King Saul was the first king of the united kingdom of Israel. Previously the LORD was the one who lead the Israelites (1 Samuel 8:6-9). He gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet; then the people asked for a king and he gave them Saul who ruled for 40 years (Acts 13:20).
There was bitter war with the Philistines all the days of his life and whenever he saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service (1 Samuel 14:52).
He died because he was unfaithful to the LORD as he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to the David (1 Chronicles 10:13-14, Acts 13:21).
He was a Benjamite and son of Kish (1 Samuel 9:1).
Family
His wife’s name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz (1 Samuel 14:51).
| Child | |
|---|---|
| Jonathan | Son |
| Ishvi | Son |
| Malki-Shua | Son |
| Abinadab | Son |
| Esh-Baal | Son |
| Merab | Daughter |
| Michal | Daughter |
Jonathan, Malki-Shua and Abinadab were killed by the Philistines (1 Chronicles 10:2).
- The geneology of King Saul can be found in 1 Chronicles 8. A list of his children is in verse 33 of the same chapter.