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Saul

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Saul is the first king of Israel in the Hebrew Bible, whose initial favor with God gave way to jealousy, disobedience, and tragic downfall.

Detailed Definition
Saul disobeyed Samuel, grew jealous of David, and died in battle. His tragic arc warns of pride. In poetry, Saul symbolizes the burden of kingship, the corrosion of envy, and the pathos of a leader abandoned by divine spirit yet retaining nobility.
Example
Example in poetry:
In 1 Samuel 9–31, Saul’s rise and fall inspires tragic poetry about jealousy and rejection; Shakespearean allusions depict Saul as tormented king; Miltonic verse portrays Saul’s armor and final fall at Gilboa; Contemporary poems explore Saul’s early promise versus later paranoia; In poems about music, David’s harp soothes Saul yet cannot save him; Educational poems cite Saul to teach about kingship and divine favor.
Additional Notes
Saul appears as both the first king of Israel (1 Samuel) and the pre-conversion name of Paul; context is crucial—King Saul’s tragic arc contrasts with Paul’s transformative journey; poets must distinguish between the two to explore themes of kingship, jealousy, or radical conversion.
Also Known As
Saul king of Israel Saul son of Kish Paul (post-conversion name) King Saul
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