1 Samuel 9:1-5

Saul's Search For His Father's Asses. 1 Samuel 9:1-5

Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

3 And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.
4 And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.

5 And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us.

1.

Whose son was Saul? 1 Samuel 9:1

Saul was the son of Kish. The elaborate genealogy of Kish, the Benjaminite, and the minute description of the figure of his son, Saul, are intended to indicate at the very outset the importance to which Saul attained in relation to the people of Israel. Kish was the son of Abiel (cf. 1 Samuel 14:51). 1 Chronicles 8:33; 1 Chronicles 9:39 give Ner as the ancestor of Kish; but the difference there is in naming not the father but the grandfather. Kish means a man of property (see Ruth 2:1). The town of Kish was Gibeah of Benjamin. We conjecture that he was a man of some important position in the community.

2.

What was the appearance of Saul? 1 Samuel 9:2

Saul was in the prime of life and strong. He was not in his adolescence nor immature. So long as his father lived, he would be under his authority; and there is no necessary contradiction between the language used here and the later account, according to which Saul had a son already grown. The name of Saul is probably abbreviated from a longer form meaning Asked-of-God. In contrast with his father, he would be, of course, a young man, i.e., in the full vigor of youth. It may even be said that no one equaled him in beauty. From his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. Such a figure as this was well adapted to commend him to the people as their king. Size and beauty were highly valued in rulers as signs of manly strength.

3.

What occasioned Saul's first meeting with Samuel? 1 Samuel 9:3-10

Kish's she-asses had strayed, and Saul went with his servants through the mountains of Ephraim in search of the animals. Saul was ready to leave the fruitless search when his servant suggested that they consult Samuel, the man of God, who was in the vicinity.

4.

Where is Shalisha? 1 Samuel 9:4

Nothing is given to indicate the meaning of the name of the town or its exact location. The context indicates that it would not be right to consult a prophet without a gift to give him; and he knew that their supplies were exhausted and was without knowledge of what present they might take him. The servant replied that he had a quarter of a shekel of money, a small coin containing about sixty grains of silver. The objection was met, and Saul consented to go to Samuel in the nearby town. Their supplies had been exhausted, but they may have been circling around without going far from home. It was probably near Mt. Ephraim, and the name means triangular. Reference is made to Baal-shalisha (2 Kings 4:42).

5.

Where was the land of Shalim? 1 Samuel 9:4 b

The word Shalim means foxes. A place is mentioned by this name only with regard to Saul's passing through it in looking for his father's animals. Many commentaries consider this to be a reference to the land of Shual, which was near Ophrah (1 Samuel 13:17). Ophrah was the home of Gideon (Judges 6:11), and would be located in the tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan and six miles southwest of Shechem. Suggestions are therefore made that this Ophrah is another form of Ephraim and located in the land of Benjamin (2 Chronicles 13:19). The mention of the name meaning foxes reminds the Bible reader of the incident of Samson's catching foxes down in Philistia near the territory of Dan (Judges 15:3-6). Although we cannot be sure of the exact location of this place, we are impressed with the fact that Saul wandered back and forth through the center of Palestine looking for his father's lost animals.