Inquiry:
When was the last time that Samuel saw Saul? Was it after he hacked Agag to pieces (1 Samuel 15:35) or when Saul prophesied naked (1 Samuel 19:24)? Is there a contradiction?
Response:
It is likely that the last time Samuel saw Saul before his death was at Naioth in Ramah, when Saul prophesied before him as recorded in 1 Samuel 19:22-24. This does not contradict the statement made in 1 Samuel 15:35.
The record in 1 Samuel 15:35 says,
…Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
The text does not say, as the questioner has assumed, that Samuel never saw Saul again. It says that the prophet “…went no more to see Saul…,” and he did not. From this point onward, Samuel made no effort to go to Saul. His focus turned to David, who would take the throne as Saul’s successor (1 Samuel 16:1).
Though Samuel went no more to see Saul, 1 Samuel 19:22-24 says that Saul was seeking David and Samuel. It was not Samuel going to Saul, Saul went to Samuel. There’s no indication that he even acknowledged Saul in Naioth in Ramah.
There is no contradiction.
Links: YouVersion | GROW magazine
Return to the article archive
