Acts 13:21
Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The text doesn't just state God gave them Saul, but that He gave them Saul, emphasizing that their flawed desire for a king was answered, not necessarily approved. This phrasing highlights that God, in His sovereignty, allowed their request to be fulfilled through Saul, even though it stemmed from a rejection of His direct rule.
Before this verse, the Apostle Paul has been recounting Israel's history, highlighting God's faithfulness through periods of wilderness wandering and conquest. Now, he shifts to the era when Israel foolishly demanded a king, rejecting God's direct rule through judges like Samuel, and God consequently gave them Saul, whose reign spanned about forty years. This historical interlude serves as a stark reminder of Israel's recurring tendency to stray from God's path and God's patient, yet sometimes solemn, responses to their desires.
Did Israel's desire for a king really go against God's plan? This verse hints at a deeper spiritual rebellion.
When the people of Israel demanded a king, it wasn't just a political preference. The Old Testament clearly shows they were rejecting God Himself as their King.
A Theocracy Undermined
God had established a unique system: a theocracy, where He ruled directly through prophets and laws. Samuel was God's appointed leader. By asking for a king 'like the nations,' Israel was signaling a desire for a more familiar, human-centered form of governance, effectively pushing God out of the direct picture.
God's Concession
God, in His sovereign wisdom and often in judgment, granted their request. He gave them Saul, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. This wasn't God's ideal first choice for leadership, but a concession to Israel's persistent desire, a choice that would ultimately highlight their need for a different kind of King.
The Bible mentions Saul's reign lasted forty years. What's the significance of this specific number and how does it inform our understanding of his rule?
The mention of 'forty years' for Saul's reign isn't just a historical footnote; it likely serves as a deliberate timeframe carrying theological weight.
A Concession, Not a Commendation
While Old Testament accounts don't explicitly state Saul's reign duration, traditions and biblical scholars point to this forty-year period. Importantly, this wasn't necessarily the full, uninterrupted reign of Saul himself, but often understood to encompass the period of Samuel's leadership and influence alongside Saul's.
The Weight of a Generation
Forty years often symbolizes a generation, a period of testing, wilderness, or transition in biblical narratives. In Saul's case, this extended timeframe highlights God's patience and the prolonged consequences of Israel's choice. It underscores that even a flawed human king, given by God, would lead the nation through a significant, challenging era, ultimately paving the way for a greater king.
Understand the original words
melek · Hebrew Noun
A human monarch ruling over a nation, or in a biblical sense, one who holds supreme authority under the ultimate sovereignty of God. The request for a human king in Israel often signaled a lack of trust in God's direct rule.
The verse places Saul's forty-year reign within the broader context of Israel's transition from a theocracy to a monarchy, highlighting their rejection of God's direct rule for a human king.
c. 1100 BC
Israel Demands a King
The people of Israel, desiring to be like surrounding nations, demand a king, rejecting God's direct rule through prophets like Samuel. This marks a significant shift in their governance.
c. 1080 BC— this verse
Saul Anointed King
God, though displeased, grants their request and appoints Saul, son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin, as Israel's first king. This begins a new, tumultuous era.
c. 1040 BC
Saul's Reign Ends
Saul's disobedience leads to his rejection by God, and his eventual death in battle against the Philistines. His reign, though extending over a considerable period, is marked by instability.
c. 1040 BC - 1010 BC
David's Rise to Prominence
Following Saul's rejection, David, a man after God's own heart, is anointed king and gradually consolidates his rule, establishing a more stable and God-honoring kingdom.
This passage directly precedes the people's demand for a king and explains their misguided reasoning, setting the stage for God's response in Acts.
1 Samuel 10:19Here, Samuel recounts how the people explicitly 'asked for a king,' mirroring the statement in Acts and highlighting God's awareness and foreknowledge of their request.
Deuteronomy 17:14-15This scripture prophesies that Israel would one day ask for a king like the other nations, showing that God's granting of Saul was a fulfillment of a predicted (though not necessarily desired) event.
Philippians 3:5The Apostle Paul, who recounts this event in Acts, identifies himself as being 'of the tribe of Benjamin,' creating a personal connection to Saul and his story.
Psalm 89:20This psalm speaks of God finding David 'a man after my own heart,' directly contrasting with Saul's reign and foreshadowing the transition to a better king God had in mind.
ellicottActs 13:21: "And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years."
(21) Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin. —It is natural to think of the Apostle as dwelling on the memory of the hero-king of the tribe to which he himself belonged. (Comp. Philippians 3:5 .) The very fact that he had so recently renounced the name, would bring the associations connected with it more vividly to his recollectio…
barnesActs 13:21: "And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years."
And afterward they desired a king - See 1 Samuel 8:5 ; Hosea 13:10 . It was predicted that they would have a king, Deuteronomy 17:14-15 . Saul, the son of Cis - is the Greek mode of writing the Hebrew name Kish. In the Old Testament it is uniformly written as "Kish," and it is to be regretted that this has not been retained in the New Testamen…
The text doesn't just state God gave them Saul, but that He gave them Saul, emphasizing that their flawed desire for a king was answered, not necessarily approved. This phrasing highlights that God, in His sovereignty, allowed their request to be fulfilled through Saul, even though it stemmed from a rejection of His direct rule.
Before this verse, the Apostle Paul has been recounting Israel's history, highlighting God's faithfulness through periods of wilderness wandering and conquest. Now, he shifts to the era when Israel foolishly demanded a king, rejecting God's direct rule through judges like Samuel, and God consequently gave them Saul, whose reign spanned about forty years. This historical interlude serves as a stark reminder of Israel's recurring tendency to stray from God's path and God's patient, yet sometimes solemn, responses to their desires.
Before this verse, the Apostle Paul has been recounting Israel's history, highlighting God's faithfulness through periods of wilderness wandering and conquest. Now, he shifts to the era when Israel foolishly demanded a king, rejecting God's direct rule through judges like Samuel, and God consequently gave them Saul, whose reign spanned about forty years. This historical interlude serves as a stark reminder of Israel's recurring tendency to stray from God's path and God's patient, yet sometimes solemn, responses to their desires.
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"Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years." — The text doesn't just state God gave them Saul, but that He gave them Saul, emphasizing that their flawed desire for a king was answered, not necessarily approved. This phrasing highlights that G…
