When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
When he brought the tribe of Benjamin forward by their families, the family of Matri was chosen, and Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found.
This verse shows the moment when God chose Saul to be Israel's first king through casting lots, but Saul had hidden himself and couldn't be found when it was time to present him to the people.
📚 Historical Context
In the biblical narrative of 1 Samuel, the Israelites had demanded a king to rule over them like other nations, and God directed the prophet Samuel to use a sacred lot-casting process to publicly identify His chosen leader. This method involved narrowing down from tribes to families and individuals, with Saul from the tribe of Benjamin being selected as the first king of Israel. When Saul was chosen, he hid himself, possibly due to humility or fear, illustrating the tension between human responses and divine appointment.
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