10
1 Samuel

Saul Proclaimed King by Lot

1 Samuel 10:9-27
9And it happened that when he turned his shoulder to walk away from Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all these signs came on that day. 10They came there to Gibeath-elohim, and behold, a band of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied in their midst. 11And everyone who had known him previously, three days earlier, saw that he was prophesying with the prophets, and the people said to one another, "What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" 12And a man from there answered and said, "And who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 13When he finished prophesying, he came to the high place. 14Saul's uncle said to him and to his young man, "Where did you go?" He said, "To seek the donkeys; when we saw that they were not there, we came to Samuel." 15Saul's uncle said, "Please tell me what Samuel said to you." 16Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found," but he did not tell him the matter of the kingship that Samuel had said. 17Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah. 18He said to the sons of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I brought Israel up from Egypt and rescued you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. 19But you have rejected your God this day, the one who saves you from all your distresses and your troubles, and you said to him, 'Appoint a king over us'; now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands." 20Samuel brought forward all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. 21He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of the Matrite was selected; Saul son of Kish was selected, but when they sought him he was not found. 22They inquired again of the LORD whether a man was still coming here, and the LORD said, "Behold, he is hiding among the articles." 23They ran and brought him from there; he stood in the midst of the people, and he was taller than all the people from his shoulder upward. 24Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the one whom the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." And all the people shouted and said, "May the king live." 25Samuel spoke to the people the justice of the kingship, wrote it in the scroll, and laid it before the LORD; then Samuel sent all the people away, each to his own house. 26Saul also went to his house at Gibeah, and the men whom God had touched in their hearts walked with him. 27But worthless men said, "How will this man save us?" They despised him and did not bring him an offering, and he remained silent.

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Cross-references

Study notes

The account follows the private change given to Saul into the moment when that change must stand before assembled Israel. Signs arrive together, the spirit moves him into prophetic speech that startles those who knew him days earlier, and the lot narrows from tribe to family to his own name. When he cannot be found, the LORD locates him among the baggage. Brought forward, he receives acclamation, yet Samuel first records the terms of kingship before the LORD. Some whose hearts God has touched walk with him afterward; others ask how such a man can save them and bring no offering. The passage sets the divine choice beside immediate reservation and leaves both visible on the same day.

What is Saul Proclaimed King by Lot about?

After Saul turns from Samuel, the promised signs arrive at once. God gives him another heart, the spirit rushes on him at Gibeath-elohim, and he prophesies among the band of prophets. People who had known him only days before ask what has come over the son of Kish, and the question hardens into a proverb. Saul keeps the matter of the kingship to himself when his uncle inquires, then travels with Samuel to Mizpah.

There Samuel assembles the tribes before the LORD. The lot moves from all Israel to Benjamin, then to the Matrite family, and finally to Saul himself. When searchers cannot find him, the LORD reveals that he is hiding among the baggage. Brought out, he stands head and shoulders above the rest. Samuel asks the people to see the one the LORD has chosen, they shout for the king to live, and Samuel records the rights of the kingship before sending everyone home.

Saul returns to Gibeah with those whose hearts God has touched, yet worthless men openly ask how this man can save them and bring him no gift. The verses therefore place the private anointing beside its public confirmation and show both acceptance and open contempt meeting Saul on the same day.

Where does this passage sit in 1 Samuel?

These verses pick up immediately after the three signs Samuel had announced in the preceding section. The change of heart and the rush of the spirit at Gibeath-elohim fulfill the first two signs on the same day, while the proverb that arises among Saul’s former neighbors marks the third. The narrative then moves from that private transformation to the quiet exchange with Saul’s uncle, where Saul withholds the word about the kingship. That restraint creates a brief interval of secrecy before Samuel gathers the people at Mizpah.

At Mizpah the lot narrows from all Israel to Benjamin, then to the Matrite family, then to Saul himself. When he cannot be found, the LORD’s answer directs the search to the baggage, and Saul emerges head and shoulders above everyone else. Samuel’s public declaration and the people’s shout of “May the king live” echo the earlier demand for a king in chapter 8, yet the scene also records the “justice of the kingship” in writing and places the scroll before the LORD. The people disperse, Saul returns to Gibeah, and a group whose hearts God had touched walks with him.

The final note introduces an immediate counter-current: worthless men question whether such a man can save Israel and withhold any offering. This dissent stands directly before the account of Saul’s first military action at Jabesh-gilead, so the reader meets both loyal followers and open skeptics before Saul’s leadership is tested in battle. The movement from hidden signs to public lot to divided response therefore situates the new king between divine confirmation and human reservation within the larger shift from judgeship to monarchy.

How is the passage structured?

The verses open with the immediate fulfillment of the signs after Saul leaves Samuel. God gives him another heart, the spirit rushes upon him at Gibeath-elohim, and he joins the prophets in ecstatic speech. Observers who knew him only days earlier register the change with the question that hardens into a proverb, after which Saul returns to the high place and then faces his uncle’s inquiries. He reports the recovery of the donkeys but withholds the word about the kingship.

At Mizpah the scene widens. Samuel assembles the tribes and rehearses the LORD’s past deliverance before charging the people with having rejected their God by demanding a king. The lot narrows from all Israel to Benjamin, then to the Matrite family, and finally to Saul. When he cannot be found, the LORD discloses his hiding place among the baggage. Brought forward, Saul stands head and shoulders above everyone else. Samuel presents him as the LORD’s choice, the people shout their acclamation, and Samuel records the rights of the kingship on a scroll placed before the LORD.

The assembly disperses. Saul returns to Gibeah accompanied by men whose hearts God has touched, while a group of worthless men openly question his ability to save Israel and withhold any offering. Saul offers no reply. The movement therefore runs from private confirmation through public selection, concealment, revelation, and divided response, ending with an unresolved tension between acceptance and contempt.

What is the historical background?

Casting lots served as a recognized method for determining divine choice in public decisions. The process moved outward from the full assembly of tribes to a single clan within Benjamin and then to one man, narrowing possibilities until only Saul remained. When he could not be located, a second inquiry directed searchers to the baggage area where travelers stored their gear during gatherings.

Groups of prophets gathered at high places for worship and inspired speech. These sites, often elevated locations with altars, hosted such bands whose activity could include rhythmic or ecstatic utterance. The sudden participation of an outsider from a farming family prompted the question that later hardened into a saying, reflecting how unexpected it seemed for someone of Saul's background to join their number.

Mizpah functioned as a customary meeting ground for the tribes when matters required national consultation. Samuel summoned the people there after the private signs had occurred, framing the selection within an address that recalled earlier deliverance from Egypt. The formal record of the justice of the kingship, written on a scroll and deposited before the LORD, established written expectations for the new ruler's conduct.

Support for the chosen king appeared in two forms. Men whose hearts God had moved accompanied Saul back to Gibeah, while others openly questioned whether such a figure could deliver the people and withheld customary gifts. The height difference noted when Saul stood among the crowd underscored visible stature as one factor in public perception of leadership suitability.

What does this passage teach about God?

God supplies Saul with another heart at the moment he turns from Samuel, and the signs arrive together on that single day. The spirit of God then rushes upon him at Gibeath-elohim so that he prophesies among the prophets, an event so unexpected that it produces the proverb about the son of Kish. These actions show God reshaping the inner life of the chosen man and equipping him outwardly for the role that follows.

Samuel’s address at Mizpah recalls the LORD’s deliverance from Egypt and from every oppressing kingdom, then states plainly that the demand for a king constitutes rejection of the God who saves from all distresses. The lot proceeds through tribe, family, and individual until Saul is named, yet he must be drawn out from hiding among the baggage. The LORD’s direct word locates him, and Samuel presents him as the one the LORD has chosen. The people respond with the shout that the king may live, while Samuel records the justice of the kingship and places the scroll before the LORD.

After the assembly disperses, some men whose hearts God has touched accompany Saul to Gibeah. Others, described as worthless, question how this man can save them, withhold any offering, and receive only silence in return. The passage therefore presents God as the one who both initiates the kingship and exposes the divided human response to it, without resolving the tension between the divine choice and the people’s contempt.

What are the interpretive difficulties?

The account reports that Saul kept the matter of the kingship from his uncle after returning from Samuel. He answered only about the donkeys. The text supplies no reason for the omission, leaving open whether he acted from caution, uncertainty, or simple obedience to Samuel's earlier instruction to keep the word to himself.

When the lot reaches Saul son of Kish, the searchers must inquire of the LORD a second time. The LORD answers that he is hiding among the articles. The narrative records the fact without comment on Saul's state of mind. It does not say whether the hiding expresses reluctance, fear, or a sense that the choice should remain hidden until the LORD himself discloses it.

The proverb "Is Saul also among the prophets?" surfaces twice in quick succession. Observers who knew him three days earlier express surprise at his prophesying. A bystander replies with the question "And who is their father?" The passage records the exchange and the resulting proverb but offers no further clarification of the bystander's meaning or of how the saying was understood.

At Mizpah, Samuel charges the people with rejecting their God by asking for a king. The same assembly then acclaims the man the LORD has chosen. The text does not reconcile these two statements or indicate how the people themselves understood the tension between their demand and the LORD's selection.

After Samuel writes the justice of the kingship on a scroll and lays it before the LORD, worthless men ask how this man will save them. They bring no offering and despise Saul. He remains silent. The story reports the silence without stating whether it reflects restraint, inability to answer, or a deliberate choice to let the matter rest.

The men whom God had touched in their hearts walk with Saul to Gibeah. The worthless men do not. The passage notes both groups but does not explain the difference in their responses or what the touch on the heart produced in those who followed.

Movement by movement

Signs fulfilled and the proverb born10:9-13

Right after Saul turns his shoulder from Samuel, God gives him another heart, and the three signs arrive together on that same day. At Gibeath-elohim a band of prophets meets him, the spirit of God rushes upon him, and he begins to prophesy in their midst. Men who had known him only three days earlier watch the change and ask one another what has happened to the son of Kish. Their question takes the form of surprise at seeing Saul among the prophets. A bystander answers with another question, “And who is their father?” The exchange hardens into the proverb that will be repeated whenever someone appears in an unexpected role. When Saul finishes prophesying he returns to the high place. The narrative records the inner gift of the new heart, the outward rush of the spirit, and the public reaction without further comment on Saul’s own awareness. The proverb itself becomes the lasting mark of the moment when the son of Kish joined the prophets.

Saul withholds the kingship from his uncle10:14-16

Saul's uncle questions him and his young man about their whereabouts, and Saul replies that they had gone to seek the donkeys and then turned to Samuel once the animals proved missing. The uncle presses further, asking what Samuel had said. Saul answers only that Samuel told them plainly the donkeys had been found. The verse states that he did not tell him the matter of the kingship that Samuel had said. This exchange occurs right after the signs have come upon Saul at Gibeath-elohim, yet the narrative records no explanation for the silence. The omission leaves the kingship announcement private between Samuel and Saul for the moment. The uncle receives only the practical report about the lost animals, while the larger word remains unspoken. That restraint keeps the private transformation at the high place separate from family knowledge until Samuel later assembles the tribes at Mizpah.

Israel assembled and the lot falls on Saul10:17-21

Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah. He reminded the sons of Israel how the LORD had brought them up from Egypt and rescued them from every oppressing kingdom, then charged them with rejecting their God by demanding a king. The command followed at once: present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands." Samuel brought all the tribes forward, and the lot singled out Benjamin. He next drew the families of Benjamin, and the Matrite family was taken. From that family the lot fell on Saul son of Kish. When searchers looked for the man, he was not found. The process itself moved in clear stages from the whole nation to one tribe, one clan, and finally one individual, yet the chosen man remained absent when his name was called.

Saul found and presented to the people10:22-24

When the lot narrows to Saul son of Kish yet he cannot be located, the people inquire of the LORD a second time. The answer comes at once: he is hiding among the articles. Searchers bring him out and he stands among the assembled tribes, visibly taller than everyone from the shoulder upward. Samuel points to that stature as confirmation of divine choice, declaring there is no one like him among all the people. The crowd responds with the shout that affirms his kingship. The narrative notes the hiding without explaining Saul’s motive, leaving open whether fear, reluctance, or simple absence from the line accounts for it. The LORD’s direct word both locates the man and underscores that the selection already made by lot now receives public ratification. Height becomes the visible marker the people can see, while the acclamation “May the king live” registers their acceptance of the one the LORD has singled out.

Kingship rights recorded and reactions divided10:25-27

Samuel spoke to the people the justice of the kingship, wrote it in the scroll, and laid it before the LORD. With that record placed in the sanctuary, he dismissed the assembly so each man returned to his house. Saul likewise set out for Gibeah. The men whom God had touched in their hearts walked with him, forming a visible company around the newly designated king. Others, described as worthless men, voiced a different judgment. They asked how this man could save them, treated him with contempt, and brought no offering. Saul remained silent. The scroll at the sanctuary stands as the public standard for the new arrangement, while the two groups that leave Mizpah already display the split that will mark Saul’s early days. One group moves with him because God has acted on their hearts; the other withholds recognition and support. The narrative records the silence without supplying Saul’s thoughts or any further word from Samuel at that moment.

Notes accompany the Anselm Project Bible, an AI translation from the original languages. Tap any verse above for the committee's word-level decisions.

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