Tanakh

וְעֵלִ֖י זָקֵ֣ן מְאֹ֑ד וְשָׁמַ֗ע אֵת֩ כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשׂ֤וּן בָּנָיו֙ לְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאֵ֤ת אֲשֶֽׁר־יִשְׁכְּבוּן֙ אֶת־הַנָּשִׁ֔ים הַצֹּ֣בְא֔וֹת פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃ 

"Now when Eli became exceedingly old, he heard about all that his sons were doing to all Israel: how they were lying with the women who were acting-as-a-workforce at the entrance to the Tent of Appointment." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 2:22; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

סָבַר לַהּ כְּרַב, דְּאָמַר רַב: פִּנְחָס לֹא חָטָא. מַקִּישׁ חָפְנִי לְפִנְחָס: מַה פִּנְחָס לֹא חָטָא — אַף חָפְנִי לֹא חָטָא. אֶלָּא מָה אֲנִי מְקַיֵּים ״אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁכְּבֻן אֶת הַנָּשִׁים״ — מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁשִּׁהוּ אֶת קִינֵּיהֶן, שֶׁלֹּא הָלְכוּ אֵצֶל בַּעֲלֵיהֶן, מַעֲלֶה עֲלֵיהֶן הַכָּתוּב כְּאִילּוּ שְׁכָבוּם. 

"The Gemara explains: Rabbi Yonatan holds in accordance with the opinion of Rav, as Rav said: Pinehas did not sin. And the verse juxtaposes Hophni to Pinehas; just as Pinehas did not sin, so too Hophni did not sin. The Gemara asks: How, then, do I establish the meaning of the verse: “Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did to all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting” (I Samuel 2:22), which indicates otherwise? The Gemara answers: Since the sons of Eli delayed sacrificing the bird-offerings of women who had given birth, a pair of doves brought as part of the purification process, and this delay caused the women not to go to their husbands in timely fashion, the verse ascribes to Hophni and Pinehas liability as if they had lain with them. They were guilty of nothing more than negligence and carelessness." — Shabbat 55b:13; William Davidson Talmud

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אַרְבַּע צְווֹחוֹת צָוְחָה עֲזָרָה. רִאשׁוֹנָה: צְאוּ מִכָּאן בְּנֵי עֵלִי שֶׁטִּימְּאוּ הֵיכַל ה׳. 

"Apropos the critique of several prominent priests, the Gemara relates that the Sages taught: The people in the Temple courtyard all cried four cries, as they were in agreement over various issues (Pardes Rimonim). The first cry was: 'Leave here, sons of Eli, who defiled God’s Sanctuary' (see I Samuel 2:22). Subsequently the priesthood was transferred to the house of Zadok." — Pesachim 57a:9; William Davidson Talmud

Date Finished:

April 26, 2025

Description:

I drew the High Priest Eli's elder son Chofni and an original character named Eglah, who is related to Achinoam (cousin, sister, or sister-in-law is still unclear). Shaul defends Eglah against Chofni (not drawn yet). This is what makes Achinoam want to marry Shaul in the first place. Shaul reported this to Eli, but Eli failed to rebuke his sons sufficiently, leading to the entire lineage getting cursed. Because Eli and his line did nothing about ordinary Israelite women getting sexually harassed, Shaul held a grudge against the House of Eli and the House of Eli held a grudge against Shaul for essentially deposing them.

My Interpretation:

Given the lack of clarity on whether or not Pinchas was involved, I decided to only draw Chofni here. However, I definitely see Chofni at least as a predator against women who brought offerings and women who worked at the Sanctuary and Pinchas was at least an accomplice to his brother. 

I strongly disagree with Rabbi Yonatan's commentary that the sons of Eli did nothing wrong sexually given that another part of the Talmud also records their misdeeds. The Gemara also disagrees with this interpretation since it goes against the plain meaning of the text (Shabbat 55b:19). What makes their deeds extra disgusting comes from how the women who did tasks contributed mirrors to the Mishkan (Vayakhel, Shemot (Exodus), 38:8). Rashi commented how these women's contributions helped the people survive in Egypt (Rashi on Exodus 38:8). Rabbeinu Bahya recounts that these mirrors made up the basin where the priests washed (Rabbeinu Bahya, Shemot 38:8). The only other time these women are mentioned is in reference to how Eli's sons lay with them (Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 2:22). Notably however, these women are not blamed for the misdeeds of Eli's sons. The punishment from Hashem also falls against Chofni, Pinchas, and Eli with a curse declared against the House of Eli alone. Similarly, when Avshalom sexually assaults his father's wives and concubines, only Avshalom is blamed. There's also Biblical scholarship suggesting the Eli narrative may have served a narrative purpose to justify the historical King Shaul's rise to power and his removal of Eli's house at Nov (Olyan 2020).

Therefore, I interpret this as a case of clear sexual harassment. Because Eli's sons were priests, their sexual harassment of these women perverted a sacred space. They mimicked idolatrous practices of soliciting sex in temples and spitting on the gifts that their female ancestors gave the priests to wash their faces in every day and allowed them to exist. If what the Talmud says is true in that the women they bothered were married, that makes everything worse in the sexual crimes department since adultery is a crime defined as having sex with a married woman. Jews are supposed to die rather than commit these crimes and yet here these priests' sons are.

It also feeds into the perilous status of women going into the monarchic era since Shoftim ends with the episode of the Levite's Concubine to show the people's moral decay. Ultimately, the war wasn't conducted because of concern about women but rather to sate the men's stained honor since they multiplied the crime of the Levite's Concubine six hundred times over with the women of Yavesh-Gilead and Shiloh. Sh'muel Bet also features two to three sexual assault narratives dependent on your interpretation: 1) Batsheva by David, 2) Tamar bat David by Amnon, and 3) David's wives and concubines at Avshalom's hands. This contasts sharply with the line saying to the daughters of Yisrael to weep over Shaul.

Regardless of Eli's weak disapproval, Tanakh conveys a powerful message that sexual harassment is not to be tolerated, and that enabling cultures ultimately lead to ruin. At the same time, the Book of Sh'muel and the Book of Kings only show but does not address the slow erosion of women's rights within Tanakh.

Names: 

Chofni (חׇפְנִי֙) means "pugilist/boxer" If you divided Chofni's name into parts, the first letter means "engraving" while the rest means "face/surface/appearance" or "wrath/anger." In certain ways, sexual harassment and abuse can permanently scar victims leaving an engraving upon them.

Eglah means calf.

Tanakh

וְלֹֽא־יָסַ֨ף שְׁמוּאֵ֜ל לִרְא֤וֹת אֶת־שָׁאוּל֙ עַד־י֣וֹם מוֹת֔וֹ כִּֽי־הִתְאַבֵּ֥ל שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל אֶל־שָׁא֑וּל וַיי נִחָ֔ם כִּֽי־הִמְלִ֥יךְ אֶת־שָׁא֖וּל עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ {פ}

"And Shemuel did not see Sha'ul again until the day of his death, for Shemuel was mourning over Sha'ul, while Hashem had repented that he had made Sha'ul king over Israel." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 15:35; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

וַיְשַׁסֵּף. חִתְּכוֹ לְאַרְבַּע, וְאֵין לַתֵּיבָה זוֹ דִּמְיוֹן וְתַרְגּוּם וַיְשַׁסֵּף, ״וּפָשַׁח״. וּבַגְּמָרָא שֶׁלָּנוּ יֵשׁ הֲוָה מְפַשַּׁח וְיָהִיב לָן אֲלוּתָא, כְּלוֹמַר בּוֹקֵעַ: 

"[Shemuel] cut. He cut him [Agag] into four pieces. This word has no likeness [in Scripture]. The Targum renders וַיְשַׁסֵּף (vay'shafer) as וּפָשַׁח (ufashach). And in our Gemara we find, 'he broke off [מפשח] a branch, and gave us several twigs,' meaning that he split." — Rashi on I Samuel 15:33:2; Metsudah Tanach Series Lakewood, NJ

אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: אַקְפִּיץ עָלָיו זִקְנָה. הַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב׃

"Therefore, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I will spring old age upon him and everyone will think Shmuel is elderly." — Taanit 5b:6; William Davidson Talmud (Koren-Steinsaltz translation)

"Yes, Saul disobeyed Samuel and refused to execute his royal adversary; yes he gave in to his feelings, his compassion, and is his own victim. Is that a reason to condemn him irrevocably? Yes, says Samuel, because Saul is too kind, too charitable; because he is unwilling to behead a human being, be it his enemy, he is doomed to lose his kingdom. Between the voices of heaven and his heart, he chooses to listen to his heart." — Elie Wiesel, Saul, 79; Five Biblical Portraits with a New Introduction (2023)

"To Samuel, identifying and responding to the Voice is straightforward: God willfully crosses our path to make us follow God’s sovereign will. There are no differences of tone or timbre, no shades of meaning to decipher. Samuel’s palette of life is black and white." — Rabbi Karen Soria, Shabbat Zachor, The Women's Haftarah Commentary 269-274

Date Finished:

January 8, 2025

Description:

I wanted to draw a picture of Sh'muel angry at Shaul before he departed from Shaul forever until his death. I wanted to play around with background and expressions.

Tanakh

וַיָּ֥שׇׁב שְׁמוּאֵ֖ל אַחֲרֵ֣י שָׁא֑וּל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ שָׁא֖וּל לַיהֹוָֽה׃ {ס} 

"But Sh'muel turned back from following Saul, and Saul went to worship Hashem." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 15:31; 2018 Robert Alter translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

״וַיָּרֶב בַּנָּחַל״, אָמַר רַבִּי מָנִי: עַל עִסְקֵי נַחַל. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְשָׁאוּל: ״לֵךְ וְהִכִּיתָ אֶת עֲמָלֵק״, אָמַר: וּמָה נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת אָמְרָה תּוֹרָה הָבֵא עֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה — כׇּל הַנְּפָשׁוֹת הַלָּלוּ, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. 

וְאִם אָדָם חָטָא, בְּהֵמָה מֶה חָטְאָה? וְאִם גְּדוֹלִים חָטְאוּ, קְטַנִּים מֶה חָטְאוּ? יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה לוֹ: ״אַל תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה״. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ שָׁאוּל לְדוֹאֵג: ״סוֹב אַתָּה וּפְגַע בַּכֹּהֲנִים״, יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה לוֹ: ״אַל תִּרְשַׁע הַרְבֵּה״. 

§ Having mentioned the verse about Saul, the Gemara proceeds to interpret more of that passage: 'And Saul came to the city of Amalek and he strove in the valley” (I Samuel 15:5). Rabbi Mani said: This means that Saul strove with God, as it were, concerning the matter of the valley. At the time when the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Saul: “Now go and attack Amalek and proscribe all that belongs to him; do not pity him, but kill men and women alike, infants and sucklings alike, oxen and sheep alike, camel and donkey alike” (I Samuel 15:3), Saul countered and said: Now, if on account of one life that is taken, in a case where a slain person’s body is found and the murderer is unknown, the Torah said to bring a heifer whose neck is broken to a barren valley, in the atonement ritual described in Deuteronomy 21:1–9, all the more so must I have pity and not take all these Amalekite lives.

And he further reasoned: If the men have sinned, in what way have the animals sinned? Why, then, should the Amalekites’ livestock be destroyed? And if the adults have sinned, in what way have the children sinned? A Divine Voice then came forth and said to him: “Do not be overly righteous” (Ecclesiastes 7:16). That is to say: Do not be more merciful than the Creator Himself, Who has commanded you to do this, for to do so would not be an indication of righteousness but of weakness. At a later time, when Saul said to Doeg: 'Turn around and strike down the priests, and Doeg the Edomite turned around and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod, and he struck Nob the city of priests by the sword, man and woman alike, infants and sucklings alike, oxen and donkeys and sheep, by the sword' (I Samuel 22:18–19), a Divine Voice came forth and said to him: "Do not be overly wicked' (Ecclesiastes 7:17)." — William Davidson Talmud Yoma 22b:8-9; Koren Steinsaltz translation

"'Samuel turned back from Saul.' All English versions render this, erroneously, to indicate that Samuel nevertheless accompanied Saul to the sacrifice. But the expression 'turn back with' (shuv 'im) as in verse 30 and "turn back from [literally, after]" (shuv ‘aharei) are antonyms, the latter meaning unambiguously "to abandon." (It is precisely the latter idiom that we see in G-d's condemnation of Saul in v. 11). Samuel is completing his rejection of Saul here by refusing to accompany him in the cult, shaming him by forcing him to offer the sacrifice without the officiating of the man of G-d." — Robert Alter's note in 'The Hebrew Bible' on 1 Sam 15:31

"There is great pathos in this haftarah -- first. because Saul's sin is not a flagrant rejection of divine authority and second, because his repeated confessions and appeals for divine forgiveness are rejected. The reader is confronted with the austerity and stringency of God's demands and the brutality demanded of the Israelite nation. Mercy is prohibited; no one and nothing may be "Spared." The war against the Amalekites is presented as a just war, punishing an offense centuries old. Rejection or reinterpretation of the absolute orders is completely out of the question. whether as an actual event or as a literary case setting an example, Sam 15:1-34 confronts us with a fierce and uncompromising theology. Its liturgical recitation, yearly, requires repeated moral and theological reflection." — Michal Fishbane, Etz Hayim 1280-1281

"But the burden is too much for Saul. He has no time to emerge from his small chrysalis—his tribe, the smallest of all; his family, the most junior of the tribe—to the immense responsibility of kingship. His wings have no time to dry and strengthen properly, so he acts precipitously, as in 13:8–14 or 14:26–35. Saul rushes to please God, to pacify the people, to placate Samuel. But Saul is empty inside." — Rabbi Karen Soria, Shabbat Zachor, The Women's Haftarah Commentary 269-274

Date Finished:

March 29, 2025

Description:

I decided to use the Alter translation for this version. It makes a lot more sense for Sh'muel to completely leave Shaul behind and force Shaul to sacrifice without Sh'muel.

This is the companion piece to "Sh'muel HaNavi after Agag." Shaul would never be the same after this incident since after this episode, his mental health truly spirals downward. What could have been interpreted as hypomanic or manic episodes of prophecy before turn into dark depressive episodes and the agitated mixed episodes seen later in Shaul's life. It also serves as the bridge between "Young Shaul" and "Older Shaul."

Tanakh

הִנֵּה֙ יָמִ֣ים בָּאִ֔ים וְגָֽדַעְתִּי֙ אֶת־זְרֹ֣עֲךָ֔ וְאֶת־זְרֹ֖עַ בֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ מִֽהְי֥וֹת זָקֵ֖ן בְּבֵיתֶֽךָ׃ 

וְהִבַּטְתָּ֙ צַ֣ר מָע֔וֹן בְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־יֵיטִ֖יב אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹא־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה זָקֵ֛ן בְּבֵיתְךָ֖ כׇּל־הַיָּמִֽים׃ 

וְאִ֗ישׁ לֹֽא־אַכְרִ֤ית לְךָ֙ מֵעִ֣ם מִזְבְּחִ֔י לְכַלּ֥וֹת אֶת־עֵינֶ֖יךָ וְלַאֲדִ֣יב אֶת־נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ וְכׇל־מַרְבִּ֥ית בֵּיתְךָ֖ יָמ֥וּתוּ אֲנָשִֽׁים׃ 

וְזֶה־לְּךָ֣ הָא֗וֹת אֲשֶׁ֤ר יָבֹא֙ אֶל־שְׁנֵ֣י בָנֶ֔יךָ אֶל־חׇפְנִ֖י וּפִֽינְחָ֑ס בְּי֥וֹם אֶחָ֖ד יָמ֥וּתוּ שְׁנֵיהֶֽם׃ 

"Here, the days are coming when I will hew off your arm and the arm of your Father’s House, so that [no man] will grow old in your house;

you will look with a grudging-eye on all his doing-good for Israel, and there will be no elder in your house, all the days [to come]. 

Yet I will not cut off everyone belonging to you from my sacrifices, [but] to consume your eyes and exhaust your breath, in all of the greater-part of your house, men will die.

And this is the sign for you that it will come-to-pass for your two sons, for Hofni and Pin’has: on a single day the two of them will die!" — Sh'muel I 2:31-34; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֵלָו֙ שָׁא֔וּל לָ֚מָּה קְשַׁרְתֶּ֣ם עָלַ֔י אַתָּ֖ה וּבֶן־יִשָׁ֑י בְּתִתְּךָ֨ ל֜וֹ לֶ֣חֶם וְחֶ֗רֶב וְשָׁא֥וֹל לוֹ֙ בֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים לָק֥וּם אֵלַ֛י לְאֹרֵ֖ב כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ {ס}  

"Sha’ul said to him: 'Why have you banded together against me, you and the son of Yishai, by your giving him food and a sword and inquiring for him of God, to rise up against me as an ambusher, as is this day?'" — Sh'muel I 22:13; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ מ֥וֹת תָּמ֖וּת אֲחִימֶ֑לֶךְ אַתָּ֖ה וְכׇל־בֵּ֥ית אָבִֽיךָ׃ 

"But the king said: 'You shall die, yes, die, Ahimelekh, you and all your Father’s House.'" — Sh'muel I 22:16; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ (לדויג) [לְדוֹאֵ֔ג] סֹ֣ב אַתָּ֔ה וּפְגַ֖ע בַּכֹּהֲנִ֑ים וַיִּסֹּ֞ב (דויג) [דּוֹאֵ֣ג] הָאֲדֹמִ֗י וַיִּפְגַּע־הוּא֙ בַּכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים וַיָּ֣מֶת ׀ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא שְׁמֹנִ֤ים וַֽחֲמִשָּׁה֙ אִ֔ישׁ נֹשֵׂ֖א אֵפ֥וֹד בָּֽד׃

וְאֵ֨ת נֹ֤ב עִיר־הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ הִכָּ֣ה לְפִי־חֶ֔רֶב מֵאִישׁ֙ וְעַד־אִשָּׁ֔ה מֵֽעוֹלֵ֖ל וְעַד־יוֹנֵ֑ק וְשׁ֧וֹר וַחֲמ֛וֹר וָשֶׂ֖ה לְפִי־חָֽרֶב׃ 

"[But the king’s servants would not stretch out their hand to attack the priests of Hashem], so the king said to Do’eg: 'You turn about and attack the priests!' So Do’eg the Edomite turned about, and he attacked the priests: he put to death on that day eighty-five men wearing a linen efod,

and as for Nov, the town of the priests, he struck it with the mouth of the sword, from man to woman and from child to suckling, and ox and donkey and sheep, with the mouth of the sword." — Sh'muel I 22:18-19; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

מות תמות. מיתה כפולה שחטאת לה' לשאול באורים ותומים וחטאת לי לעזור לשנאי. מפרשים. ובאמת ענין זה של נוב עיר הכהנים תסמר שערת האדם מאד ויפה שתיקה:

"Death, you will die. A multi-fold death for a sin against Hashem asking the Urim and Tummim and a sin against me in helping the enemy, according to commentators. And truly, this matter of Nov, the city of Kohanim bristles the hair, as it reddens from blood that silence becomes very appropriate." — Chomat Anakh on I Samuel 22:16:1; translation derived from Google and myself

והנה צוה עוד שאול שיכה את העיר לפי חרב מעולל ועד יונק ושור וחמור ושה, כדי שכל ישראל ישמעו ויראו ויפחדו אם יבא דוד עוד ביניהם שיתפשו אותו ואת אנשיו חיים ויביאום אל שאול, כדי שלא ימיתם כאשר המית לאנשי נוב עם היותם כהנים להשם. והנראה שהיו גבעונים דרים בנוב חוטבי עצים ושואבי מים לבית השם, כמו שהתנה יהושע עמהם (יהושע ט׳:כ״ג) וכמו שיתבאר בסוף זה הספר (שמואל ב' כ"א) שנענשו בני ישראל על שצוה להרגם שם, והיה זה במה שצוה להרוג את אנשי נוב כלם. והנכון הוא ששאול חשב שהיו הכהנים האלה מזרע בית עלי, ושלכן חטאו בדבר דוד בהיותם רעים וחטאים להשם מאד, ושלכן היה מהצדק שימותו כלם אחרי היותם מקוללים מפי השם, ושגם הגבעונים אשר היו בנוב הערימו נגדו כאשר עשו אל יהושע ולכן צוה להרגם כלם יחד, וצוה שיחרימו כל אשר להם לפי שלא יחשוב אדם שעשה זה שאול לשלול שללם, כי אם להיותם מורדים במלך ולכן היה ראוי שימותו. ואמרו חכמינו ז"ל במדרש קהלת (דף ק"ג ע"ג) בדבר עמלק כתיב ויחמול שאול והעם על אגג ועל מיטב הצאן וגו', יצתה בת קול ואמרה אל תהי צדיק הרבה, ובנוב עיר הכהנים כתיב מעולל ועד יונק, יצתה בת קול ואמרה אל תרשע הרבה, ר' שמעון בן לקיש אמר כל מי שעושה עצמו רחמן במקום אכזרים סופו שיהיה אכזרי במקום רחמנים. ועוד אמרו חכמינו ז"ל בסנהדרין פרק חלק (ק"ג סוף ע"ב), גדולה לגימא שמרחקת את הקרובים, ומקרבת את הרחוקים, ומעלמת עין מן הרשעים, ומשרה שכינה על נביאי הבעל, ושגגתה עולה זדון. מרחקת את הקרובים, עמון ומואב, דכתיב (דברים כ"ג י') על דבר אשר לא קדמו וגו', ומקרבת את הרחוקים מיתרו, דכתיב (שמות ב' כ') קראן לו ויאכל לחם, ומעלמת עין מן הרשעים ממיכה (שופטים י"ז וי"ח), ומשרה שכינתו על נביאי הבעל מעדו הנביא, שנאמר (מלכים א' י"ג כ') ויהי הם יושבים על השלחן ויהי דבר השם אל הנביא אשר השיבו, ושגגתה עולה זדון, שאלמלא הלוהו יהונתן אל דוד שתי ככרות לחם לא נהרגה נוב עיר הכהנים ולא נטרד דואג האדומי ולא נהרג שאול ושלשת בניו, והנה עם מה שאמרתי הותרה השאלה החמשית: 

"And behold, Saul again commanded to strike the city with the sword, from child to suckling, ox, donkey, and sheep, so that all Israel would hear and fear and be afraid that if David came among them again, they would capture him and his men alive and bring them to Saul, so that they would not die as he had killed the men of Nob while they were priests to Hashem. And it seems that there were Gibeonites living in Nob, hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of the Lord, as Joshua had agreed with them (Joshua 9:23) and as will be explained at the end of this book (2 Samuel 21), that the children of Israel were punished for ordering them to be killed there, and this was in what he ordered to kill all the people of Nob. And the truth is that Saul thought that these priests were from the line of the house of Eli, and therefore they sinned against David, being very wicked and sinning against the Lord, and therefore it was right that they should all die after being cursed by the Lord, and that the Gibeonites who were in Nob also conspired against him as they did against Joshua, and therefore he ordered them all to be killed together, and he ordered that they should confiscate everything they had, since no one would think that Saul did this to confiscate their spoils, but rather that they were rebels against the king, and therefore it was worthy that they should die. And our sages, the late, said in Midrash Ecclesiastes (page 133) regarding Amalek, it is written, “And Saul and the people will be spared.” Agag and the best of the flock, etc., a voice came out and said, "Do not be too righteous." And in Nob, the city of the priests, it is written, "From the child to the suckling, a voice came out and said, "Do not be too wicked." Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said, "Anyone who pretends to be merciful in the place of the cruel will end up being cruel in the place of the merciful." And our sages, Z"l, said in the Sanhedrin, Part 1 (103, End 12), great is the Shekhina that distances those who are close, and brings those who are far closer, and turns a blind eye to the wicked, and causes the Shekhina to be over the prophets of Baal, and its omission is a sin. It distances those who are close, Ammon and Moab, as it is written (Deuteronomy 23:10) for a matter that they did not anticipate, etc., and it brings those who are far away from Methru, as it is written (Exodus 2:20) They called him and he ate bread, and turns a blind eye to the wicked from Micah (Judges 17:18), and causes His Shekhina to be over the prophets of Baal from the testimony of the prophet, as it is said (1 Kings 13:20) And they were sitting at the table, and the word of the Lord came to the prophet, which they answered, and its omission is a sin, for if Jonathan had not given David two loaves of bread, Nob, the city of the priests, would not have been killed, and Doeg the Edomite would not have been troubled, and Saul and the three His sons, and with what I have said, the fifth question is resolved:" —Abarbanel on I Samuel 22:19:1

מאיש ועד אשה. דרשו בו בדבר עמלק כתיב ויחמול שאול והעם על מיטב הצאן וגו' יצאתה בת קול ואמרה לו אל תהי צדיק הרבה ובנוב עיר הכהנים כתיב מעולל ועד יונק ושור וחמור ושה לפי חרב יצאתה בת קול ואמרה לו אל תרשע הרבה יש לתמוה כי בכל אשר הזכיר הכתוב עונות שאול לא ראינו שהזכיר עון נוב עיר הכהנים ואפילו כשקראם בית הדמי' לא אמר אלא על אשר המית את הגבעונים ולא אמר הכהנים ונראה כי חייבים היו הכהנים ולא נגלה בכתוב עונם זולתי עון בית עלי ואף על פי כן נענש שאול על דמם שנפל בחרב פלשתים הוא ובניו ואמרו רז"ל גדולה לגימה שמרחקת הקרובים ומקרבת את הרחוקים ומעלמת עין מן הרשעים ומשרה שכינתו על נביאי הבעל ושגגתה עולה זדון מרחקת את הקרובים מעמון ומואב מקרבת את הרחוקים מיתרו דכתיב קראן לו ויאכל לחם מעלמת עין מן הרשעים ממיכ' משרה שכינתו על נביאי הבעל מעדוא הנבי' דכתיב ויהי הם יושבים על השלח' וגו' ושגגתה עולה זדון שאלמלא הלוהו יהונתן לדוד שתי ככרות לחם לא נהרג נוב עיר הכהנים ולא נטרד דואג האדומי ולא נהרג שאול ושלשת בניו:  

"From man to woman. They questioned him about the Amalek matter, as it is written, "And Saul and the people will spare the best of the flock, etc." A voice came out and said to him, "Do not be too righteous. And from Nob, the city of the priests, it is written, "From the wicked to the suckling, and from the ox, and from the donkey, and from the sheep, by the sword." A voice came out and said to him, "Do not be too wicked." This is surprising because in all that the Scripture mentions the sins of Saul, we do not see that it mentions the sin of Nob, the city of the priests. Even when it calls them the house of blood, it does not say anything except for the fact that he killed the Gibeonites, and it does not say the priests. It seems that the priests were responsible, and their sin is not revealed in the Scripture except for the sin of the house of Eli. And yet, despite this, Saul was punished for their blood, which fell by the sword of the Philistines, he and his sons. And they said, "The great one is a drink that distances those who are near and brings those who are far away, and turns a blind eye to the wicked, and he sends his presence over the prophets of Baal, and his error burns with malice, distances those who are near from Ammon and Moab and brings those who are far away." It is written, "They called him, and he ate bread from afar." One of the wicked, from Micah, the Shekinah, was appointed over the prophets of Baal, from the prophet's field, as it is written: "And they sat on the altar, etc., and her error arose out of malice. If it had not been for Jonathan's giving David two loaves of bread, Nob, the city of the priests, would not have been destroyed, and Doeg the Edomite would not have been disturbed, and Saul and his three sons would not have been killed." — Radak on I Samuel 22:19:1; Google translate

השלשים וארבעה הוא לבאר שכבר נתקיים ייעוד הש"י לבית עלי בהריגת נוב עיר הכהנים עם שזה היה כלי שסרה הכהונה הגדולה מבית עלי כי לא נשאר מזרעו כי אם אביתר ובו סרה הכהונה מבית עלי ונתנה לצדוק כמו שנתבאר בספר מלכים ולזה לא מצאנו שנענש שאול בהריגת נוב עיר הכהנים אעפ"י שלא היתה שם סבה תביא להרגם בזה האופן כי גם אחימלך לא חטא כנגד שאול כמו שספר לו כ"ש שלא חטאו לו כל בית אביו שהרג עמו ולזה תמצא שלא נזכר זה החטא עם החטאים שזכר שחטא בהם שאול כי ה' הסיתהו בו לקיים ייעודו, השלשים וחמשה הוא להודיע עוצם קנאת דוד בעושי החמס עד שעם היותו ירא מאד מפני שאול התעורר להציל יושבי קעילה מיד שוסיהם כי זאת התכונה ראוי שתהיה לשלם ולמנהיג, 

"And behold this was arranged by God may He be exalted to bring the punishment that He had promised to the house of Eli. And for this [reason] we don’t find that Saul was punished for their killing, and this event is not mentioned as a sin when his sins are mentioned.

And for this [reason] we do not find that Saul was punished for killing Nov the city of priests, and even though there was no cause for killing them in this manner — even Achimelech did not sin at all against Saul, as he told him, [and] certainly the entire house of his father that [Saul] killed with him did not sin to [Saul]. And for this [reason] you find that this sin is not mentioned with the other sins of Saul, for God incited him to fulfill His promise." — Ralbag on Samuel II 1:27:1; translation from Alex on Mi Yodeya

וְתָנָא: כְּשֶׁמֵּת עֵלִי הַכֹּהֵן – חָרְבָה שִׁילֹה, וּבָאוּ לְנוֹב; כְּשֶׁמֵּת שְׁמוּאֵל הָרָמָתִי – חָרְבָה נוֹב, וּבָאוּ לְגִבְעוֹן. 

"And a tanna taught: When Eli the priest died, Shiloh was destroyed and the Jews arrived at Nov, where they erected the Tabernacle. At that time, Samuel began to lead the people. When Samuel from Rama died, Nov was destroyed by Saul (see I Samuel 22:19) and they arrived at Gibeon, where the Tabernacle remained (see I Chronicles 16:39)." — William Davidson Talmud Zevachiim 118b:20; Koren Steinsaltz translation

״וַיָּרֶב בַּנָּחַל״, אָמַר רַבִּי מָנִי: עַל עִסְקֵי נַחַל. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְשָׁאוּל: ״לֵךְ וְהִכִּיתָ אֶת עֲמָלֵק״, אָמַר: וּמָה נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת אָמְרָה תּוֹרָה הָבֵא עֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה — כׇּל הַנְּפָשׁוֹת הַלָּלוּ, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. 

וְאִם אָדָם חָטָא, בְּהֵמָה מֶה חָטְאָה? וְאִם גְּדוֹלִים חָטְאוּ, קְטַנִּים מֶה חָטְאוּ? יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה לוֹ: ״אַל תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה״. וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ שָׁאוּל לְדוֹאֵג: ״סוֹב אַתָּה וּפְגַע בַּכֹּהֲנִים״, יָצְאָה בַּת קוֹל וְאָמְרָה לוֹ: ״אַל תִּרְשַׁע הַרְבֵּה״. 

§ Having mentioned the verse about Saul, the Gemara proceeds to interpret more of that passage: 'And Saul came to the city of Amalek and he strove in the valley” (I Samuel 15:5). Rabbi Mani said: This means that Saul strove with God, as it were, concerning the matter of the valley. At the time when the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Saul: “Now go and attack Amalek and proscribe all that belongs to him; do not pity him, but kill men and women alike, infants and sucklings alike, oxen and sheep alike, camel and donkey alike” (I Samuel 15:3), Saul countered and said: Now, if on account of one life that is taken, in a case where a slain person’s body is found and the murderer is unknown, the Torah said to bring a heifer whose neck is broken to a barren valley, in the atonement ritual described in Deuteronomy 21:1–9, all the more so must I have pity and not take all these Amalekite lives.

And he further reasoned: If the men have sinned, in what way have the animals sinned? Why, then, should the Amalekites’ livestock be destroyed? And if the adults have sinned, in what way have the children sinned? A Divine Voice then came forth and said to him: “Do not be overly righteous” (Ecclesiastes 7:16). That is to say: Do not be more merciful than the Creator Himself, Who has commanded you to do this, for to do so would not be an indication of righteousness but of weakness. At a later time, when Saul said to Doeg: 'Turn around and strike down the priests, and Doeg the Edomite turned around and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod, and he struck Nob the city of priests by the sword, man and woman alike, infants and sucklings alike, oxen and donkeys and sheep, by the sword' (I Samuel 22:18–19), a Divine Voice came forth and said to him: "Do not be overly wicked' (Ecclesiastes 7:17)." — William Davidson Talmud Yoma 22b:8-9; Koren Steinsaltz translation

Date Finished:

September 3, 2025

Description:

There are only three distinct times where Shaul is mentioned as "Vayomer HaMelech" ("says the king") instead of "Vayomer Shaul" and they all come during his decline. The first is when he tells Avner to ask about David, the second is with Nov (the most use), and the third is with the Witch of Ein-Dor when he says, "Fear not. What do you see?"

My Interpretation:

I will finally address the elephant in the room: "But what about Nov?" 

Many Xtians see Nov as Shaul's "Moral Event Horizon" (a deed that therefore renders a character irredeemable). While Jewish sources mostly do not accept Nov as a "good deed", the rabbis emphasize several things: 

1. Multiple people and circumstances held responsibility not just Shaul including: 

   1. Lashon Hara (evil tongue): Doeg committing the initial slander and possibly taking it upon himself to slaughter everyone (Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 19:16:2; Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 10:2; Midrash Tanchuma, Metzora 1:1; Midrash Tanchuma, Noach 17:1-2;

   2. Deception: David for misleading the priests about his purpose there (Sanhedrin 95a:6; Devarim Rabbah 5:10; Otzar Midrashim, Midrash on Goliath the Philistine, Introduction 1)

   3. Passivity: Avner not speaking against Shaul (Sanhedrin 20a:10-11; Jerusalem Talmud Peah 1:1:47; Jerusalem Talmud Sotah 1:8:10)

   4. Unwitting Mistakes: Yonatan forgetting to give David bread (Sanhedrin 104a:5; Abarbanel on I Samuel 22:19:1)

   5. Corruption: Chofni and Pinchas' misdeeds dooming the entire House of Eli (Ralbag on Samuel II 1:27:1);

2. Shaul's culpability was not full rebellion but avon (transgression). He thought his act was legitimate and/or that it was Hashem's will for this to happen (Abarbanel on I Samuel 22:19:1; Radak on I Samuel 22:19:1; Ralbag on Samuel II 1:27:1)

3. Shaul did teshuvah for Nov multiple times over (Berakhot 12b:11; Rashi on II Samuel 1:9:1; Midrash Tanchuma, Metzora 2:1)

4. Hashem and the priests forgave him for that sin (Berakhot 12b:12; Eruvin 53b:2; Shemot Rabbah 30:16). 

5. Ambiguity in the language on who actually destroyed the town and whether it was even Shaul's intention to destroy the town* (that is Doeg and his men executed a slaughter beyond the boundaries of the authority of the king of Israel) (Steinsaltz on I Samuel 22:19). Notably, Doeg is never mentioned again in the text.

Any media that focuses on the Shaul-David period ultimately has to address Nov as either slander (Secret Book of Kings: Shaul didn't do it at all), an act of revenge from zeal (The First), or just a wanton act of cruelty (The Secret Chord). Within The Shaul Chronicles, Nov goes like this 

Tanakh

וַתִּכְבַּ֤ד הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ אֶל־שָׁא֔וּל וַיִּמְצָאֻ֥הוּ הַמּוֹרִ֖ים אֲנָשִׁ֣ים בַּקָּ֑שֶׁת וַיָּ֥חֶל מְאֹ֖ד מֵהַמּוֹרִֽים׃

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שָׁאוּל֩ לְנֹשֵׂ֨א כֵלָ֜יו שְׁלֹ֥ף חַרְבְּךָ֣ ׀ וְדׇקְרֵ֣נִי בָ֗הּ פֶּן־יָ֠ב֠וֹאוּ הָעֲרֵלִ֨ים הָאֵ֤לֶּה וּדְקָרֻ֙נִי֙ וְהִתְעַלְּלוּ־בִ֔י וְלֹ֤א אָבָה֙ נֹשֵׂ֣א כֵלָ֔יו כִּ֥י יָרֵ֖א מְאֹ֑ד וַיִּקַּ֤ח שָׁאוּל֙ אֶת־הַחֶ֔רֶב וַיִּפֹּ֖ל עָלֶֽיהָ׃ 

וַיַּ֥רְא נֹשֵֽׂא־כֵלָ֖יו כִּ֣י מֵ֣ת שָׁא֑וּל וַיִּפֹּ֥ל גַּם־ה֛וּא עַל־חַרְבּ֖וֹ וַיָּ֥מׇת עִמּֽוֹ׃ 

וַיָּ֣מׇת שָׁא֡וּל וּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת בָּנָיו֩ וְנֹשֵׂ֨א כֵלָ֜יו גַּ֧ם כׇּל־אֲנָשָׁ֛יו בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא יַחְדָּֽו׃ 

"The battle was heavy around Sha'ul; the shooters, the men of the bow, found him, and he was seriously wounded* by the shooters.

So Sha'ul said to his weapons bearer: 'Draw your sword and run me through with it, lest these Foreskinned Ones come and run me through and deal wantonly with me!' But the weapons bearer would not because he was exceeding araid, so Sha'ul took the sword and fell on it.

And his weapons bearer saw that Sha'ul was dead, so he too fell on his sword and died with him.

Thus died Sha'ul and his three sons and his weapons bearer, indeed, all his men, on that day, together." — Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 31:3-6; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י עֲמׇד־נָ֤א עָלַי֙ וּמֹ֣תְתֵ֔נִי כִּ֥י אֲחָזַ֖נִי הַשָּׁבָ֑ץ כִּֽי־כׇל־ע֥וֹד נַפְשִׁ֖י בִּֽי׃ 

וָאֶעֱמֹ֤ד עָלָיו֙ וַאֲמֹ֣תְתֵ֔הוּ כִּ֣י יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּ֛י לֹ֥א יִֽחְיֶ֖ה אַחֲרֵ֣י נִפְל֑וֹ וָאֶקַּ֞ח הַנֵּ֣זֶר ׀ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־רֹאשׁ֗וֹ וְאֶצְעָדָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־זְרֹע֔וֹ וָאֲבִיאֵ֥ם אֶל־אֲדֹנִ֖י הֵֽנָּה׃

"He [Shaul] said to me [the Amalekite]: 'Now stand over me and dispatch me, for dizziness has come upon me, though there is still life in me!'

So I stood over him and dispatched him since I knew that he could not live after his having fallen; then I took the diadem that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them to my lord here." — Sh'muel Bet (Samuel II) 1:9-10; 1995 Schocken Bible Everett Fox translation

*: the word vayachel can mean "tremble/be anguished/pained," so some translations suggest that Shaul HaMelech was not seriously wounded but seriously dreaded the archers. Because Hebrew has less words than English, it could mean he dreaded the archers and was seriously wounded by them.

Talmud and Midrash

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: חֲמִשָּׁה נִבְרְאוּ מֵעֵין דּוּגְמָא שֶׁל מַעְלָה, וְכוּלָּן לָקוּ בָּהֶן. שִׁמְשׁוֹן בְּכֹחוֹ, שָׁאוּל בְּצַוָּארוֹ, אַבְשָׁלוֹם בִּשְׂעָרוֹ, צִדְקִיָּה בְּעֵינָיו, אָסָא בְּרַגְלָיו. 

"The Sages taught in a baraita: Five individuals were created with a characteristic that is akin to a representation of the One on High, and they were all stricken by that characteristic. Samson was glorified in his strength, Saul in his neck (see I Samuel 9:2), Absalom in his hair, Zedekiah in his eyes, and Asa in his feet." — Sotah 10a:10

שָׁאוּל בְּצַוָּארוֹ, דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיִּקַּח שָׁאוּל אֶת הַחֶרֶב וַיִּפֹּל עָלֶיהָ״. 

"Shaul was smitten in his neck, as it is written: 'Therefore, Shaul took his sword and fell upon it'; he fell with his neck upon the sword." — Sotah 10a:12, William Davidson Tanakh (Koren Steinsaltz)

רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אוֹמֵר: כָּל הַנְּבִיאִים נִתְנַבְּאוּ בְּחַיֵּיהֶם, וּשְׁמוּאֵל נִתְנַבֵּא בְּחַיָּיו וּלְאַחַר מוֹתוֹ, שֶׁאָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל לְשָׁאוּל ״אִם אַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ לַעֲצָתִי לִנְפֹּל בַּחֶרֶב וּתְהֵא מִיתָתְךָ כַּפָּרָה עָלֶיךָ וִיהֵא גוֹרָלְךָ עִמִּי בַּמָּקוֹם שֶׁאֲנִי שָׁם״, וְשָׁמַע שָׁאוּל לַעֲצָתוֹ וְנָפַל בַּחֶרֶב הוּא וְכָל בָּנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וַיָּמָת שָׁאוּל וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת בָּנָיו״. לָמָּה? שֶׁיְּהֵא חֶלְקוֹ עִם שְׁמוּאֵל הַנָּבִיא לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וּמָחָר אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ עִמִּי״. מַה הוּא ״עִמִּי״? רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אוֹמֵר: עִמִּי בִּמְחִיצָתִי. 

"Rabbi Jochanan said: All the prophets prophesied in their lifetime, and Samuel prophesied in his lifetime, and after his death, because Samuel said to Saul: 'If thou wilt hearken to my advice to fall by the sword, then shall thy death be an atonement for thee, and thy lot shall be with me in the place where I abide.' Saul harkened to his advice, and fell by the sword, he and all his sons, as it is said, 'So Saul died, and his three sons' (1 Sam. 31:6). Why? So that his portion might be with Samuel the prophet in the future life, as it is said, "And to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me" (1 Sam. 28:19). What is the meaning of 'with me'? Rabbi Jochanan said: 'With me in my division in heaven.'" — Pikrei DeRabbi Eliezer 33:12; 1916 Gerald Friedlander translation

Date Finished:

March 23, 2025

Description: 

I've seen a bunch of artwork depicted with Shaul falling upon his sword via the chest (associated more with a quicker death of seconds to minutes) or the abdomen (more often in art; usually associated with a slower death over hours from blood loss and shock). If we are to take all accounts of death as true, then the death was not quick. Aiming for the center of mass would have been difficult especially considering Early Iron Age scale armor. We know that Shaul owned a bronze helmet, a breastplate or general armor, and a leather jerkin and that they were too heavy or big for David to walk in (Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 17:39). Scale armor has a long history of use since the Bronze Age in Egypt allowing high mobility, flexibility, and protection but can be weak against arrows. However, the Talmud claims that Shaul fell on the sword neck first, which would have been more exposed than the torso, and I wanted to show that here.

Neck wounds from stabbing can take four hours to death on average depending on the type of damage (vagal nerve: seconds; artery: seconds to minutes; vein: minutes to hours; airway: hours) (Chelik 2021). 

The word shavatz (שָּׁבָ֑ץ) has an ambiguous translation. Fox translated it as dizziness. Chabad translated it as shudders. Shavatz also be translated as cramps, agony, or anguish. In modern Hebrew, it translates to stroke, fit, apoplexy, paralysis, seizure, spasm, or convulsion. Based on the Amalekite's account, there was clear weakness since Shaul leaned on his spear (Sh'muel Bet (Samuel II) 1:6). If translated as dizziness, then that could suggest blood loss via hemorrhage. Alternatively, the shavatz might be associated with talking itself, which implies an airway injury. I interpreted it here as small vessel venous injury combined with airway injury, which takes more than just a couple minutes. 

There are differing accounts regarding Shaul's death: in Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 31:4 and Divrei HaYamim Aleph (Chronicles I) 10:4, Shaul falls upon the sword himself because he feared torture from the Philistines. The Amalekite in Sh'muel Bet gives a different account. He claimed that Shaul's this suicide attempt didn't work and that the Amalekite ultimately finished Shaul off (Sh'muel Bet (Samuel I) 1:9-10). An expanded midrash using the second account claims that Shaul suffered a lot during death because of the Nob incident, and that the Amalekite was the accuser of Nob (Midrash Tanchuma, Metzora 2:1; Rashi on II Samuel 1:9:1).

The Status of Shaul's Death

There is also extensive discussion on the law and circumstances behind his death. 

Some Rabbinic opinions see the death as voluntary and therefore improper and unacceptable (Sefer HaIkkarim, Maamar 4 21:5; 1929 Jewish Publication Society of America translation; Da'at Zekenim on Genesis 9:5:1). However, the  majority view and the basis for modern halacha (Jewish law) considers his death as "compelled suicide" (anuss אנוס) and so all honors are due to him (Radak on Samuel 1 31:4; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 345:3; Bereshit Rabbah 34:13; Tur HaArokh Genesis 9:5:4) via the expression anuss k'Shaul (אנוס כשאול; "as distressed as Shaul"). For reference, Bereshit Rabbah comes from 400 CE during the Talmudic era and the Shulchan Aruch comes from 1563 CE. We also memorialize the death in the prayer Av HaRachamim started during the Crusades and said every Shabbat in Eastern Ashkenazi tradition or on the Shabbat before Shavuot and Tisha B'av for Western Ashkenazi communities as well as Yizkor. In contrast, the Catholic Church denied a proper burial to suicide victims until 1983. Catholic attitudes towards suicide only softened in 1992, but the wording still suggests that many suicides are still damned to hell (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2281-2283). Given the generally more negative attitude towards Shaul within Xtianity, this doesn't surprise me that much.

As for why it occurred, some traditions saw it as teshuvah or an acceptance of Hashem's judgement (Pikrei DeRabbi Eliezer 33:12; Berakhot 12b:10-12; Vayikra Rabbah 26:7; Radak on Samuel I 31:5). Others say it was obligatory to avoid chillul hashem because the Philistines would have tortured him (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 345:3; Bereshit Rabbah 34:13). Given what the Philistines did to his and his sons' bodies after they were dead (Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 31:9-10; i.e. stripping, beheading the bodies and displaying said heads, and impaling/hanging the beheaded corpses unburied for an extended period of time as well as hanging the armor in an idolatrous temple; note: all of these things are direct violations of Jewish law) and how they treated Shimshon (Shoftim (Judges) 16:21; Shoftim (Judges) 16:25, 16:27; Sotah 10a:6; i.e. blinding, binding, humiliation, hard labor and/or rape if Sotah 10a:6 is also considered, and torture), Shaul had good reason to fear.

My Interpretation:

Sh'muel Aleph (Samuel I) 31:4 and Divrei HayYamim Aleph (Chronicles I) 10:4 are correct in that Shaul dies from falling upon his own sword. The account given by the Amalekite in Sh'muel Bet (Samuel I) 1:9-10 is a half-truth. The Amalekite is telling a half-truth in that he saw Shaul dying but lied about mercy killing him. It would serve as an inversion to the mercy that Shaul had shown the Amalekites. In addition, the Amalekite stole the crown and armlet while Shaul was still alive rather than from the body. Rashi and Targum Yonassan translate the bracelet as tefillin because it would have meant the Philistines would have taken the bracelet as a spoil of war. However, I disagree with that translation since the Philistines taking spoils of war is the point. Therefore, I made my own armlet design based on the choshen (Kohen breastplate) that was seen in other pieces. 

As for why Shaul died by suicide, I see it as a combination of factors: avoid torture by the Philistines into apostasy and the ensuing chillul Hashem (Tanakh After Dark Season 2 Episode 13; Tanakh After Dark Episode 22: King Shaul's Mental Illness Part 3: The Final Days), the death of three of his sons most likely in front of him (Miryam bat Tanhum also died by suicide after the Romans martyred seven of her sons in front of her; Gittin 57b:20; Eichah Rabbah 1:50), and suicidal regret regarding the killing at Nov. That's why he did it with the meteoric iron sword Hashem gifted him all those years ago in the battle against the Philistines when Shaul kept the mitzvah of the blood (Vayikra Rabbah 25:8; Bamidbar Rabbah 10:1; Midrash Sh'muel 17:3-4). I think that Sh'muel did actually appear in the End-or scene to foretell of the dying at Gilvoa fate. However, I do not think Sh'muel would advise Shaul to die specifically via his own sword, and that's a hallucination based on Shaul's mental illness and the culture of the time (Tanakh After Dark: Episode 2; Tanakh After Dark Episode 22: King Shaul's Mental Illness Part 3: The Final Days). 

Tanakh

וְהָיָ֥ה זֶ֖ה שָׁל֑וֹם אַשּׁ֣וּר ׀ כִּֽי־יָב֣וֹא בְאַרְצֵ֗נוּ וְכִ֤י יִדְרֹךְ֙ בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵ֔ינוּ וַהֲקֵמֹ֤נוּ עָלָיו֙ שִׁבְעָ֣ה רֹעִ֔ים וּשְׁמֹנָ֖ה נְסִיכֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃
וְרָע֞וּ אֶת־אֶ֤רֶץ אַשּׁוּר֙ בַּחֶ֔רֶב וְאֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ נִמְרֹ֖ד בִּפְתָחֶ֑יהָ וְהִצִּיל֙ מֵֽאַשּׁ֔וּר כִּֽי־יָב֣וֹא בְאַרְצֵ֔נוּ וְכִ֥י יִדְרֹ֖ךְ בִּגְבוּלֵֽנוּ׃ {פ}

"And that shall afford safety.

Should Assyria invade our land

And tread upon our fortresses,

We will set up over it seven shepherds,

Eight princes of men, 

Who will shepherd Assyria’s land with swords,

The land of Nimrod in its gates.

Thus he will deliver [us]

From Assyria, should it invade our land,

And should it trample our country." — Micah 5:4-5; 1985 JPS translation

Talmud, Midrash, and Commentary

״וְהָיָה זֶה שָׁלוֹם אַשּׁוּר כִּי יָבֹא בְאַרְצֵנוּ וְכִי יִדְרוֹךְ בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵינוּ וַהֲקֵמֹנוּ עָלָיו שִׁבְעָה רוֹעִים וּשְׁמֹנָה נְסִיכֵי אָדָם״. מַאן נִינְהוּ ״שִׁבְעָה רוֹעִים״? דָּוִד בָּאֶמְצַע, אָדָם שֵׁת וּמְתוּשֶׁלַח מִימִינוֹ, אַבְרָהָם יַעֲקֹב וּמֹשֶׁה בִּשְׂמֹאלוֹ. וּמַאן נִינְהוּ ״שְׁמֹנָה נְסִיכֵי אָדָם״? יִשַׁי, וְשָׁאוּל, וּשְׁמוּאֵל, עָמוֹס, וּצְפַנְיָה, צִדְקִיָּה, וּמָשִׁיחַ, וְאֵלִיָּהוּ. 

"The Gemara continues homiletically interpreting verses that relate to the end of days. It is stated: 'And this shall be peace: When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight princes among men' (Micah 5:4). The Gemara asks: Who are these seven shepherds? The Gemara explains: David is in the middle; Adam, Seth, and Methuselah are to his right; Abraham, Jacob, and Moses are to his left. And who are the eight princes among men? They are Yishai, Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephania, Zedekiah, Messiah, and Elijah." — Sukkah 52b:13; William Davidson Talmud, Steinsaltz translation

מַתְקֵיף לַהּ רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: וְאֵימָא ״כְּבֶן שָׁנָה״, שֶׁמְּלוּכְלָךְ בְּטִיט וּבְצוֹאָה? אַחְוִיאוּ לֵיהּ לְרַב נַחְמָן סִיּוּטָא בְּחֶלְמֵיהּ. אָמַר: נַעֲנֵיתִי לָכֶם עַצְמוֹת שָׁאוּל בֶּן קִישׁ. הֲדַר חֲזָא סִיּוּטָא בְּחֶלְמֵיהּ. אָמַר: נַעֲנֵיתִי לָכֶם עַצְמוֹת שָׁאוּל בֶּן קִישׁ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

"Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak strongly objects to this interpretation ["when he began to reign, he was like a one-year-old, in that he had never tasted the taste of sin but was wholly innocent and upright."] of the verse ["Saul was one year old when he began to reign"], saying: You could just as well say that he was like a one-year-old in that he was always filthy with mud and excrement. Rav Naḥman was shown a frightful dream that night, and he understood it as a punishment for having disparaged Saul. He said: I humbly submit myself to you, O bones of Saul, son of Kish, and beg your forgiveness. But once again he was shown a frightful dream, and he understood that he had not shown enough deference in his first apology. He therefore said this time: I humbly submit myself to you, O bones of Saul, son of Kish, king of Israel, and beg your forgiveness. Subsequently, the nightmares ceased." — Yoma 22b:18; William Davidson Talmud, Steinsaltz translation

בַּשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁלִישִׁית עָלוּ כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לָרְגָלִים, אָמַר לָהֶם דָּוִד: צְאוּ וּרְאוּ אִם יֵשׁ בָּכֶם בְּנֵי אָדָם שׁוֹפְכֵי דָמִים, שֶׁבַּעֲוֹן שׁוֹפְכֵי דָמִים הַגְּשָׁמִים נֶעֱצָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְלֹא תַחֲנִיפוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ״. יָצְאוּ וּבָדְקוּ וְלֹא מָצְאוּ. אָמַר לָהֶם דָּוִד: מִכָּאן וָאֵילָךְ אֵין הַדָּבָר תָּלוּי אֶלָּא בִּי. מִיָּד עָמַד וְהִתְפַּלֵּל לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. ״עַל שָׁאוּל? אֵינוֹ שָׁאוּל שֶׁנִּמְשַׁח בְּשֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה? אֵינוֹ שָׁאוּל שֶׁבְּיָמָיו לֹא נַעֲשָׂה עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל? אֵינוֹ שָׁאוּל שֶׁחֶלְקוֹ שְׁמוּאֵל הַנָּבִיא? וְאַתֶּם בָּאָרֶץ וְהֵם בְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ״.

"In the third || year [of famine] all Israel went up (to celebrate) the festivals. David said to them: Go forth and see if there be among you people who shed blood, because on account of the sin of those who murder the rain is withheld, as it is said, 'So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are; for blood, it polluteth the land' (Num. 35:33). They went forth and investigated, but they did not find (any murderer). David said to them: Henceforth the matter only depends upon me. David arose and prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He. And He answered him: It is for Saul; was not Saul one who was anointed with the oil of consecration? and was it not Saul in whose days there was no idolatry in Israel? and was it not Saul who secured his portion with Samuel the prophet? Yet ye are in the land (of Israel) and he is (buried) outside the land (of Israel)." — Pikrei deRabbi Eliezer 17:12

"It was reported that, as a heritage and pledge of the times, Israel the son of Eliezer, whom we call the Baal-Shem, bore in his blood the soul which had once forsaken David the King when his youth was shattered and lust overtook him. But the Rabbi of Kossov incorporated within himself the soul of Saul, the prince of dreams. It happened from one time to another, therefore, that he would be seized by a hidden anger which he harboured within himself the whole day. Then from time to time he sent forth his maddened soul to approach the soul of the Baal-Shem and insinuate that they might measure their strength against each other. Thus the Baal-Shem was at times forsaken by his soul which went forth to battle. Time after time it sprang up sharply from the struggle like clear flames against the sky, while the soul of the other weakly flickered." — Martin Buber; Legends of the Baal Shem Tov, Saul and David, 81

"כִּי יָבוֹא יַגִּיעַ הָאוֹת,

וִישֵׁנֵי הַקֶּבֶר יָקִיצוּ,

אָז יִמְצָא הַחֶרֶב הַזֹּאת,

אֵשׁ נִקְמַת-עַד עֵינָיו יָפִיצוּ

"For the sign will come,
And those who sleep in the grave will awaken,
Then he [Shaul] will find his sword,
A fire of vengeance will burn until his eyes are consumed." — "On the Ruins of Beit-Shan" (10); Shaul Tchernikovsky; Google translation + my own

Date Finished:

July 7, 2025

Description:

I wanted to draw something spooky, and also what happens to Shaul's memory after his death is very interesting. The rabbis esteemed Shaul after his death highly even if in life, he was not perfect. According to the Rabbis, he is equivalent to Sh'muel, Eliyahu, and the Meshiach in fighting off Assyria. In some rabbinical commentary, the famine came not just because of Shaul's inadvertent slaughter of the Giveonites but because he and his sons were not buried in the mainland of Israel. Modern ideas held a potentially bleaker image as seen from Shaul Tchernikovsky's poem made to mourn victims of Russian pogroms. Regardless, the Jewish sources are very clear that he has a place in the World to Come and that he will defend the Jewish people.

Since he like Eliyahu seems to have appeared to people, I generally think of him and Eliyahu as a duo in the carrot/stick sense: Eliyahu as the carrot who shapeshifts and cross-dresses to help Jews escape the Romans, comforts the depressed, and announces the Meshiach's arrival; Shaul as the stick who defends the Jewish people against nightmares and their enemies with the power of dreams.