7
votes
What exactly was Saul's sin that caused God to reject him and punish him?
The events of 1 Samuel ch13 should be compared with Samuel's instructions in a a previous chapter.
"And you shall go down before me to Gilgal and behold I am coming to you to offer burnt ...
- 7,324
6
votes
Accepted
Why were the bodies of Saul & his sons cremated - 1 Samuel 31:11?
Excellent question.
Indeed, cremation was not the accepted burial rite in Ancient Israel, and this was definitely an unusual practice by Israelite standards and almost unheard of in the ANE (The only ...
- 7,350
5
votes
Did David not break his oath when he handed Saul's descendants to the Gibeonites in 2 Samuel 21?
Saul and Ahinoam - 6 children:
Jonathan -> Mephibosheth - Mica - etc.
Ishui (Abinadab)
Melchishua
Ishbosheth (Eshbaal)
Merab (f) (eldest) - [five children by Adriel]
Michal (f) - wife of David ...
- 1,751
5
votes
Accepted
Did Saul lie to Samuel in 1 Samuel 15:7?
Dr. Berel Lerner has provided an answer to this question here.
In short, the KJV translation of 1 Samuel 15:7 is inaccurate. The Hebrew reads:
וַיִּתְפֹּ֛שׂ אֶת־אֲגַ֥ג מֶֽלֶךְ־עֲמָלֵ֖ק חָ֑י וְאֶת־...
- 1,301
5
votes
How would marrying Saul's daughter be a snare/stumbling block to David?
How would marrying Saul's daughter be a snare/stumbling block to David?
Saul was hoping that David would lose his life in trying to get 100 foreskins of the Philistines ,instead of the normal ...
- 14.2k
5
votes
How long did Saul reign?
One has to do a bit of detective work to figure this conundrum out. Before reading this answer, I would recommend that you read Michael Heiser's short article, from the second subheading "Who ...
- 141
4
votes
How can an evil spirit come from God?
What is the nature of this evil spirit?
The semantic range of both רעה (evil) and רוח (spirit) are quite broad. As WoundedEgo correctly points out, רעה does not always mean evil or wicked in the ...
- 2,412
4
votes
Accepted
Why did Samuel think that Saul would kill him given that all of Saul's recorded erratic behavior seems to have happened later?
There are about three explanations for Samuel's ability to predict Saul's murderous tendencies.
1) The slaughter of the Gibeonites:
2-Samuel 21:1-3 (NKJV)
Now there was a famine in the days ...
- 2,823
4
votes
Did The Amalekites survive?
Based on the information in 1 Samuel 15:4-9, God instructs Saul to attack the Amalekites and totally destroy them; men, women, children, infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys. So Saul puts ...
- 9,355
4
votes
Accepted
How long was the ark at Kirjath Jearim in 1 Samuel 7:2?
I Samuel 6:1-21, 7:1-2.
The ark was sent from the Philistines and arrived at Bethshemesh where 50,070 men were slain because the ark had been looked into. Then it was brought up to the house of ...
- 33k
4
votes
Accepted
How long did Saul reign?
1 Sam 13:1 is problematic because the Hebrew text is clearly missing something. Indeed, my ESV has this:
Saul was ... years old when he began to reign, and when he had reigned
... and two years over ...
- 118k
4
votes
How did the writer of 1 Samuel 31 know that Saul committed suicide if his armor bearer also committed suicide?
The answer is in 1 Samuel chapter 31, the next verse on from Saul, then his armour-bearer, committing suicide.
Saul had been critically wounded with arrows. Saul told his armour-bearer to draw his own ...
- 30.6k
3
votes
Accepted
In 1 Samuel 16:1-13 why did David not establish himself as king when Saul decided to go after him?
First of all, Saul was anointed in public in 1 Samuel 11:14-15. God later regrets having anointed Saul, but after having already anointed him in public as king. When Samuel is told to go anoint David, ...
- 3,814
3
votes
Accepted
Did God permit David to marry numerous wives in 2 Samuel 12:8?
The answer is yes. The God of the OT approves of polygamy.
Proof of this can be found in Deut. 21:15
If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both
bear him sons but the ...
- 7,350
3
votes
Accepted
How did Saul find out that David had been anointed to be king?
It had already been announced by Samuel that the kingdom was being taken from Saul and given to a better man than he:
So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from
you today, ...
- 290
3
votes
Accepted
Could Kng Uzziah's judgement have been more severe than that of King Saul?
There are several ways in which Uzziah's actions should be seen as "more serious" than Saul's and so would warrant a "more severe" response:
Uzziah's actions occurred at the altar in Solomon's Temple,...
- 18.1k
3
votes
Saul’s soldiers eat meat with blood, why were they not executed ? 1 Samuel 14:32-33
Although they may have transgressed the prohibition, they weren't necessarily condemned to death.
From the perspective of Rabbinic Judaism this isn't much of a question; the requirements to enforce ...
- 141
3
votes
Why were the guards of king Saul not charged for refusing to carry out his order In 1 Samuel 22:16-17?
Ellicott succinctly observes that:
But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand.—“And thus they were more faithful to Saul than if they had obeyed his
order, which was against the ...
- 118k
3
votes
Did Doeg the Edomite kill the whole town of Nob single-handedly as alluded in 1 Samuel 22:19?
Look at it this way. Doeg the Edomite didn't do it with his bare hands. He used weapons. Part of his weapons would include his son's and servants under his command. It's common to mention just the ...
- 22.8k
3
votes
And the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul?
Acts 7:58 is definitely a sign of a new beginning as witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
It was the introduction of Saul as the one who had the authority to supervise ...
- 3,757
3
votes
Was Samuel referring to Saul in 1 Samuel 8:10-17?
The description of the behavior of kings generally as recorded in 1 Sam 8:10-17 is a description of the worst of kingly behavior generally. That is, Samuael was not suggesting that each would do all ...
- 118k
3
votes
What exactly was Saul's sin that caused God to reject him and punish him?
There is a toxic element to sin that is not repented of, if there is no turning back to God and away from disobedience to God's commands. Now, in the text in question, there is no mention of Saul ...
- 30.6k
3
votes
Accepted
Why does an anointing remain on one's head even though he or she has gone contrary to the will of God like Saul the king?
A public act of pouring oil on the head of Saul, done by the prophet Samuel, happened at a particular time in a particular place, witnessed by many people. Nothing can undo the doing of that act. It ...
- 30.6k
2
votes
How can an evil spirit come from God?
The absolute sovereignty of Almighty God is the answer.
And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his ...
- 4,745
2
votes
How to understand the passage where Samuel said that God doesn't change his mind, but God regretted making Saul king?
Saul was given to Israel as a permissive will of God when they asked for a Samuel for a king. They were therefore given a king of their choice.
1 Samuel 10:19
19 And ye have this day rejected your ...
- 680
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