{"id":57565,"date":"2019-06-16T16:23:27","date_gmt":"2019-06-16T13:23:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=57565"},"modified":"2023-01-08T16:52:44","modified_gmt":"2023-01-08T14:52:44","slug":"the-transformation-of-saul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-transformation-of-saul\/","title":{"rendered":"The Transformation Of Saul"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The accession of Saul to the position of king takes place in three stages: \u00a0a private anointing by Samuel (1 Sam 10:1), a public ceremony (1 Sam 10:17-27), and an even more public event (1 Sam 11:14-16).<\/span><\/p>\n

The private anointing is followed by Samuel\u2019s long speech in vv. 2-8, in which he informs Saul of a series of three events that will befall him. \u00a0The first is the encounter with the two men at the grave of Rachel, who will notify him that his father\u2019s lost donkeys (the subject of ch. 9) have been found (v. 2). \u00a0The second is the meeting with the three men on pilgrimage, en route to Bethel (vv. 3-4). And the third is the encounter with the band of prophets, at which point the spirit of the Lord will descend upon Saul (vv. 5-6). <\/span><\/p>\n

At the conclusion of the speech, we read \u201cand all these signs came to pass on that day\u201d (v. 9). \u00a0For the first two, we actually have only this comment, though for the third scene, the entire episode is described in detail. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a very influential article written in 1956, Martin Buber observed that each of the three scenes corresponds to events that occurred on the journey which brought Saul to Samuel in ch. 9 \u2013 though with reversal.<\/span><\/p>\n

In ch. 9, scene one, Saul\u2019s father\u2019s donkeys were lost. \u00a0Now in ch. 10, they have been found. <\/span><\/p>\n

In ch. 9, scene two, Saul informs his attendant that they had run out of bread (1 Sam 9:7). \u00a0Now in ch. 10, Saul receives two loaves of bread from the men headed to Bethel (1 Sam 10:4) \u2013 even if this action is only anticipated in Samuel\u2019s speech, for the act itself is not actually described (see above).<\/span><\/p>\n

In ch. 9, scene three, Samuel was ascending the shrine in the city of Ramah, when Saul and his attendant encountered him (1 Sam 9:14). \u00a0Now in ch. 10, a band of prophets descends from the shrine (see v. 5).<\/span><\/p>\n

Once these three scenes transpire (especially the third one), Samuel further informs Saul, \u201cand you will turn into another man\u201d (v. 6). \u00a0Or, as the narrator states, \u201cand God turned him (with or into) another heart\u201d (v. 9). My English translation is less smooth here for v. 9, but I wish to convey that the same Hebrew verb, <\/span>h-p-k<\/span><\/em> \u2018turn, overturn, invert, etc.\u2019, is used in both passages.<\/span><\/p>\n

The perceptive reader, who has been paying attention to the individual scenes bridging chs. 9-10, will realize that the use of the verb <\/span>h-p-k<\/span><\/em> \u2018turn, overturn, invert, etc.\u2019, in vv. 6 and 9, echoes the reversals of the three scenes described above. \u00a0In rather brilliant fashion, our master <\/span>literatus<\/em> <\/span>has used the episodes within the extended narrative as a reflection of the main protagonist, Saul, who is transformed into the king of Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n

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