cheenc03a.pdf

eady an explanation, and it seems to have been very
lb, Name much misunderstood. The key to it is
Bnd home, probably to be found in IS. 128, where the
name i~mw (Samuel) B expressly made
equivalent to ii~? (Saul), and connected (cp v. -) with
Jirg -.(i8'ai),
.to ark.' It is at any rate plausible to
suppose that Semil'el and SSUI (also Ishmael and
Shohal?) are modifications of a common original.' viz..
the southern clan-name Shema (=Sheba, 6 B sapas.
Josh. 19.?) with the afformatire i or i~. It will be
remembered that elsewhere Saul (SAUL, n ; SHAUL) is
a N. Arabian name, given both to a Simeonile and to a
Murite : also that Samuel, accordine to tradition. was
a sin of Jsno~ax-i.e.. belonged toe. clan which had
Jerahmeelite (9. AraVian) affinities. It is even possible
that the narrator who worked up the legends respecting
Saul's connection with Samuel may have been ignorant
of the seer's real name, and have selected for him one of
two variants of the traditional name of the firrt kine.2
,m,
\-I.
SAUL
speaking, the frrt Irraelitirh king. It remains true.
however, that Saul is the first king of a section of
the Irrae1ites of whom fairly definite traditions are preserved,
and it is to there traditions, not allequally trurtworthy,
that we now direct our attention.
Traditions of much interest respecting Saul have came
dowll to us from a school of writers trained under pro-
Traditi ens, phetic influence. According to these.
~t was a seer called Samuel1 who, bv
his preternatural insight, recognired in the son of ~ i &
the datined 'captain' or 'prince' (n.j@d. see PRINCE)
of united Israel ir S. 9.61. This oatriotic Israelite (see ,
SAMUEL) is introduced to ua going up to the bdmdh of
an unnamed city to 'bless the sacrifice' and partake of
the s;rcrificial repast. By a happy accident-as it
scemr-Saul, on a journey in search of his father's
lost ase~, appears before him, and timidly arks the
way to the sser'l house. At once Samuel (who, if a
member of a Jerahmeelite clan, would perhaps recognise
Saul) discloses his identity. He treats his visitor
with marked consideration. and on tile morrow,
in strict privacy, communicates to him a divine oracle
respecting him."t the same time he solemnly anoints'
and then kisses him (see SALUTATIONS). Finally, to
strengthen Saul's faith, he specifies three remarkable
experiences which the favourite of heaven will have as
he returur home. One war thvt he n-ould meet two
men (see RACHEL'S SEPULCHRE) who would give news
respecting the lost assesand would mention the paternal
anxiety of Kish. Another was that three pilgrims whom
he would also meet (see TABOR) would be so struck by
his beaiing that they would salute him and offer him a
present of two loaves. The third sign was thvt Saul
would meet a company of nibi'in in a state of frenzy
(see PROPHET. 5 4). and would be seized upon by the
spirit of Yahw& and pas into the same state (calling out
perhaps for the advent of Israel's war-god to lead his
people to victory). All thir, we are told, came to pass:
yet it was not this, but the disclosures of the seer Samuel,
which transformed Saul's nature, and made him a true
kine 11001.
rth by ;he li$-ht of 'Samuel,' a
wlpahle smr(ai Perler har pointed our)for Saul's
The true name of the first kine. ". however. . has orob- .
ably passed into oblivion, like so much berides connected
with ihis dim far-off figure.
The true name of Saul's native place is perhaps
recoverable. It was most probably not Gibeath-shad
(EV Gibeah of Saul), but Gibeath-shalirhah ('nur and
ilwiwmay reasonably be taken to be kindred forms); i.e.,
Shaliihah war the name of the district in which thir
Gibeah war situated. Near it were (a) LazsIr, also
called in MT Laishah and Zela (both eormptions of
Shalishah), and (6) Gilgal or Beth-gilgal-LC, very
probably Beth-jeahmeel (see 5 6). Beth-jerahmee14 (if
we may adopt this name as the true one), which war
apparently a walled city of Eome importance, may be
regarded N, the centre of Saul's clan. As we shall
presently see, it war the city which this hero relieved I;; 'abdkt a month's time Saul war called upon to
when in a verv critical situation : it was also the dace justify the seer's selection. So at least the truetext of
where his nlarried daughter (see MeRAB, PALTI) and
z S. 11 I (preserved by 6)' tells us.
his grandson (see MEPHIROSHETH) resided, and where le' Winelrler's Winckler, however, rejects the words
Sheba the Bichrite took refuge with his clansmen when theory'
rhich assert a month's interval, as not
pursued by 10ab.~ The restoration of the true name beloneins - - to the orieinal - tradition. Accordins " to thir
ihrows a bright light on a number of parsages (cp scholar, it is quite a fresh account of Saul and hisorigin
GALLIM).
that we have in r S. Ilr-11, the original story having
It is a dir~llted ooint whether or no Saul war the first been recast when. to soothe oatriotic feelines, -. theGilrndite
to realire th; idra br kingly government. According to hero was converted into a Benjamite. .Uter undoing
Predecessors, Winckller (G1216r57). the stories of what he as the work of the later editor of the
Gideon. Abimelech, and leohthah tradition. Winckler arrives at this simolr statement of
were brought into shape as justifications of ih; claim fact which he conriderr to be authentic: Nabash, king
made by the Gileadite (?) Saul to the sovereignty of of the Ammonites, was besieging the city of JAnssH in
W61ern Israel and to the possession of the religious Gilead, and pressing it hard. By a bald stroke, akin
capiialShechem. This theory is decidedly ingenious ; to that related. Winckler thinks. by anticipation in
but it is mare probable (see IsnaEL, 5 la : Grosos ; Judg. 7 (we GIDEON). Saul relieved the city (u. ,I).
but co ABIMELECH. . 21 , that Gideon war. strict17 which appears to have been his birthpla~e.~ The
1 or the suns idea smevhat dscrcntly applied we wi. points which seem to Winckler to force upon us the
GZ 2 zz,, KA TIPI 225. This wboWs own ~xplanation of hrw view that Saul war a Jaberhite are three-(I) the trais
ftxlly set forth in KA TPI LC.; the Hebrew name ( 'asked
i. the literal tranrlation of 611+~irl, 'the or~~e-god; a ti~c
of sin th" maon-yd.
1 C; Seyce, Hi6drrf Lc~hrrrr(i88~), 51. 'Sheba: too wa~
h=dldiy the birth-name of the Bichrite mentxoned in 1 S.20:.
3 S ~~OY~A represents k~w in Gen. 48x0 A) I S.11 rj (R*)
xi(BA),15rz (B), while b* rsprswms~H;m in I S.1511
4 There were, ofrouru, different placer called Beth-jerahmrrl.
C% ALL,>% SACK (4,.
The
(2 S. 20ir j) +hovid probably be read thllr
'And Sheha passed on to Beth-lerabmeel, and $1 the ~ ~ ~ h ~#L~iich.lll ~ ~ t 66 ~ n. ; I).
(Jerahmeelitcs) asrembled and went in artei him. And they 4 mi dlcm)&' hs rim (BA); rat (ydvevlro +.d I"~Y.
came and besieged him in Beth-jerahme'el' ; hen- in v. 18 i a ~ $pep& (I.). MT has wyno> b&i~ni@hrr4duv [LI);
should bc 5~d~,.l. In v z, .a>.(h>) !hould he yxm, and Wr minri to a neb. text in which elm and d~hbboth had a
ah* i ~ ~hould , be ~ nirnm.: the followrngwords myo n-~r
should he , xm,. n.2 (2." early correction). Other reference3 to
' Beth-jerahmccl' probrhly underlie certain corrupt words in the narrative ,"hi<
Am. I j Hoi, 10 I) (see Cril. Bid.).
"0. nor only GI2