Bible Characters
Who Was Saul in the Bible? Israel's First King
Saul was the first king of Israel, a Benjamite and the son of Kish, anointed by the prophet Samuel after the people asked for a king (1 Samuel 9:1-2; 10:1). He won early victories, but God rejected him as king after he disobeyed direct commands (1 Samuel 13:13-14; 15:23). Saul spent his later years pursuing David, whom God had chosen to replace him, and he died in battle against the Philistines on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:1-6).
The New Testament apostle Paul was also called Saul, but he is a different person. Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin who became a follower of Jesus (Acts 13:9; Philippians 3:5). His story is covered in our profile of Paul in the Bible. This post is about King Saul.
Quick Facts About King Saul
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Name meaning | "Asked for" |
| Testament | Old Testament |
| Key books | 1 Samuel, 1 Chronicles |
| Time period | Reigned about 1050 to 1010 BC (Acts 13:21 gives forty years) |
| Known for | Being Israel's first king, his disobedience, his jealousy of David, the medium at Endor |
Israel Asks for a King
When Samuel grew old, his sons did not follow his ways. The elders of Israel asked him to appoint a king to lead them like the other nations (1 Samuel 8:1-5). Samuel was displeased and prayed. God told him the people had rejected God as their king, not Samuel, and to give them what they asked while warning them how a king would treat them (1 Samuel 8:6-18). The people still insisted (1 Samuel 8:19-20).
Saul Is Chosen
Searching for Donkeys
Saul is described as an impressive young man, a head taller than anyone else in Israel (1 Samuel 9:2). When his father's donkeys wandered off, Saul and a servant went looking for them and came to Samuel (1 Samuel 9:3-6, 18-19). God had told Samuel the day before that he would send him a man from Benjamin to anoint as ruler (1 Samuel 9:15-16).
Anointed by Samuel
Samuel poured oil on Saul's head and told him the Lord had anointed him ruler (1 Samuel 10:1). Samuel gave him signs that would confirm this, and they all happened that day. God changed Saul's heart, and the Spirit of God came on him so that he prophesied with a group of prophets (1 Samuel 10:2-10).
Presented to the People
Samuel gathered Israel at Mizpah and chose the king by lot. The lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin, then the clan of Matri, then Saul. But Saul was hiding among the supplies (1 Samuel 10:20-22). When they brought him out, Samuel presented him and the people shouted their approval of the new king (1 Samuel 10:23-24). Some troublemakers despised him, and Saul kept silent (1 Samuel 10:27).
Victory at Jabesh Gilead
When Nahash the Ammonite threatened the town of Jabesh Gilead, the Spirit of God came powerfully on Saul. He gathered 330,000 men and rescued the town (1 Samuel 11:1-11). Saul refused to punish those who had doubted him, and the kingship was renewed at Gilgal (1 Samuel 11:12-15).
Who Was Saul in the Bible When He Disobeyed God?
The Unlawful Sacrifice at Gilgal
Facing a large Philistine army at Gilgal, Saul waited seven days for Samuel as instructed. When Samuel did not arrive and the troops began to scatter, Saul offered the burnt offering himself (1 Samuel 13:5-9). Samuel arrived as he finished and told Saul he had not kept the Lord's command. Samuel said Saul's kingdom would not endure and the Lord had sought a man after his own heart (1 Samuel 13:10-14).
Jonathan and the Rash Oath
Saul's son Jonathan and his armor-bearer attacked a Philistine outpost, and God sent panic through the Philistine camp (1 Samuel 14:6-15). Saul had bound the army under an oath not to eat until evening. Jonathan, who did not hear the oath, ate some honey (1 Samuel 14:24-27). Saul was ready to put Jonathan to death, but the troops rescued him (1 Samuel 14:43-45).
The Amalekites
God commanded Saul through Samuel to completely destroy the Amalekites and everything that belonged to them (1 Samuel 15:2-3). Saul attacked them but spared King Agag and the best of the livestock (1 Samuel 15:7-9). God told Samuel he regretted making Saul king (1 Samuel 15:10-11).
Saul claimed he had carried out the Lord's instructions and said the livestock was for sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:13-15). Samuel answered:
"But Samuel replied: 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.'" (1 Samuel 15:22, NIV)
Samuel told Saul that because he had rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord had rejected him as king (1 Samuel 15:23). As Samuel turned to leave, Saul grabbed his robe and it tore. Samuel said the Lord had torn the kingdom from Saul and given it to someone better (1 Samuel 15:27-28). Samuel did not go to see Saul again until the day he died (1 Samuel 15:35).
Saul and David
A New King Anointed
God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse's sons. When Samuel assumed the tall eldest son was the choice, God corrected him:
"The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV)
Samuel anointed David, the youngest (1 Samuel 16:11-13). The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him (1 Samuel 16:14). David was brought to court to play the lyre, and Saul felt relief when he played (1 Samuel 16:21-23).
Goliath and Growing Jealousy
After David killed Goliath, the women sang that Saul had slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands (1 Samuel 17:50; 18:6-7). Saul became angry and watched David with jealousy from then on (1 Samuel 18:8-9). More than once he threw a spear at David while David played music (1 Samuel 18:10-11; 19:9-10).
Saul gave his daughter Michal to David in marriage, hoping David would die fighting the Philistines (1 Samuel 18:20-27). Saul's son Jonathan loved David and protected him (1 Samuel 19:1-7; 20:1-42).
Pursuing David
David fled, and Saul chased him through the wilderness. Saul ordered the killing of the priests at Nob because they had helped David (1 Samuel 22:17-19). Twice David had the chance to kill Saul, once in a cave at En Gedi and once in Saul's camp at night. Both times David refused to harm the Lord's anointed (1 Samuel 24:3-7; 26:7-12). Both times Saul admitted he was wrong, but he did not stop for long (1 Samuel 24:16-20; 26:21).
The Medium at Endor
Samuel died and was buried in Ramah (1 Samuel 28:3). When the Philistines gathered against Israel, Saul was terrified. He asked the Lord, but God did not answer him by dreams, the Urim, or prophets (1 Samuel 28:5-6).
Saul had earlier expelled mediums from the land (1 Samuel 28:3). He now disguised himself and went to a medium at Endor, asking her to bring up Samuel (1 Samuel 28:7-11). The text says Samuel appeared, and the woman cried out when she saw him (1 Samuel 28:12). Samuel told Saul that Israel would be defeated and that Saul and his sons would die the next day (1 Samuel 28:16-19).
The Death of Saul
The Philistines defeated Israel on Mount Gilboa and killed Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua (1 Samuel 31:1-2). Saul was critically wounded by archers. His armor-bearer refused to kill him, so Saul fell on his own sword (1 Samuel 31:3-4).
The Philistines fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. The men of Jabesh Gilead, the town Saul had rescued at the start of his reign, recovered the bodies, burned them, and buried the bones (1 Samuel 31:10-13). Chronicles states that Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord and consulted a medium (1 Chronicles 10:13-14). David mourned Saul and Jonathan with a lament (2 Samuel 1:17-27).
Key Lessons From Saul's Life
- Obedience matters more than ritual. Samuel told Saul that obeying God is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22).
- Partial obedience is disobedience. Saul carried out part of the command against Amalek and claimed he had done it all (1 Samuel 15:13, 19).
- Jealousy destroys. Saul's envy of David consumed much of his reign (1 Samuel 18:8-9, 29).
- God looks at the heart. Saul's impressive appearance did not make him faithful (1 Samuel 9:2; 16:7).
Where King Saul Appears in the Bible
- 1 Samuel: chapters 9-31
- 2 Samuel: 1:1-27; 9:1-7; 21:1-14
- 1 Chronicles: 8:33; 9:39; 10:1-14
- Psalms: titles of Psalms 18, 52, 54, 57, 59
- Acts: 13:21
For the prophet who anointed and later rebuked Saul, read about Samuel. For the king who replaced him, see David.
Can you tell Saul, Samuel, and David apart from their clues? Play Who Am I? Bible Edition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is King Saul the same as Saul who became Paul?
No. King Saul was Israel's first king around 1050 BC. Saul of Tarsus, also called Paul, was a first-century apostle (Acts 13:9). Both were from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Samuel 9:1-2; Philippians 3:5).
How long did Saul reign as king?
Acts 13:21 says Saul reigned forty years. The Hebrew text of 1 Samuel 13:1 is incomplete, so Bible translations fill in the numbers there in different ways.
Why did God reject Saul as king?
God rejected Saul because he disobeyed the Lord's commands, first by offering a sacrifice himself at Gilgal and then by sparing Agag and the Amalekite livestock (1 Samuel 13:13-14; 15:22-23).
How did Saul die?
Saul was badly wounded by Philistine archers on Mount Gilboa and fell on his own sword when his armor-bearer refused to kill him (1 Samuel 31:3-4). Three of his sons died in the same battle (1 Samuel 31:2).
Who was Saul's son?
Saul's best-known son was Jonathan, David's close friend (1 Samuel 18:1-3). Other sons included Abinadab, Malki-Shua, and Ish-Bosheth, who briefly ruled after Saul's death (1 Samuel 31:2; 2 Samuel 2:8-10).