Who Was The First King Of Israel? (Ultimate Guide)

- Saul Anointed King in 1 Samuel 10
- References

Who Was The First King of Israel?

The first human king of Israel was King Saul making King David the second King.

This shows a Biblical pattern between the 1st man Adam who lost the "kingdom", and the second and last man The Lord Jesus Christ who was a man after God's own heart who restored The Kingdom.

Event / Reference	Approx. Time / Duration	Description / Scholarly View
Anointing by Samuel	Early reign	Saul is secretly anointed by Samuel as Israel’s first king (1 Samuel 9:1–10:1). Pre-1920 scholars (Lightfoot, Poole) note this marks the transition from judges to monarchy.
Public Acclamation	Shortly after anointing	Saul is publicly chosen by lot and accepted as king (1 Samuel 10:17–24). Scholars emphasize the divine selection process.
Military Victories	Early years	Saul leads Israel against Ammonites, Philistines, and other enemies (1 Samuel 11:1–15). Early commentators highlight his initial success and popularity.
Rejection by God	Mid-reign	Saul disobeys God (1 Samuel 13:8–14; 15:1–35). Scholars (Gill, Clarke) note loss of divine favor, setting the stage for David’s rise.
Conflict with David	Later reign	Saul becomes jealous of David, seeking his life (1 Samuel 18:6–30). Pre-1920 scholars see this as tragic moral decline and divine judgment.
Death	End of reign	Dies in battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31:1–6). Scholars note this marks the transition to David’s kingship.

Saul's First Military Test As King

Scholar / Years / Institution	Work	View / Interpretation with Scriptural Reference
John Lightfoot (1602–1675), St. Mary Hall, University of Oxford	Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae	Saul’s rescue of Jabesh-gilead demonstrated God’s empowerment and validated his kingship. Lightfoot emphasizes that this first test established Saul’s authority in Israel (1 Samuel 11:1–11).
Matthew Poole (1624–1679), University of Cambridge	Annotations on the Holy Bible	Saul’s prompt military response to Nahash’s threat united the tribes of Israel and confirmed divine selection, marking the practical start of his reign (1 Samuel 11:1–11).
John Gill (1697–1771), University of Cambridge	Exposition of the Old and New Testament	The Ammonite campaign was Saul’s first true test, highlighting his leadership, courage, and faith. Scholars view it as a key event that cemented popular support (1 Samuel 11:1–11).
Adam Clarke (1762–1832), University of Cambridge	Clarke’s Commentary	Saul’s action in saving Jabesh-gilead exemplifies obedience to God’s call. Clarke notes it as the first proof of his suitability as king (1 Samuel 11:1–11).
Keil & Delitzsch (1807–1888 / 1813–1890), University of Leipzig / University of Halle	Commentary on the Old Testament	This military engagement was Saul’s first opportunity to demonstrate divine favor, showing courage, leadership, and God’s providential support (1 Samuel 11:1–11).

Entrance of David, Saul's Successor who befriends Jonathan, Saul's son.

David, the future king of Israel and Saul’s chosen successor, is introduced while Saul reigns as king (1 Samuel 16:1–13). God anoints David as a shepherd boy in Bethlehem, marking him for leadership despite Saul’s present authority. David quickly demonstrates courage, skill, and faith, earning favor with the people and Saul’s court (1 Samuel 17). Interestingly, David forms a deep friendship with Jonathan, Saul’s son, characterized by loyalty and covenantal love (1 Samuel 18:1–4). This relationship bridges the transition of leadership, highlighting God’s providence in preparing David for kingship while Saul remains in power (1 Samuel 16–18).

Saul’s hatred of David arises after David defeats Goliath and wins national acclaim (1 Samuel 17:48–54; 18:7–9). Seeing David’s popularity, Saul grew extremely jealous and fearful that God would replace him with David (Lightfoot, Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae, 1658; Poole, Annotations on the Holy Bible, 1679). His animosity intensified after David’s covenant with Jonathan, Saul’s son, highlighting David’s favor (1 Samuel 18:1–4). Saul repeatedly made failed attempts to kill David—first with a spear and later through assassins—demonstrating personal insecurity and disobedience to God’s plan (1 Samuel 18:10–11; 19:1–10; Gill, Exposition of the Old and New Testament, 1746).

It's interesting to note that prior to Saul's fall, the final straw for King Saul arose when the king tried to be a priest or prophet instead of remaining faithful to his kingly office. Here are some scholarly views on this topic.

Scholar / Years / Institution	Work	View / Interpretation with Scriptural Reference
John Lightfoot (1602–1675), St. Mary Hall, University of Oxford	Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae	Saul improperly offered a burnt sacrifice at Gilgal (1 Samuel 13:8–12), acting like a priest rather than a king. Lightfoot emphasizes this as disobedience to God’s law, showing a failure to respect prophetic and priestly roles.
Matthew Poole (1624–1679), University of Cambridge	Annotations on the Holy Bible	Saul’s act of assuming priestly duties was a direct violation of God’s command, demonstrating impatience and fear, leading to his rejection as king (1 Samuel 13:8–14).
John Gill (1697–1771), University of Cambridge	Exposition of the Old and New Testament	Saul, by offering the sacrifice himself, transgressed the division of roles between king and priest, undermining Samuel’s authority and showing lack of faith (1 Samuel 13:8–14).
Adam Clarke (1762–1832), University of Cambridge	Clarke’s Commentary	Saul overstepped his kingly authority, performing priestly duties before Samuel arrived. Clarke stresses this as a key reason God rejected him, highlighting the importance of obedience (1 Samuel 13:8–14).
Keil & Delitzsch (1807–1888 / 1813–1890), University of Leipzig / University of Halle	Commentary on the Old Testament	Saul’s premature offering of a burnt sacrifice violated the divinely assigned separation of office, reflecting fear, impatience, and lack of trust, which led to prophetic judgment (1 Samuel 13:8–14).

Saul Anointed King in 1 Samuel 10

Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not becausethe Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance? 2 When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’
3 Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will [b]greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands.
5 After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.

In closing, Saul, as the 1st king of Israel reigned for 40 years (Acts 13:21). His personal insecurities, and disobedience to the commandments of God led to his ultimate downfall.