1 Samuel 11
1 Samuel 11 tells a simple, dramatic story about how Saul becomes king.
Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, attacked Jabesh-Gilead and threatened to gouge out the right eyes of all its men unless they surrendered. Most Israelite tribes wouldn’t help Jabesh-Gilead, and the city was about to be destroyed. Seven days’ delay was granted so messengers could seek help from the rest of Israel. Some Israelites who had fled to Jabesh-Gilead escaped the danger, but the city was still in danger.
When the news reached Saul in his home town of Gibeah, he was furious and moved by God’s Spirit. He did not wait. To rally the people, he used a bold and frightening plan: he cut up two oxen and sent the pieces to all the Israelite regions with a message that anyone who refused to come to Jabesh-Gilead’s aid would suffer the same fate as those oxen.
The fear of this plan brought the tribes together, and a strong force came to Jabesh-Gilead. In the early morning they attacked Nahash and his army, and they won the battle.
The victory proved Saul’s leadership, and the people respected him as a strong leader. They asked him to be their king, and he was proclaimed king at Gilgal. This moment marks the beginning of the monarchy in Israel, as described in the early chapters of Samuel. Jabesh-Gilead’s earlier refusal to join the fighting in Judges 21 adds context to why their rescue mattered so much.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:41 (CET).