Saul as Sacrifice: The Tragedy of Israel's First Monarch

“The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts” (1 Sam 2:7). How is this seen in the life of Saul in the book of 1 Samuel? This essay seeks to use the life of Saul as seen in the book of 1 Samuel as an example of God’s sovereign rule and command over all mankind. Based on the premise of Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:7, “The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts”, the question of how this is evidenced in Saul’s life is explored. The essay seeks to show that God’s hand is at work to exalt or humble not just individuals, but also nations.

Saul, Benjamin and the Emergence of Monarchy in Israel AIL 40, 2020

For a copy of this article, please contact me only VIA EMAIL. Full citation: 16. Sergi, O. 2020. Saul, David and the Formation of the Israelite Monarchy: Revisiting the Historical and Literary Context of 1 Samuel 9–2 Samuel 5. In: Krause, J., Sergi, O. and Weingart, K. eds. Saul, Benjamin and the Emergence of Monarchy in Israel (Ancient Israel and its Literature 40). Atlanta (SBL Press): 57–91.

Since studies of the Saul narratives in 1 Sam. 9-31 tend to focus on the three main protagonists, Samuel, Saul, and David, characters who play only a minor role have not received much attention. To provide one of these ‘minority perspectives’, this article offers a re-reading of the narrative with a focus on Saul’s servants. Although these figures are the only ones who are involved in all of the major scenes of the king’s career, their role in the narrative has not been examined. Drawing from six servant passages (1 Sam. 9.1-10.16; 16.14-23; 17-18; 21-22; 28; 31), I will show that Saul’s servants bear heavily on the development of the plot and that they function as an important, indirect means for the characterisation of Saul. The narrative role of these allegedly minor figures has therefore important ramifications for recent efforts to rehabilitate the image of Israel’s first king.

Many recent studies of Saul have understood him as a tragic figure whose story was shaped by Dtr in a way that emphasizes his failures in order to provide a backdrop for David's rise. This paper examines select elements related to Saul's character and transformation within 1 Samuel 9:1-10:16. It seeks to make the case that, even after having reshaped his sources, Dtr did not eliminate the affirmative dimensions of Saul's character, but retained them in 1 Samuel in its current form.

Westminster Theological Journal, 2019

Significant Pentateuchal themes serve a major leitmotif in 1 Samuel that narratologically shape Saul’s demise (as well as David’s rise) in the language of Gen 3:15, 4:5b–8, and 25:19−34 (as well as 27:37−41). David is predictably portrayed as the “Seed of the Woman,” but the reader is increasingly shocked by the gradual typecasting of Saul as a manifestation of the “Seed of the Serpent” (Gen 3:15) and “another nation” (Gen 25:23), first appearing like Cain and then Esau. Moreover, thematic links between Gen 3:17 and Deut 18:9–22 find redemptive-historical development in 1 Samuel as Saul, like Adam, does not hear/obey the voice of the Lord. The entire David-Saul struggle, therefore, is read against the backdrop of Genesis as a whole and Deut 18. This reading provides theological depth to the characterization of Saul and further elucidates the contribution of 1 Samuel to redemptive history.

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2015

Since studies of the Saul narratives in 1 Sam. 9-31 tend to focus on the three main protagonists, Samuel, Saul, and David, characters who play only a minor role have not received much attention. To provide one of these 'minority perspectives', this article sets out to re-read the narrative with a focus on Saul's servants. Although these figures are the only ones who are involved in all of the major scenes of the king's career, their role in the narrative has thus far not been examined. After a brief discussion of minor characters in Hebrew narrative art, six servant passages are discussed (1 Sam. 9.1-10.16; 16.14-23; 17-18; 21-22; 28; 31). It will be argued that Saul's servants bear heavily on the development of the plot and that they function as an important, indirect means for the characterisation of Saul. The narrative role of these allegedly minor figures has therefore important ramifications for recent efforts to rehabilitate the image of Israel's first king.