His First Appearance. Was Saul Darkish?
Rabbi Tsadok HaCohen from Lublin (1823-1900) said ("Yisrael Kedoshim" 7) that the basic quality of any person or thing in the Bible is revealed when they are first mentioned.
According to the Sages the first mention of Saul occurred when the Ark was captured by the Philistines. After the Israelites entered the Land of Canaan and conquered it they set the Tabernacle up at Shiloh in the territory of Ephraim.
The Tabernacle was the predecessor of the Temple and similar to it in most matters. Eli the Cohen (Priest) was the officiating administrator of Tabernacle functions. Samuel from the Tribe of Levi at that time was attached to Eli and had been helping him since his childhood.
The Israelites had gone to war with the Philistines. They had taken the Ark of the Covenant with them. What many are not aware of is that there were two arks. One would go out to war with them and the other would stay in the Tabernacle in the Holy of Holies. This was the Ark of the Covenant. Why in this case they had taken that with them is not clear.
At all events the Hebrews lost the battle, the two sons of Eli were slain, and the Ark was captured. This information was important.
The one who brought the news was a "Man of Benjamin."
1-Samuel (CJV) 14:
11 AND THE ARK OF GOD WAS TAKEN, AND THE TWO SONS OF ELI, HOPHNI AND PHINEHAS, PERISHED.
12 AND A MAN OF BENJAMIN RAN FROM THE BATTLE ARRAY, AND CAME TO SHILOH ON THAT DAY, WITH HIS GARMENTS TORN, AND EARTH UPON HIS HEAD.
13 AND HE CAME, AND BEHOLD, ELI WAS SITTING ON THE CHAIR BESIDE THE ROAD, ANXIOUSLY WAITING, FOR HIS HEART TREMBLED FOR THE ARK OF GOD. AND THE MAN HAD COME TO TELL IN THE CITY, AND THE WHOLE CITY CRIED OUT.
14 NOW ELI HEARD THE SOUND OF THE CRY, AND HE SAID, "WHAT IS THIS CONFUSED NOISE?" AND THE MAN HURRIED, AND CAME, AND TOLD ELI.
15 NOW ELI WAS NINETY- EIGHT YEARS OLD, AND HIS EYES WERE SET, AND HE COULD NOT SEE.
16 AND THE MAN SAID TO ELI, "I AM THE ONE WHO HAS COME FROM THE BATTLE ARRAY, AND I FLED FROM THE BATTLE ARRAY TODAY." AND HE SAID, "WHAT HAPPENED, MY SON?"
17 AND THE ONE WHO HAD REPORTED THE NEWS, ANSWERED AND SAID, "ISRAEL FLED BEFORE THE PHILISTINES, AND ALSO THERE WAS A GREAT SLAUGHTER AMONG THE PEOPLE, AND ALSO YOUR TWO SONS PERISHED, CHOFNI AND PINCHAS AND THE ARK OF GOD WAS TAKEN."
18 AND IT WAS, WHEN HE MENTIONED THE ARK OF GOD, THAT HE (ELI) FELL OFF THE CHAIR BACKWARD THROUGH THE GATE OPENING, AND HIS NECK BROKE AND HE DIED, BECAUSE THE MAN WAS OLD AND WEIGHTY AND HE HAD JUDGED ISRAEL FOR FORTY YEARS.
The Tabernacle itself was destroyed shortly afterwards.
The "MAN OF BENJAMIN" who had come running with the news is identified as Saul.
Saul was said to have run 60, 80, or 120 miles that day.
The first express recollection of Saul describes him as exceptional:
1-Samuel (NASB) 9:
1 NOW THERE WAS A MAN OF BENJAMIN WHOSE NAME WAS KISH THE SON OF ABIEL, SON OF ZEROR, SON OF BECORATH, SON OF APHIAH, SON OF A BENJAMINITE, A VALIANT MIGHTY MAN.
A VALIANT MIGHTY MAN. In Hebrew "Gibor Chayal". The Commentator Yehudah Kiel (in "Daat Mikra") says that this description applied to members of a special class amongst the people apparently of known heroes who had earned the right to bear the title and receive special consideration.
Cf. "ALL THE MIGHTY MEN OF VALOUR" (2-Kings 24:14).
The word translated as "Mighty Man" from the Hebrew is "Gibor." This is also found as the root of a personal name in Celtic Britain and the ethnonym (or part of one) of serveral peoples. In Celtic Britain To the northeast of Eboracum (York)
and the Parissi were the GABRANTOVICES. Further north in the Caledonian region of the Gadeni (Otadeni) was the settlement of Gabrosentas. The Lagin people gave their name to Leinster in east
Ireland. They were also known as GABAIR. These names bear the HEBREW ROOT "GEVER" or "GEBER" (GBR) from which are derived Hebrew words meaning male (gever); hero (gibor); important, usually
rich, public benefactor (gavir); and as a verb the root GBR denotes "to
overcome". The Anglo-Saxons called an independent peasant a "gavir":
(in Hebrew-Yiddish, "gavir" came to denote "rich benefactor").
A VALIANT MIGHTY MAN. In Hebrew "Gibor Chayal". The second part of this expression is "Chayil" which may also be transcribed as "hail" for example as pronounced in Yemenite and Eastern Hebrew. This word "hail" in Hebrew means "strength" and it also can mean "soldier". The English word "hale" was also once written as "hail" and connotes "strength" as in the expression "Hale and hearty". In addition in Old English this very same word "hale" or "hail" coukld mean "soldier". We thus find the same word pronounced almost the very same way having the very same two meanings in both Hebrew and Old English.
2 HE HAD A SON WHOSE NAME WAS SAUL, A YOUNG AND HANDSOME MAN, AND THERE WAS NOT A MORE HANDSOME MAN THAN HE AMONG THE SONS OF ISRAEL; FROM HIS SHOULDERS AND UP HE WAS TALLER THAN ANY OF THE PEOPLE.
The father of Saul was named "Kish." He was a BENJAMINITE, A VALIANT MIGHTY MAN.
Saul himself was extremely handsome and of an exceptional height.
KIsh told Saul his son to take one of the servants and go search for some donkeys that had wandered away. Saul went to seek the asses and became king. This became a famous literary expression describing someone who set out to do a minor chore and stumbles into greatness.
They went through the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah and the land of Shaalim and again through the land of the Benjaminites who had settled among Ephraim, but they did not find them. Saul wanted to return lest his father worry about them.
5 WHEN THEY CAME TO THE LAND OF ZUPH, SAUL SAID TO HIS SERVANT WHO WAS WITH HIM, 'COME, AND LET'S RETURN, OR ELSE MY FATHER WILL STOP BEING CONCERNED ABOUT THE DONKEYS AND WILL BECOME ANXIOUS ABOUT US.'
Saul included his servant with himself. The Sages saw this as an additional sign of the good qualities of Saul who traditionally was a very great
man of high quality, natural modesty, humility, combined with an innate nobility of character. He was to become the first real king of Israel
though Joshua and some of the other Judges had enjoyed a similar status.
His servant suggested that first they consult the Holy Man (meaning Samuel) in Zuph which was nearby. It was near Gibeon to the northwest of Jerusalem.
Saul protested that they had no gift to give the Holy Man but the servant replied that he had a sum of his own and they could use that.
There are some who say that Samuel (i.e. the "Holy Man" spoken of) did not accept presents but they were not to know that and they wrongly
assumed he did take gifts like other holy men. At all events the idea is that by giving something to a "Man of God" you enable him to enter into your
sphere: Through your gift you yourself open to him. This facilitates he being able to answer your personal questions.
Was Saul Darkish?
1-Samuel (NASB) 9:
11 AS THEY WENT UP THE SLOPE TO THE CITY, THEY FOUND YOUNG WOMEN GOING OUT TO DRAW WATER, AND THEY SAID TO THEM, IS THE SEER HERE?
12 THEY ANSWERED THEM AND SAID, HE IS; SEE, HE IS AHEAD OF YOU. HURRY NOW, FOR HE HAS COME INTO THE CITY TODAY, BECAUSE THE PEOPLE HAVE A SACRIFICE ON THE HIGH PLACE TODAY.
13 AS SOON AS YOU ENTER THE CITY YOU WILL FIND HIM BEFORE HE GOES UP TO THE HIGH PLACE TO EAT, FOR THE PEOPLE WILL NOT EAT UNTIL HE COMES, BECAUSE HE MUST BLESS THE SACRIFICE; AFTERWARD THOSE WHO ARE INVITED WILL EAT. NOW THEN, GO UP, FOR YOU WILL FIND HIM ABOUT THIS TIME.
The Sages said that the young women were smitten by the extremely handsome masculine visage of Saul so they all answered together speaking at
length and in detail each one vieing with the other to perhaps gain an acknowledging glance from the very tall, broad-shouldered aristocratic
and handsome stranger. Many women like tall men. Statistically, all other things being equal, tall men have a much higher chance of occupying a
managerial position in their chosen profession than their shorter counterparts.
Another opinion says that the damsels were driven by Divine Providence to string the talk out. Saul was about to take over from Samuel as leader of the People and the appointed time of Samuel had a few more minutes to go.
# And all this (extra talk) for what? Women are talkative. Shmuel said (they lengthened the conversation) in order to look at his beauty, as it says, FROM HIS SHOULDERS AND UP HE WAS TALLER THAN ANY OF THE PEOPLE.
# Rabbi Yochanan (alternately) said: One Period of Rulership does not overlap another even by a hairbreath (a few minutes remained). # Talmud Bereacoth 48:b.
The same ideas are repeated at more length in a Midrash:
Previously,
1-Samuel (CJV) 9:
16 AT THIS TIME TOMORROW, I SHALL SEND TO YOU A MAN FROM THE LAND OF BENJAMIN, AND YOU SHALL ANOINT HIM TO BE A RULER OF MY PEOPLE ISRAEL, AND HE WILL SAVE MY PEOPLE FROM THE HAND OF THE PHILISTINES, FOR I HAVE LOOKED UPON MY PEOPLE, FOR THEIR CRY HAS COME TO ME."
The Midrash tells us:
# For what sake was all this lengthy talk? Rabbi Yehudah said: We see that they were gazing at the handsomeness of Saul and could not get enough of it. It was replied to him (by the other Sages): In the same way as it is not allowed for a man to look at a woman who is not destined for him so is it not worthy for a woman to gaze at a man not worthy for her.
# If so, what was all this lengthiness (of expression) for? It comes to teach you that they had to wait for the hour of destiny that was spoken of would arrive as it says, "AT THIS TIME TOMORROW." ( Midrash Shmuel 13).
Saul was physically tall and apparently also strong and handsome. He
may also have been dark. In our Commentary on Psalms:
Psalms 7:
Shigaon Le-David: FROM DAVID IN ANSWER TO A MISCONCEPTION (S.R. Hirsch)
THAT HE SANG TO THE ALMIGHTY CONCERNING THE WORD OF KUSH THE SON OF
YAMINI (Benjamin).
KUSH THE SON OF YAMINI: This traditionally is referring to Saul who came
from the tribe of Benjamin. Why he is called "KUSH"? In Hebrew the word transliterated here as "KUSH is usually transliterated as "CUSH." "Cush" or "Cushi" meant someone from Africa or India and could also have been
used as a nickname for someone of dark appearance. Maybe Saul was of a dark
complexion? The Sages said that just as a "Cushi" (Blachman) is different from others and stands out because of it so did Saul due to his extraordinary beauty. In other words it was a nickname. It did not necessarily mean that Saul was exceptionally dark, but he might have been. The father of Saul was named "Kish" which could sound similar to "Cush." Was it a family trait? Saul was known for his beauty and aristocratic demeanor as well as his exceptional size. Perhaps King Saul was tall, dark, and handsome?
Other explanations exist but this one is also possible. Just as blonds
and red-heads existed amongst the Ancient Israelites so did darker individuals.
I had a friend in Israel. He and his wife had pale skin but dark hair. One of their children came out looking like them but a little bit darker. His father nicknamed him "Cushi." He has become a well-known Rabbi.