Shaul HaMelech
d. c. 1010 BCE · Biblical era · Gibeah of Saul
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Shaul son of Kish, of the tribe of Binyamin, was the first king of Israel. The book of Samuel describes him as a striking young man, a head taller than everyone (1 Samuel 9:1-2). The prophet Shmuel anointed him in private (10:1). He proved himself by rescuing Yavesh Gilead from the Ammonites, and the people then confirmed him as king at Gilgal (11:1-15). He ruled from his home town, Gibeah, and fought the Philistines throughout his reign, together with his son Yonatan. The text records two failures of obedience: offering a sacrifice at Gilgal without waiting for Shmuel (13:8-14), and sparing the Amalekite king Agag and the best of the livestock (15:9). After each, Shmuel told him the kingdom would not remain with him (13:13-14; 15:26-28). His later years were overshadowed by his pursuit of the young David. On the eve of his last battle he consulted a medium at Ein Dor (28:7). He died on Mount Gilboa with three of his sons, and the men of Yavesh Gilead rescued the bodies (31:1-13). David later buried his bones in his father Kish's tomb in Binyamin (2 Samuel 21:14). Scholars date his reign to the late 11th century BCE.
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Gibeah of Saulגבעת שאול
What they did here
Gibeah "of Saul" was his home. He returned there after being acclaimed king (1 Samuel 10:26; 15:34), and the messengers from Yavesh Gilead found him there (11:4-5).
About Gibeah of Saul
Gibeah was a town in the territory of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem. According to the Book of Samuel, it was the home and capital of Saul, the first king of Israel. Its site is generally identified with Tell el-Ful, north of Jerusalem, though this is debated.
In Gibeah of Saul at the same time
In the same place & time
Sages whose lives overlapped with Shaul HaMelech’s in the same cities, drawn from their recorded journeys.
In the same tradition
The world in their lifetime
Thinkers, teachers, and rulers whose lives overlapped with Shaul HaMelech’s — a glimpse of the wider world they lived in. Drawn from recorded birth and death years (reign years for rulers whose lives are undated); where only one end of a life is known, a span of about 70 years is assumed.
Jewish world
- Shimshon ben Manoach (Samson)· 1110 BCE–1070 BCE
- Eli HaKohen· 1108 BCE–1028 BCE
- Chana (mother of Shmuel)· b. 1100 BCE
- Shmuel ben Elkanah (Samuel the Prophet)· 1075 BCE–1012 BCE
- Gad HaChozeh (Gad the Seer)· b. 1050 BCE
- Natan the Prophet· 1040 BCE–930 BCE
- Avigail (Abigail, wife of David)· b. 1035 BCE
- Batsheva bat Eliam (Bathsheba)· b. 1010 BCE
Mesopotamian world
Works
No works attributed in the corpus yet.