Why does Samuel tell Saul that his kingdom will not continue after the offering at Galgal?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Saul offers the holocaust before Samuel arrives, then explains that the people were slipping away, Samuel had not come at the appointed time and the Philistines were gathered at Machmas. Samuel says Saul acted foolishly and failed to keep the Lord’s command, and names that failure as the reason his kingdom will not continue.

Chapter breakdown

The Scripture wording says Saul was a child of one year when he began to reign and reigned two years over Israel. Challoner separately explains the first phrase as being good and like an innocent child, and the two years as his years in that innocence. Saul chooses three thousand Israelites: two thousand are with him in Machmas and Mount Bethel, and one thousand with Jonathan in Gabaa of Benjamin. He sends the rest of the people to their dwellings.

Jonathan smites the Philistine garrison in Gabaa, and the Philistines hear. Saul sounds the trumpet throughout the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. The report heard by all Israel says Saul has smitten the garrison and Israel has taken courage against the Philistines; the people are called after Saul to Galgal. The report’s attribution to Saul is distinct from the account’s naming Jonathan as the one who smote it. The Philistines assemble thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen and people as numerous as the seashore sand, camping in Machmas east of Bethaven. Israel sees itself in distress and hard pressed. People hide in caves, thickets, rocks, dens and pits; some Hebrews cross the Jordan into Gad and Galaad. Saul remains in Galgal, and all who follow him are afraid.

Saul waits seven days according to Samuel’s appointment, but Samuel has not come to Galgal and the people slip away. Saul asks for the holocaust and peace offerings to be brought and offers the holocaust. As soon as he finishes, Samuel arrives; Saul goes out to meet and salute him. Samuel asks what he has done. Saul replies that he saw the people slipping away, Samuel had not come at the appointed time and the Philistines were assembled in Machmas. He thought they would come down against him at Galgal while he had not appeased the Lord’s face. He says that, forced by necessity, he offered the holocaust. The necessity is Saul’s own explanation.

Samuel tells Saul that he has acted foolishly and has not kept the commandments the Lord commanded him. Samuel says that if Saul had not done this, the Lord would have established his kingdom over Israel for ever; this conditional statement is Samuel’s recorded speech. Now his kingdom will not continue. The Lord has sought a man after his own heart and commanded him to be prince over his people because Saul did not observe what the Lord commanded. No name for that man is given here. Samuel rises and goes from Galgal to Gabaa of Benjamin. The rest of the people go after Saul from Galgal to meet the army fighting them, arriving at Gabaa’s hill in Benjamin. Saul numbers about six hundred people with him. Saul, his son Jonathan and their people remain in Gabaa of Benjamin, while the Philistines encamp in Machmas.

Three Philistine companies go out to plunder. One takes the way toward Ephra in the land of Sual, another toward Bethoron, and the third toward the border above the valley of Seboim toward the desert. No smith is found in all Israel: the Philistines had taken precautions lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. Every Israelite goes to the Philistines to sharpen his ploughshare, spade, axe and rake. The edges of shares, spades, forks and axes are blunt, and even the goad needs mending. When the battle day comes, none of the people with Saul and Jonathan has sword or spear except Saul and his son Jonathan. The Philistine army advances farther in Machmas.

The story inside

After the troop division, Jonathan’s attack is followed by a land-wide summons and a report naming Saul. The large Philistine force and Israel’s distress lead into the seven-day wait at Galgal and the people’s slipping away. Saul offers the holocaust and meets Samuel just afterward. His stated reasons are followed by Samuel’s judgment that he failed to keep the command and that his kingdom will not continue. The account then follows the people to Gabaa, counts about six hundred, names three raiding routes and explains why swords and spears are absent among the people except for Saul and Jonathan.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The offering and Saul’s reasons are distinct facts. He asks for both kinds of offerings, but the account says he offers the holocaust. His claim of necessity follows the act and is not the narrator’s approval.
2
Samuel gives the reason for the kingdom judgment. He names failure to observe the Lord’s command, speaks of a man after the Lord’s heart and leaves that man unnamed. His conditional statement about a lasting kingdom remains his actual speech.
3
The shortage has a stated scope and exception. The Philistine precaution concerns making swords and spears; Israelites still use named farm tools, which need sharpening and mending. Saul and Jonathan are expressly excepted from the battle-day lack of swords and spears.

Test your recall

How do the Philistine assembly, seven-day wait and departing people enter Saul’s explanation, what reason does Samuel give for his judgment, and what precaution explains the weapon shortage and its exception?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 29359–29374
1 Kings Chapter 13 The war between Saul and the Philistines. The distress of the Israelites. Saul offereth sacrifice before the coming of Samuel: for which he is reproved. 13:1. Saul was a child of one year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel. Of one year.... That is, he was good and like an innocent child, and for two years continued in that innocency. 13:2. And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel: and two thousand were with Saul in Machmas, and in mount Bethel: and a thousand with Jonathan in Gabaa of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent back every man to their dwellings.
Lines 29376–29395
13:3. And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines which was in Gabaa. And when the Philistines had heard of it, Saul sounded the trumpet over all the land, saying: Let the Hebrews hear. 13:4. And all Israel heard this report: Saul hath smitten the garrison of the Philistines: and Israel took courage against the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Galgal. 13:5. The Philistines also were assembled to fight against Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and a multitude of people besides, like the sand on the seashore for number. And going up they camped in Machmas, at the east of Bethaven. 13:6. And when the men of Israel saw that they were straitened (for the people were distressed), they hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in dens, and in pits. 13:7. And some of the Hebrews passed over the Jordan into the land of Gad and Galaad. And when Saul was yet in Galgal, all the people that followed him were greatly afraid.
Lines 29397–29413
13:8. And he waited seven days, according to the appointment of Samuel, and Samuel came not to Galgal, and the people slipt away from him. 13:9. Then Saul said: Bring me the holocaust, and the peace offerings. And he offered the holocaust. 13:10. And when he had made an end of offering the holocaust, behold Samuel came: and Saul went forth to meet him and salute him. 13:11. And Samuel said to him: What hast thou done? Saul answered: Because I saw that the people slipt from me, and thou wast not come according to the days appointed, and the Philistines were gathered together in Machmas, 13:12. I said: Now will the Philistines come down upon me to Galgal, and I have not appeased the face of the Lord. Forced by necessity, I offered the holocaust.
Lines 29415–29433
13:13. And Samuel said to Saul: Thou hast done foolishly, and hast not kept the commandments of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee. And if thou hadst not done thus, the Lord would now have established thy kingdom over Israel for ever: 13:14. But thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought him a man according to his own heart: and him hath the Lord commanded to be prince over his people, because thou hast not observed that which the Lord commanded. 13:15. And Samuel arose and went up from Galgal to Gabaa of Benjamin. And the rest of the people went up after Saul, to meet the people who fought against them, going from Galgal to Gabaa, in the hill of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people, that were found with him, about six hundred men. 13:16. And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, were in Gabaa of Benjamin: But the Philistines encamped in Machmas.
Lines 29435–29459
13:17. And there went out of the camp of the Philistines three companies to plunder. One company went towards the way of Ephra to the land of Sual; 13:18. And another went by the way of Bethoron, and the third turned to the way of the border, above the valley of Seboim towards the desert. 13:19. Now there was no smith to be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had taken this precaution, lest the Hebrews should make them swords or spears. 13:20. So all Israel went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his ploughshare, and his spade, and his axe, and his rake. 13:21. So that their shares, and their spades, and their forks, and their axes, were blunt, even to the goad, which was to be mended. 13:22. And when the day of battle was come, there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan, except Saul and Jonathan his son. 13:23. And the army of the Philistines went out in order to advance further in Machmas.