Saul 2.0

Pieter Lasman, โ€˜The Triumph of Mordechaiโ€™ (1624; Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons) In 1 Sam 15:3, Samuel commands Saul, the son of Kish, โ€œGo, and strike Amalek, and devote to destruction everything that is his. Do not take pity on him, but kill man and woman, child and infant, ox and lamb, camel and donkeyโ€ (ืœืš ื•ื”ื›ื™ืชื” ืืชึพืขืžืœืง ื•ื”ื—ืจืžืชื ืืชึพื›ืœึพืืฉืจึพืœื• ื•ืœื ืชื—ืžืœ ืขืœื™ื• ื•ื”ืžืชื” ืžืื™ืฉ ืขื“ึพืืฉื” ืžืขืœืœ ื•ืขื“ึพื™ื•ื ืง ืžืฉื•ืจ ื•ืขื“ึพืฉื” ืžื’ืžืœ ื•ืขื“ึพื—ืžื•ืจ).โ€ญ 1 โ€ฌ Unfortunately, Saulโ€™s subsequent engagement with the Amalekites heeded only Samuelโ€™s order to โ€œgo and strike Amalekโ€ (ืœืš ื•ื”ื›ื™ืชื” ืืชึพืขืžืœืง).โ€ญ 2 โ€ฌย Saul โ€œdid devote to destructionโ€ (ื”ื—ืจื™ื) the Amalekite people but captured alive Agag, the king. 3 Indeed, โ€œSaul and the people had pity on Agag and on the best of the flock and the herd and their choice offspring, on the lambs, and on everything good, and they did not accept devoting them to destruction, but every despised and weak thing they devoted to destructionโ€ (ื•ื™ื—ืžืœ ืฉืื•ืœ ื•ื”ืขื ืขืœึพืื’ื’ ื•ืขืœึพืžื™ื˜ื‘ ื”ืฆืืŸ ื•ื”ื‘ืงืจ ื•ื”ืžืฉื ื™ื ื•ืขืœึพื”ื›ืจื™ื ื•ืขืœึพื›ืœึพื”ื˜ื•ื‘ ื•ืœื ืื‘ื• ื”ื—ืจื™ืžื ื•ื›ืœึพื”ืžืœืื›ื” ื ืžื‘ื–ื” ื•ื ืžืก ืืชื” ื”ื—ืจื™ืžื•).โ€ญ 4 โ€ฌ Thus, Saul becomes the object of Samuelโ€™s ire and forfeits the continuation of his kingdom. 5 ...

July 16, 2013 ยท 5 min ยท J. David Stark