1 Samuel 13:1

Contextual Overview

¹ Saul was ... years old when he began to reign; And he reigned two years over Israel. ¹ Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years. ¹ Saul was [thirty] years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years over Israel. ¹ Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he was king over Israel forty-two years. ¹ Saul was [thirty] years old when he began to reign; he ruled over Israel for [forty] years. ¹ Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, ¹ Saul was [forty] years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, ¹Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel.¹ Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel, ¹ Saul was a child of o yeer whanne he bigan to regne; forsothe he regnede on Israel twei yeer.

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 from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left."

Genesis 13:9
Isn't the whole land before you? separate yourself, I pray you, from me. If [you will take] the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if [you take] the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Genesis 13:9
We should separate. The whole land is there in front of you. If you go to the left, I will go to the right. If you go to the right, I will go to the left."

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 13:9
[Is] not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if [thou wilt take] the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if [thou wilt depart] to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

Genesis 13:9
Isn't the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left."

Genesis 13:9
"Is not the entire land before you? Please separate [yourself] from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left."

Genesis 13:9
Lo! al the lond is bifore thee, Y biseche, departe thou fro me; if thou go to the left side, Y schal holde the riyt side; if thou chese the riyt side, Y schal go to the left side.

Genesis 13:9
Is not all the land before thee? be parted, I pray thee, from me; if to the left, then I to the right; and if to the right, then I to the left.'

Genesis 13:9
Is not the whole land before you? Now separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left."

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."