John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 1. Saul reigned one year , etc.] “Or the son of a year in his reigning” f239 ; various are the senses given of these words: some interpret them, Saul had a son of a year old when he began to reign, Ishbosheth, and who was forty years of age when his father died, ( 2 Samuel 2:10), others, who understand the words of Saul himself, think there is an “ellipsis” or defect of the number, and that it may be supplied, that Saul was the son of thirty or forty years, or whatsoever age he may be supposed to be at when he began his reign; others take the words in a figurative sense, that he was like a child of a year old, for purity and innocence; so the Targum, “as the son of a year, in whom there are no faults, so was Saul when he reigned;” or he was but a year old, reckoning from the time he was turned into another man, and had another heart, which was immediately after he was anointed king at Ramah by Samuel; or he was but a year old with respect to his kingdom: the inauguration of a king is “natalis imperil”, the birthday of his kingdom, and therefore the words are well enough rendered by us, “Saul reigned one year”; which is to be reckoned either from his unction at Ramah, or rather from his election at Mizpeh, to the renewal of the kingdom at Gilgal: and when he had reigned two years over Israel ; which the Jewish chronologers make to be the whole of his reign, which is not probable, considering the many things done in his reign, the many battles he fought with all his enemies on every side of him, and his long persecution of David; and there were no less than three high priests in his reign; Josephus says he reigned eighteen years in the lifetime of Samuel, and twenty two years after his death, in all forty; which agrees with ( Acts 13:21). Some interpret it he reigned two years well, and the rest in a tyrannical way; or that at the end of two years, when David was anointed, the kingdom was not reckoned to him, but to David; and to this purpose Dr. Lightfoot writes, that he had been king one year from his first anointing by Samuel at Ramah, to his second anointing by him at Gibeah (Gilgal I suppose he means); and he reigned after this two years more, before the Lord cast him off, and anointed David; and the time he ruled after that was not a rule, but a tyranny and persecution f242 ; but the sense Ben Gersom gives is best of all, that one year had passed from the time of his being anointed, to the time of the renewal of the kingdom at Gilgal; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, then he did what follows, chose 3000 men, etc. In the first year of his reign was done all that is recorded in the preceding chapter; and when he had reigned two years, not two years more, but two years in all, then he did what is related in this chapter.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - Saul reigned one year, and nothing particular happened; but in his second year the events recorded in this chapter took place. For above year he gave the Philistine time to prepare for war, and to weaken an to disarm the Israelites. When men are lifted up in self-sufficiency they are often led into folly. The chief advantages of the enemies of the church are derived from the misconduct of its professed friends When Saul at length sounded an alarm, the people, dissatisfied with his management, or terrified by the power of the enemy, did not come to him, or speedily deserted him.
Original Hebrew בן1121 שׁנה8141 שׁאול7586 במלכו4427 ושׁתי8147 שׁנים8141 מלך4427 על5921 ישׂראל׃3478
