Who was Saul in the bible?

Saul (Hebrew Sha’uwl) is a biblical name meaning “asked,” borne by more than one person in Scripture: an Edomite ruler and at least two Israelites (including Saul son of Kish, whose death in battle is narrated in 1 Chronicles 10).

Saul in Scripture

In the genealogical record of Edom’s rulers, Saul appears as a successor to Samlah and predecessor to Baal Hanan.

“Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth by the River reigned in his place.” (1 Chronicles 1:48)

“Shaul died, and Baal Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.” (1 Chronicles 1:49)

Within Israelite genealogies, “Shaul” is listed among the sons of Simeon.

“The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul;” (1 Chronicles 4:24)

Another “Shaul” appears in a line of descent within a Levitical genealogy.

“Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.” (1 Chronicles 6:24)

The figure most fully described is Saul son of Kish. Chronicles presents his immediate family line and names his sons.

“Ner became the father of Kish. Kish became the father of Saul. Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.” (1 Chronicles 8:33)

“Ner became the father of Kish. Kish became the father of Saul. Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.” (1 Chronicles 9:39)

A military notice in Chronicles mentions a war “in the days of Saul,” describing fighting against the Hagrites and settlement east of Gilead.

“In the days of Saul, they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they lived in their tents throughout all the land east of Gilead.” (1 Chronicles 5:10)

1 Chronicles 10 provides a full narrative centered on Saul’s final battle and its aftermath. The setting is a conflict in which “the Philistines fought against Israel,” and Israel’s forces broke and suffered heavy losses.

“Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.” (1 Chronicles 10:1)

Saul and his sons were pursued closely; the text names three sons of Saul killed in the fighting.

“The Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.” (1 Chronicles 10:2)

The battle intensified around Saul personally. He was overtaken by archers and became distressed under their threat.

“The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was distressed by reason of the archers.” (1 Chronicles 10:3)

Facing the possibility of capture and abuse, Saul addressed his armor bearer with a request to be killed. When the armor bearer refused out of fear, Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.

“Then Saul said to his armor bearer, ‘Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me.’ But his armor bearer would not; for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell on it.” (1 Chronicles 10:4)

Saul’s armor bearer, seeing Saul dead, also died by falling on his sword.

“When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword, and died.” (1 Chronicles 10:5)

The chapter summarizes the scope of the loss in Saul’s house at that moment.

“So Saul died with his three sons; and all his house died together.” (1 Chronicles 10:6)

The news of Saul’s and his sons’ deaths affected the surrounding Israelite population. Men in the valley, seeing what had happened, abandoned their cities; the Philistines then occupied them.

“When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.” (1 Chronicles 10:7)

The next day, as the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa. They then dishonored Saul’s body by taking his head and armor and distributing the news throughout Philistine territory, linking the message to their idols and people. His armor was placed “in the house of their gods,” and his head was fastened “in the house of Dagon.”

“On the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.” (1 Chronicles 10:8)

“They stripped him, and took his head and his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to their idols, and to the people.” (1 Chronicles 10:9)

“They put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.” (1 Chronicles 10:10)

A response came from Jabesh Gilead after they heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. “All the valiant men” rose, recovered the bodies of Saul and his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. There they buried their bones under an oak and observed a seven-day fast.

“When all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,” (1 Chronicles 10:11)

“all the valiant men arose, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.” (1 Chronicles 10:12)

Chronicles also offers a theological explanation for Saul’s death. It attributes his end to “his trespass” against Yahweh, specifying that he did not keep Yahweh’s word and that he sought counsel from “one who had a familiar spirit,” rather than inquiring of Yahweh. The narrative closes by stating that the kingdom was turned over to David son of Jesse.

“So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against Yahweh, because of Yahweh’s word, which he didn’t keep; and also because he asked counsel of one who had a familiar spirit, to inquire,” (1 Chronicles 10:13)

“and didn’t inquire of Yahweh. Therefore he killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.” (1 Chronicles 10:14)

Multiple bearers

The name Saul (Sha’uwl) is borne by distinct individuals in the passages cited. (1) An Edomite ruler is briefly identified as “Shaul of Rehoboth by the River,” who “reigned” after Samlah and before Baal Hanan (1 Chronicles 1:48–49). (2) An Israelite “Shaul” appears as a son of Simeon in a list of brothers (1 Chronicles 4:24). (3) Another “Shaul” is named as a son within a genealogy—“Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son” (1 Chronicles 6:24). (4) Saul son of Kish is given an explicit family line and named sons (1 Chronicles 8:33; 9:39), is referenced in a historical note (“In the days of Saul,” 1 Chronicles 5:10), and is the central figure of the battle narrative in 1 Chronicles 10.

Name and Meaning

In Hebrew the name is written שָׁאוּל, transliterated Sha’uwl and pronounced shaw-ool’. The name is derived from a Hebrew term meaning “asked,” connected to the root sha’al (שָׁאַל), “to inquire” and, by implication, “to request.”

Closing observation

Chronicles binds Saul’s end to both battlefield events—“the archers overtook him” (1 Chronicles 10:3)—and a stated moral cause: “he asked counsel of one who had a familiar spirit… and didn’t inquire of Yahweh” (1 Chronicles 10:13–14).

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the name Saul mean?

Saul means “asked.”

How many times does Saul appear in the Bible?

Saul occurs 317 times.

Who was Saul?

Saul (Shaul) is the name of an Edomite and two Israelites. One Saul is listed as the son of Kish and the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal (1 Chronicles 8:33).

What happened to Saul in the battle with the Philistines?

The Philistines killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, and Saul was distressed by the archers (1 Chronicles 10:2-3). Saul died with his three sons (1 Chronicles 10:6).

Explore Further

If you found this page about Saul interesting and would like to discover more about other biblical characters, explore our comprehensive Encyclopedia of Biblical Characters. For those looking to delve deeper into the Greek origins of these names and terms, our Greek Lexicon is an invaluable resource.

Sources: Name and occurrence data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and STEPBible reference data (CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).