Chapter Text
Samuel Anoints Saul
Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?
2When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?
3Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:
4And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.
5After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:
6And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
7And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.
8And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.
9And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.
10And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
11And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
12And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?
13And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
14And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel.
15And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.
16And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.
Saul Made King
17And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh;
18And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:
19And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.
20And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
21When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
22Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.
23And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
24And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.
25Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
26And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.
27But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.
Summary
Saul, a tall, handsome young Benjamite, searches for his father's lost donkeys. His servant suggests consulting Samuel the seer. God has already revealed to Samuel that He will send the man who is to be anointed king. Samuel meets Saul, hosts him at a feast, and the next morning privately anoints him as prince over Israel, kissing him and declaring God's choice.
Meaning
The anointing of Saul demonstrates that even when God accommodates human demands, He remains sovereign over the selection. The king comes not by popular election but by divine appointment.
Saul's initial humility and his search for lost donkeys provide an ironic contrast to the kingdom he is about to receive. God often finds His chosen servants in the midst of ordinary, humble tasks.
Background
The territory of Benjamin, Saul's tribe, was the smallest in Israel, and Saul's clan was the least significant in Benjamin. This mirrors God's pattern of choosing the unlikely.
Anointing with oil was the means of consecrating kings and priests in Israel, symbolizing the Holy Spirit's empowerment for the appointed task.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-8Samuel privately anoints Saul and gives three signs
- vv. 9-13God transforms Saul and the signs are fulfilled
- vv. 14-16Saul conceals the kingship from his uncle
- vv. 17-19Samuel rebukes Israel for demanding a king
- vv. 20-24Saul publicly chosen by lot and acclaimed king
- vv. 25-27The manner of the kingdom recorded and mixed response
Key Verses
“Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?”— 10:1
The first royal anointing in Israel's history. The Hebrew word 'mashach' (anoint) is the root of 'Messiah,' making this act a type of the greater anointing to come. Samuel's phrase 'captain over his inheritance' frames kingship as stewardship, not ownership.
“And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.”— 10:6
A pivotal promise of spiritual transformation accompanying the call to leadership. The indwelling of the Spirit equips Saul for his task and signals that true authority in Israel flows from God's empowerment, not human ability.
“And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.”— 10:9
The fulfillment of Samuel's threefold sign validates Saul's calling. The phrase 'God gave him another heart' is one of the Old Testament's clearest statements about divine inner transformation preceding public service.
“Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.”— 10:22
A memorable and humanizing detail — Israel's newly chosen king is found hiding among the baggage. This moment foreshadows the tension between Saul's outward stature and his inner insecurity that will define his reign.
People & Places
People
- Samuel — Prophet and judge of Israel who anoints Saul as king and oversees his public selection at Mizpeh.
- Saul — Son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin, anointed privately by Samuel and publicly chosen by lot as Israel's first king.
- Saul's uncle — An unnamed relative who questions Saul about his journey but is not told about the kingship.
- Kish — Saul's father, a Benjamite; mentioned as the father whose son is chosen by sacred lot.
Places
- Rachel's sepulchre — The burial site of Rachel near the border of Benjamin at Zelzah, where Saul would receive his first confirming sign.
- Zelzah — A location on the border of Benjamin near Rachel's tomb, mentioned only here in Scripture.
- Plain of Tabor — A place between Rachel's tomb and the hill of God where Saul would meet three men traveling to Bethel.
- Bethel — An ancient worship site meaning 'house of God,' destination of the three men Saul encounters.
- Hill of God — A high place near a Philistine garrison where a band of prophets worshipped; the site of Saul's prophetic experience.
- Gilgal — A significant worship and gathering site where Samuel instructs Saul to wait for him to offer sacrifices.
- Mizpeh — The assembly site where Samuel gathers all Israel for the public selection of a king by sacred lot.
- Gibeah — Saul's hometown in Benjamin, where he returns after being chosen king, accompanied by loyal followers.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Samuel's threefold sign (vv. 2–6) functions as short-range predictive prophecy, fulfilled precisely in verses 9–10, confirming Saul's divine appointment. The anointing with oil (v. 1) establishes the pattern of Israel's messianic expectation — the anointed king as God's chosen deliverer — which finds ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, 'the Anointed One.' God's sovereign selection of the king by lot at Mizpeh (vv. 20–21) echoes the theme that Israel's true ruler is the LORD Himself (v. 19), a tension that runs through the monarchy and into the prophetic hope for a righteous Davidic king.
Devotional
God calls and God equips. Before Saul faced a single battle, the Lord gave him 'another heart' — a reminder that divine assignments come with divine provision. We need not hide among the baggage when God has already prepared us for the task ahead.
Yet notice the mixed response: some hearts were touched by God, while others scorned the new king. Faithful service will always meet both support and opposition. Saul's quiet restraint toward his critics (v. 27) models the wisdom of not answering every detractor.
What matters most is not the crowd's applause but the certainty that 'God is with thee' (v. 7). That assurance is enough to step forward in obedience.
Literary Style
Historical narrative with embedded prophetic speech. The chapter employs a threefold sign structure (vv. 2–6) that builds dramatic tension toward fulfillment, a technique common in prophetic commissioning accounts. The lot-casting scene at Mizpeh uses narrowing selection (tribe, family, individual) for suspense. The proverbial question 'Is Saul also among the prophets?' (v. 12) introduces a recurring literary motif in the Saul cycle.