The Two Deaths of Saul: A New Harmonistic Reading

Scholars have noted that the story of Saul’s failed career is doubled (twice Saul fails to listen to Samuel during a war, leading to two separate prophetic proclamations of divine rejection of Saul’s kingship). I propose to read the doubled chapters of Saul’s death as the conclusion to the doubled story of Saul’s failure, illustrating the catastrophic results of each of Saul’s unfulfilled battles. A close reading of the two stories of Saul’s death produces a web of allusions to Saul’s earlier mistakes. The conclusions illustrate the artistic accomplishments of the broader narrative, constructed as a carefully woven design.