The Book of Samuel marks, according to Ben Gurion, a new era in the history of the Jewish people that he defines as “a period of national cohesiveness, independence and a growing desire for kingship.” As the architect of the state of Israel, that period described in the Book of Samuel was particularly close to his heart. He said that the beginning of the book was anchored in what has been known as the rule of the Judges, yet even then the people aspired to come together, to unify and to look for a king. This growing public sentiment was brought up to Samuel who was a prophet and judge at that time; Samuel strongly rejected it, “it was wrong in Samuel’s eyes that they said, ‘give us a king to judge us.”*

Ben Gurion offered several explanations for Samuel’s rejection of kingship. Samuel was a judge in Israel, “a man of the old regime,” whose sons could not follow in his footsteps, “both were morally corrupt,” men who ”took bribes and perverted justice”; thus the disappointment in his sons may have contributed to his bitterness. Theologically speaking Samuel saw God alone as the king of Israel and viewed himself as God’s messenger, and as such rejected the people’s desire for political change. For Samuel the people’s demand for a king was “a defiance of God’s kingship” and his own authority. Yet, Ben Gurion pointed out that Samuel’s opposition was in contradiction to clear messages in the Torah and the clear directive in the book of Deuteronomy, “ After you have entered the land that God has given to you…You shall set a king over yourself, one chosen by God.” To this edict there was one condition, “one of your own people,” emphasizing “you must not set a foreigner over you, one who is not a kinsman.”

Ben Gurion had a hard time understanding “what Samuel saw as such a flaw in the people’s request” and why he tried so hard to frighten the people of the power of “the protocol of the king,” “he will take away your sons and place them in his chariots and cavalry, and they will run before his chariot…he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks and bakers. He will confiscate your best fields, vineyards and olive trees and will give them to his servants.” Ben Gurion noted that the “protocol of the king” that Samuel described never happened in the kingdom of Israel.

Samuel – “one of the great judges, if not the greatest of them” – understood that the people would not return to the old regime and threats of the “protocol of the king” would not deter them. The people stood firm on their demand, “No, there shall be a king over us, and we will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and go forth before us, and fight our wars.” Samuel was forced to anoint Saul as king and declared that there was no one like him in the whole nation, but his heart was not in the new kingship system, nor was he happy with King Saul himself.

Ben Gurion concluded that Samuel’s opposition to a king in Israel was not justified and that Saul, the first king was a victim of Samuel’s opposition.

*The quotes in the article are from Samuel I chapters 8 and 10.

Translated from the Hebrew by Ayala Emmett