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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

1 Samuel 13:1

Saul was [thirty] years old when he began to reign; he ruled over Israel for [forty] years.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies of Israel, the;   Time;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jonathan;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Saul, king of israel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Gods and Goddesses, Pagan;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Mattock;   Saul;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Chronology of the Biblical Period;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeah;   Israel;   Jonathan;   Michmash;   Philistines;   Samuel, Books of;   Saul;   Text, Versions, and Languages of Ot;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Israel kingdom of;   Jonathan;   Saul;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Mich'mas;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Judges, Book of:;   Reign;   Text of the Old Testament;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Atonement;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel.
Hebrew Names Version
Sha'ul was [forty] years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Yisra'el,
King James Version
Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
Lexham English Bible
Saul was thirty years old at the beginning of his reign, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel.
English Standard Version
Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,
New Century Version
Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he was king over Israel forty-two years.
Amplified Bible
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel.
New American Standard Bible
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty-two years over Israel.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Saul nowe had beene King one yeere, and he reigned two yeeres ouer Israel.
Legacy Standard Bible
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel.
Contemporary English Version
Saul was a young man when he became king, and he ruled Israel for two years.
Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul was — years old when he began his reign, and he had ruled Isra'el for two years,
Darby Translation
Saul was … years old when he became king; and he reigned two years over Israel.
Easy-to-Read Version
Saul was 30 years old when he became king. He ruled over Israel 42 years.
George Lamsa Translation
AND when Saul had reigned one or two years in his kingdom over Israel,
Good News Translation
Literal Translation
It was one year since Saul became king, then he reigned two more years over Israel.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Saul had bene kynge one yeare, and wha he had raigned ouer Israel two yeares,
American Standard Version
Saul was [forty] years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
Bible in Basic English
*** Three astrics are used as a sign that one or more Hebrew words, necessary to the sense, have been taken out at some time or other.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Saul now had ben king one yere (& he raigned two yeres ouer Israel.)
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Saul was ---- years old when he began to reign; and two years he reigned over Israel.
King James Version (1611)
Saul reigned one yeere, and when he had reigned two yeeres ouer Israel,
English Revised Version
Saul was [thirty] years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years over Israel.
Berean Standard Bible
Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Saul was a child of o yeer whanne he bigan to regne; forsothe he regnede on Israel twei yeer.
Young's Literal Translation
A son of a year [is] Saul in his reigning, yea, two years he hath reigned over Israel,
Update Bible Version
Saul was ... years old when he began to reign; And he reigned two years over Israel.
Webster's Bible Translation
Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
World English Bible
Saul was [forty] years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
New King James Version
Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2 Samuel 5:4; 2 Kings 14:2; see also 2 Samuel 2:10; Acts 13:21).">[fn]
New Living Translation
Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years.
New Life Bible
Saul was forty years old when he began to rule. He ruled over Israel thirty-two years.
New Revised Standard
Saul was... years old when he began to reign; and he reigned... and two years over Israel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign; and, when he had reigned two years over Israel,
Douay-Rheims Bible
Saul was a child of one year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel.
Revised Standard Version
Saul was...years old[1][The number is lacking in the Hebrew text (the verse is lacking in the Septuagint)] when he began to reign; and he reigned...[2][The number is lacking in the Hebrew text (the verse is lacking in the Septuagint)] and two years over Israel.
THE MESSAGE
Saul was a young man when he began as king. He was king over Israel for many years.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty two years over Israel.

Contextual Overview

1 Saul was [thirty] years old when he began to reign; he ruled over Israel for [forty] years. 2 Saul selected for himself three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand of these were with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel; the remaining thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. He sent all the rest of the people back home. 3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost that was at Geba and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul alerted all the land saying, "Let the Hebrews pay attention!" 4 All Israel heard this message, "Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel is repulsive to the Philistines!" So the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal. 5 For the battle with Israel the Philistines had amassed 3,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds, and cisterns. 7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan River to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal; the entire army that was with him was terrified.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

am 2911, bc 1093, An, Ex, Is, 398

reigned one year: Heb. the son of one year in his reigning, This verse is variously interpreted; but probably it only means, according to the Hebrew idiom, that, during the first year nothing remarkable occurred; but after two years - or in the second year of his reign the subsequent events took place. Exodus 12:5, Micah 6:6, *marg.

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 7:13 - came no more 1 Samuel 14:47 - Saul Ezekiel 25:15 - to destroy

Cross-References

Genesis 13:9
Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself now from me. If you go to the left, then I'll go to the right, but if you go to the right, then I'll go to the left."
Genesis 20:1
Abraham journeyed from there to the Negev region and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived as a temporary resident in Gerar,
Genesis 21:33
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord , the eternal God.
Joshua 10:40
Joshua defeated the whole land, including the hill country, the Negev, the lowlands, the slopes, and all their kings. He left no survivors. He annihilated everything that breathed, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded.
Joshua 18:5
Divide it into seven regions. Judah will stay in its territory in the south, and the family of Joseph in its territory in the north.
1 Samuel 27:10
When Achish would ask, "Where did you raid today?" David would say, "The Negev of Judah" or "The Negev of Jeharmeel" or "The Negev of the Kenites."
2 Samuel 24:7
Then they went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beer Sheba.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Saul reigned one year,.... "Or the son of a year in his reigning" s; various are the senses given of these words: some interpret them, Saul had a son of a year old when he began to reign, Ishbosheth, and who was forty years of age when his father died, 2 Samuel 2:10, others, who understand the words of Saul himself, think there is an "ellipsis" or defect of the number, and that it may be supplied, that Saul was the son of thirty or forty years, or whatsoever age he may be supposed to be at when he began his reign; others take the words in a figurative sense, that he was like a child of a year old, for purity and innocence; so the Targum,

"as the son of a year, in whom there are no faults, so was Saul when he reigned;''

or he was but a year old, reckoning from the time he was turned into another man, and had another heart, which was immediately after he was anointed king at Ramah by Samuel; or he was but a year old with respect to his kingdom: the inauguration of a king is "natalis imperil", the birthday of his kingdom, and therefore the words are well enough rendered by us, "Saul reigned one year"; which is to be reckoned either from his unction at Ramah, or rather from his election at Mizpeh, to the renewal of the kingdom at Gilgal:

and when he had reigned two years over Israel; which the Jewish chronologers t make to be the whole of his reign, which is not probable, considering the many things done in his reign, the many battles he fought with all his enemies on every side of him, and his long persecution of David; and there were no less than three high priests in his reign; Josephus says q he reigned eighteen years in the lifetime of Samuel, and twenty two years after his death, in all forty; which agrees with Acts 13:21. Some interpret it he reigned two years well, and the rest in a tyrannical way; or that at the end of two years, when David was anointed, the kingdom was not reckoned to him, but to David; and to this purpose Dr. Lightfoot writes, that he had been king one year from his first anointing by Samuel at Ramah, to his second anointing by him at Gibeah (Gilgal I suppose he means); and he reigned after this two years more, before the Lord cast him off, and anointed David; and the time he ruled after that was not a rule, but a tyranny and persecution r; but the sense Ben Gersom gives is best of all, that one year had passed from the time of his being anointed, to the time of the renewal of the kingdom at Gilgal; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, then he did what follows, chose 3000 men, c. In the first year of his reign was done all that is recorded in the preceding chapter and when he had reigned two years, not two years more, but two years in all, then he did what is related in this chapter.

s בן שנה שאול במלכו "filius anni Saul in regnando ipsum", Montanus. t Seder Olam Rabba, c. 13. p. 35. Juchasin, fol. 11. 1. q Antiqu. l. 6. c. 14. sect. 9. r Works, vol. 1. p. 55.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The text of this verse, omitted by the Septuagint, is held to be corrupt, and the numerals denoting Saul’s age at his accession as well as the duration of his reign, are thought to be omitted or faulty. Saul may have been about 30 at his accession, and have reigned some 32 years, since we know that his grandson Mephibosheth was five years old at Saul’s death 2 Samuel 4:4; and 32 added to the seven and a half years between the death of Saul and that of Ishbosheth, makes up the 40 years assigned to Saul’s dynasty in Acts 13:21. Neither is there any clue to the interval of time between the events recorded in the preceding chapter, and those which follow in this and succeeding chapters. But the appearance of Jonathan as a warrior 1 Samuel 13:2 compared with the mention of Saul as “a young man” 1 Samuel 9:2, implies an interval of not less than ten or fifteen years, perhaps more. The object of the historian is to prepare the way for the history of David’s reign. He therefore passes at once to that incident in Saul’s reign, which led to his rejection by God, as recorded in 1 Samuel 13:13-14.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XIII

Saul chooses a body of troops, 1, 2.

Jonathan smites a garrison of the Philistines, 3, 4.

The Philistines gather together an immense host against Israel,

5.

The Israelites are afraid; and some hide themselves in caves,

and others flee over Jordan, 6, 7.

Samuel delaying his coming, Saul offers sacrifice, 8, 9.

Samuel comes and reproves him, and Saul excuses himself, 10-12.

Samuel shows him that God has rejected him from being captain

over his people, 13, 14.

Samuel departs; and Saul and Jonathan, with six hundred men

abide in Gibeah, 15, 16.

The Philistines send out foraging companies, and waste the land,

17, 18.

Desolate state of the Israelitish army, having no weapons of

defence against their enemies, 19-23.

NOTES ON CHAP. XIII

Verse 1 Samuel 13:1. Saul reigned one year — A great deal of learned labour has been employed and lost on this verse, to reconcile it with propriety and common sense. I shall not recount the meanings put on it. I think this clause belongs to the preceding chapter, either as a part of the whole, or a chronological note added afterwards; as if the writer had said, These things (related in 1 Samuel 12:1-25) took place in the first year of Saul's reign: and then he proceeds in the next place to tell us what took place in the second year, the two most remarkable years of Saul's reign. In the first he is appointed, anointed, and twice confirmed, viz., at Mizpeh and at Gilgal; in the second, Israel is brought into the lowest state of degradation by the Philistines, Saul acts unconstitutionally, and is rejected from being king. These things were worthy of an especial chronological note.

And when he had reigned — This should begin the chapter, and be read thus: "And when Saul had reigned two years over Israel, he chose him three thousand," tic. The Septuagint has left the clause out of the text entirely, and begins the chapter thus: "And Saul chose to himself three thousand men out of the men of Israel."


 
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