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How old was Saul when he became king?

Author

Rachel Ellis

Published Jan 20, 2026

Some early Greek translations of the Bible state that Saul took power when he was 30 years old. Saul was initially succeeded by his youngest and only surviving son, Ishbaal (also written as Ishba'al and also called Ishbosheth). After Ishbaal was killed, David took control of his kingdom.

How old was David when he was anointed by Saul?

David was around 15 years old when Samuel anointed him king in the midst of his brothers.

At what age did God call Moses?

Hebrews 11:27 tells us that “By faith Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible.” Moses was at the age of forty when he made this life-changing decision.

How old was Josiah when he became king?

Josiah was the grandson of Manasseh, king of Judah, and ascended the throne at age eight after the assassination of his father, Amon, in 641. For a century, ever since Ahaz, Judah had been a vassal of the Assyrian empire.

How tall was king Saul in the Bible?

Saul was chosen to lead the Israelites against their enemies, but when faced with Goliath he refuses to do so; Saul is a head taller than anyone else in all Israel (1 Samuel 9:2), which implies he was over 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and the obvious challenger for Goliath, yet David is the one who eventually defeated him.

29 related questions found

What tribe was Saul from?

Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, was the first king of Israel.

Who anointed Saul?

Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power.

What does Saul mean in English?

a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “ asked for”

Who is the second king of Israel?

David, (flourished c. 1000 bce), second king of ancient Israel. He founded the Judaean dynasty and united all the tribes of Israel under a single monarch. His son Solomon expanded the empire that David built.

Who was the last king of Israel?

Hoshea, also spelled Hosea, or Osee, Assyrian Ausi, in the Old Testament (2 Kings 15:30; 17:1–6), son of Elah and last king of Israel (c. 732–724 bc). He became king through a conspiracy in which his predecessor, Pekah, was killed.

Who is Saul's wife?

Additionally, Leviticus 20:14 forbids men from marrying their mothers-in-law, and Ahinoam, wife of Saul, was the mother of David's first wife Michal, whom David considered to legally be his wife even after fleeing, and David was never indicted by any prophets for his marriage to Ahinoam.

What did Saul look like in the Bible?

Saul looked like royalty: tall, handsome, noble. He became king when he was 30 years old and reigned over Israel for 42 years.

What kind of king did Saul become?

The first king of Israel, Saul (reigned ca. 1020-1000 B.C.) was a man of valor who brought the virtues of modesty and generosity to his office.

Why did Saul not fight Goliath?

Why did Saul fear this combat? Goliath was trained in the art of warfare since his youth (17:33). Saul feared his skill and training, not his size. The implied criticism is that Saul failed to place his trust in God for both protection and assistance.

What was Goliath's height?

Archaeological findings at biblical-era sites including Goliath's home city, a prominent Philistine settlement called Gath, indicate that those ancient measurements work out to 2.38 meters, or 7 feet, 10 inches.

Who was Saul before he became Paul?

Later, in a vision to Ananias of Damascus, "the Lord" referred to him as "Saul, of Tarsus". When Ananias came to restore his sight, he called him "Brother Saul". In Acts 13:9, Saul is called "Paul" for the first time on the island of Cyprus – much later than the time of his conversion.

Why was Saul after David?

Saul was compelled to place young David at the head of his army (I Samuel 18:5). Even though David then married Saul's daughter Michal and became a close friend of Saul's son Jonathan, an intense rivalry developed between the young new general and the king. Saul even began to plot to kill him.

Who was the first king in the Bible?

Who Was Saul? The Hebrew Bible (referred to as the Old Testament by Christians) names Saul (Hebrew Sha'ul) as the first king of Israel, who reigned circa 1020 to 1000 BCE. According to the Bible, as king, Saul marshaled military forces to fight the Ammonites, Edomites, Moabites, Amalekites and Philistines.

Who is Tamar Amnon?

Tamar was the daughter of King David and Maacah, who was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. Absalom was her brother and Amnon her half-brother. In the narrative, Amnon became obsessed with Tamar, said to be beautiful like her brother, Absalom.

Who was the mother of Amnon?

Ahinoam, said to come from Jezreel, is King David's wife and the mother of his eldest son, Amnon. All references to her occur with, or in close literary proximity to, Abigail (another wife of David, king of Israel, c. 1005–965 B.C.E.).

Did Saul's daughter Saulal have children?

When Michal later disrespected David publicly, she was punished with a prophecy that to her dying day she would have no children. The Aggadah recounts that Michal had a son on the day she died. When her sister Merab died, Michal raised her five children as her own.

Who ruled Israel during the time of Jesus?

During Jesus' public career, the Roman prefect was Pontius Pilate (ruled 26–36 ce). Although nominally in charge of Judaea, Samaria, and Idumaea, the prefect did not govern his area directly. Instead, he relied on local leaders.

How old was Jeremiah when God called?

Curtis Benninghoff, John Bohacek and Mario Martinez say God called Jeremiah early in life, about age 17, and he was severely persecuted during his life from 650 to 570 B.C., ending with his martyrdom by stoning in Egypt.