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The second is that the transfer was caused by Saul's failure as a king. The third is that David himself did not force his rise to the throne. The narrative further presents Saul as a representative of the Tribe of Benjamin and David as a representative of the Tribe of Judah, and covers the story of the dynasties which the two founded: the House ...
Jonathan opened the conversation with Saul by providing an excuse for David's absence, then with a defense of David (verse 32) echoing David's own words in verse 1, which moved from being a position of conciliator between David and Saul to be of David's defender under threat from his father (verses 30–33). [5]
Saul (/ s ɔː l /; Hebrew: שָׁאוּל , Šāʾūl; Greek: Σαούλ, Saoúl; transl. "asked/prayed for") was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity.
Saul enters the cave where David is hiding, and David sneaks up on him and cuts off the end of his mantle. Because Saul has been anointed, David regrets this and forbids his men from harming Saul, and then he steps out of the cave to show himself. David convinces Saul that he is not a threat, and the two reconcile.
David elaborated in his speech (verses 8–15) that instead of taking vengeance on Saul (for 'treating him like an insignificant dog or flea'), he duly acknowledged Saul's position as a God-chosen king (verse 8) while entrusted vengeance to God (verse 12). [15] Another similar account of sparing Saul's life is found in 26:1–25. [15]
The phrase translated 'relieving himself' in NRSV literally in Hebrew reads 'pouring out' or 'covering his feet' ('the feet' is a biblical euphemism for the male member), so it could mean urinating or defecating, in any event, indicating Eglon's vulnerability and unmanning (cf. Saul in the cave; 1 Samuel 24:1–7). [23]
Saul's guilt was described in the selection of words for his action: disobedience (verse 19), doing evil (verse 19), rebellion (verse 23), stubbornness (verse 23), rejection of God's word (verse 23), as Saul admitted himself that what he did was a sin and transgression (verse 24). [15]
Saul was appointed as a king to save his people 'from the hand of their enemies' (10:1), specifically the Philistines (9:16), that had a strong presence in the central hill country of Israel, were able to send out bands of raiders into different territories of Israel and controlled the manufacture of metal equipments for agricultural and weapons. [10]