgal. The Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen --Either this number must include chariots of every kind--or the word "chariots" must mean the men fighting in them 2 Samuel , 1 Kings , 1 Chronicles ; or, as some eminent critics maintain, Sheloshim "thirty" , has crept into the text, instead of Shelosh "three".

The gathering of the chariots and horsemen must be understood to be on the Philistine plain, before they ascended the western passes and pitched in the heart of the Benjamite hills, in "Michmash," now Mukmas , a "steep precipitous valley" [ROBINSON], eastward from Beth-aven Beth-el. When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait --Though Saul's gallantry was unabated, his subjects displayed no degree of zeal and energy.

Instead of venturing an encounter, they fled in all directions. Some, in their panic, left the country 1 Samuel , but most took refuge in the hiding-places which the broken ridges of the neighborhood abundantly afford. The rocks are perforated in every direction with "caves," and "holes," and "pits"--crevices and fissures sunk deep in the rocky soil, subterranean granaries or dry wells in the adjoining fields.

Some bolder spirits had ventured to join the camp at Gilgal; but even the courage of those stout-hearted men gave way in prospect of this terrible visitation; and as many of them were stealing away, he thought some immediate and decided step must be taken.

Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings --Saul, though patriotic enough in his own way, was more ambitious of gaining the glory of a triumph to himself than ascribing it to God. He did not understand his proper position as king of Israel; and although aware of the restrictions under which he held the sovereignty, he wished to rule as an autocrat, who possessed absolute power both in civil and sacred things. This occasion was his first trial. Samuel waited till the last day of the seven, in order to put the constitutional character of the king to the test; and, as Saul, in his impatient and passionate haste knowingly transgressed 1 Samuel by invading the priest's office and thus showing his unfitness for his high office as he showed nothing of the faith of Gideon and other Hebrew generals , he incurred a threat of the rejection which his subsequent waywardness confirmed.

Now there was no smith found throughout. Israel --The country was in the lowest state of depression and degradation. The Philistines, after the great victory over the sons of Eli, had become the virtual masters of the land. Their policy in disarming the natives has been often followed in the East. For repairing any serious damage to their agricultural implements, they had to apply to the neighboring forts. Yet they had a file --as a kind of privilege, for the purpose of sharpening sundry smaller utensils of husbandry.

Saul's exact date of birth is unknown. He was a member of the northern tribe of Benjamin. The Hebrew Bible offers three different versions of Saul's ascension to the kingship of Israel.

In one, Saul is anointed as king by the judge Samuel; a selling point is Saul's notable height. In another, Saul is chosen by lots when Israelites seek a king to unite different tribes and confront external threats.

The third version links Saul's selection to his rescue of the town of Jabesh-Gilead from besieging Ammonites.

For some , the third story is the most believable. Having military ability could have helped Saul build power , and would explain his later successes fighting the Philistines.

The small kingdom that Saul ruled likely included Mt. Ephraim, Benjamin and Gilead. The time that Saul served as king of Israel is generally approximated as about 20 years, circa to BCE. However, the Hebrew text of the Bible reads that Saul became king at the age of 1 and ruled for two years, which is obviously unlikely.

Some early Greek translations of the Bible state that Saul took power when he was 30 years old. Saul was initially succeeded by his youngest and only surviving son, Ishbaal also written as Ishba'al and also called Ishbosheth. After Ishbaal was killed, David took control of his kingdom. Though the Bible states that during Saul's reign he demonstrated shortcomings like extreme jealousy of David, as the first king of Israel, Saul succeeded in bringing different tribes into a closer association and achieved several victories over Israel's enemies.

In addition, the united monarchy that Saul established was subsequently ruled by the lauded leaders David and Solomon. Samuel decreed that Saul no longer had God's favor and anointed David as the next king. The NIV has the following. Saul was [thirty] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel [forty-] two years. Saul was thirty years old a when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.

Thus, the best we can doo is to attempt reconstruct the text based on the obviously round number reported in Acts where Saul is said to have reigned for 40 years. The Cambridge commentary summaries the problem thus:. Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty -two years over Israel. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.

The Jews are very much divided about the years of Saul's reign, some allow him but two years x , and others three, one year that he reigned with Samuel, and two by himself y , which they conclude from 1 Samuel but others z think this too short a time for the things done by him, the wars he fought with many nations, and his persecution of David from place to place; wherefore others a allow him, some seventeen, and others twenty years; but our apostle ascribes forty years to him, which must be understood both of him and Samuel; with which Josephus b agrees, who says that he reigned eighteen years , during Samuel's life, and twenty two years after his death, Juchasin, fol.

Kabbala, R. Temura, fol. Isaiah in 1 Samuel This is a messy one depending on how one interprets "reign". By our modern standard, a reign of twenty to twenty-two years is reasonable. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.

Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. How long did Saul reign? Ask Question.