The Coronation at Mizpah
Contrasting the private secretive anointing of Saul, the coronation at Mizpah was public. Saul was anointed by Samuel first as nāgîd, now he is elected a king. As Herzberg pointed out, Saul’s rise to power was narrated in different ways in different places. However, he acknowledges the general agreement that God directs the events and uses Samuel as his instrument.62
Here, Saul is chosen king by a “lot.” The Hebrew Bible maintains that a lottery was used to determine an unknown offender. In the Achan story, a lot was cast to find the person who did not follow the laws of the ban (Josh 7:1). Later a lot was cast to find out who broke Saul’s vow (1 Sam 14:24–29). In each case the reader knows who will be caught. It is not clear why a lot was cast to identify the king of Israel since Samuel had already anointed Saul. Moreover, the fact that a lot was cast to find the king of Israel gives the impression that Saul might be guilty of something. The feeling that things will turn deleteriously arises. According to McCarter “there is a clear, if subtle, implication that he is an offending party by the virtue of the election itself.”63 The word “lot” is not used, but is inferred. Instead the writer uses the word hiqrib “present,” which also means sacrifice.
Since Saul was not found, Samuel again asked Yahweh. There is a play on words: the verb ša’al “ask, inquire,” and the name Saul (šā’ûl). Saul was hiding the entire time the casting of lots took place. This motif of hiding also appears in the New Testament. In the Gospel of John we read that Jesus runs to the mountains when they came to crown him (John 6:15).64 It does not say why Saul was hiding. Was it modesty or shyness? The Talmud commenting on this passage asserts that Saul was a model of humility. This detail is significant in understanding the different stages in Saul’s coronation. Saul’s hiding proves that there is a link between Saul’s secret anointing and the anointing in Mizpah. Why does Saul hide? How did he know that he would be chosen? Evidently, one tradition holds that there were two stages of Saul’s anointing. Therefore, he concealed the matter of the kingdom from his uncle (1 Sam 10:17); and he hid because he already had been anointed by Samuel, suggesting that he knew he would be chosen by lot.
When Samuel brought Saul forth from his hiding place, the narrator repeats some of the details mentioned previously in the anointing story. Once again we are told that he was taller than the rest of all the people, yet this will be repudiated later in the story (1 Sam 16:7).65 Further repeated details are that Saul was the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin, and that he was modest and shy. Modesty is a quality associated with Moses (Num 12:3), Gideon (Judg 6:15), David (1 Sam 18:23; 2 Sam 7:18–21), and Solomon (1 Kgs 3:7). In Saul’s anointing and coronation ceremonies, his modesty is stressed. It is mentioned in connection with Saul’s appearance (1 Sam 9:21), when Saul was elected by lot (10:22), when Saul concealed the kingship from his uncle (10:16), and lastly when Saul already was the king of Israel (15:17).
Saul was presented as Yahweh’s chosen one. This reflects the belief that the king is God’s elected one and the elected one of the people. Samuel quickly tells the people of Israel: “And now here is the king you have chosen! Yahweh has appointed a king over you” (12:13). Likewise, we read that Hushai justified his support for Absalom saying: “No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel” (2 Sam 16:18). The belief that the king is the one chosen by God and the people is also known from ancient Near Eastern texts. In the Hebrew Bible the preeminently chosen one of Yahweh is David; but at the early stages of the monarchy, Saul was seen as the chosen one. By shouting, “Long live the king!” the people of Israel recognized Saul as king. This phrase is repeated throughout the historical books of the Bible to express the approval of the king (1 Kgs 1:25, 34, 39; 2 Kgs 11:12). R. P. Gordon points out that: “for the first time since his introduction in 9:1f. Saul is called ‘king’; significantly, it is the people who acclaim him so.”66
In spite of Saul’s election by God and his recognition by the people, some people did not accept Saul as a king. The Bible mentions two groups, stalwart men and worthless men. The former refers to soldiers or warriors, and connotes loyalty. They were part of the army that Saul gathered (1 Sam 14:52). The second group refers to disloyal traitors. They expressed their contempt to the new king by words and actions. They asked, “How can this fellow save us?” (v. 27). They spurned him and tendered no gifts. No evidence exists for giving a gift following a new king’s election; nevertheless the biblical narrator stressed that fact. Gift giving by a vassal to a king was considered a sign of recognition and loyalty to the king.67 The same people’s contempt towards Saul will be mentioned after his victory over the Ammonites.
Saul Proclaimed King at Gilgal
After the victory over the Ammonites, Samuel asked the people to join him in renewing the kingship at Gilgal (1 Sam 11:14). The people went to Gilgal and, in the presence of Yahweh, crowned Saul as their king. There they sacrificed to Yahweh, and Saul and all Israel rejoiced. Medieval commentators such as Rashi (Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, 1040–1105) and Radak (Rabbi David ben Joseph Kimh.i, 1160–1235) raised the question: why was a third coronation needed in Gilgal? They claimed there was disagreement about Saul. Many people rejected him believing he could not save them (10:27; 11:12). After he proved his military ability a need arose to renew his kingship.
Modern scholars also debated the existence of the three different versions of Saul’s coronation. It was pointed out that the three versions are problematic and difficult to reconstruct what really took place.68 According to McKenzie, the three stories came from three different sources that were available to the Dtr. Instead of choosing one of them, the Dtr merged the three stories by a series of editorial additions.69 Mettinger says that Saul’s rescue of Jabesh-gilead is the most reliable tradition describing the events that led to Saul’s coronation. This tradition is unfamiliar with the casting of lots at Mizpah, and so he believes that 1 Sam 11:1–15 is an independent tradition and never had any connection with the Mizpah version.70
Edelman does not accept the view that Saul’s rescue of Jabesh-gilead led to his coronation. According to her, Saul’s ability to lead his people in a battle after defeating the Ammonites is historically implausible. This battle took place only after Saul became a king with a strong army.71
Perhaps the confusion and disagreement among scholars for why a third ceremony was needed at Gilgal derives from their failure to discern the meaning of the Hebrew word uneeh.addeš. The word is usually translated to renew or restore. In other words, the people wanted to renew Saul’s kingship.72 But examination of the Hebrew word shows that it has a second meaning, which means to strengthen. According to 2 Chr 24:5, 12, King Jehoash decided to renovate the temple. There we read that the word leh.addēš is parallel to leh.azzek, which means to strengthen.73 Thus, the ceremony that is described at Gilgal strengthened Saul’s rule. One purpose was to strengthen his kingship by bringing the Israelite tribes in the Trans-Jordan under the authority of the new king. Having freed the Israelite tribes from the oppression of the Ammonites, it was the right time to make Saul king.74