25: Saul and Jonathan: Turbulent Relationships

Biblical Times Podcast

In previous episodes, we focused on the pursuer-pursued relationship between Samuel and Saul. We described how Samuel, instead of supporting and assisting the young and inexperienced king, publicly humiliated him and undermined his authority as king and military commander. We also showed how Saul silently and submissively endured Samuel's verbal attacks.

In Chapter 14, a new character enters the story - Jonathan, Saul's firstborn son. As the natural heir, Jonathan was destined to succeed his father and become the second king of Israel.

Saul's mental deterioration and his troubled relationship with his son are revealed against the backdrop of the battle with the Philistines. That day, Jonathan initiated warfare without informing his father, thereby bypassing the king's authority who was also the army's commander.

Before joining the battle, Saul made his warriors swear not to eat until evening. The consequences of this strange oath were immediate: the warriors, having eaten nothing all day, became exhausted to the point of fainting.

Jonathan, who was not present at the oath-taking and knew nothing of it, tasted a bit of honey which gave him an energy boost, as the sugar in honey is an exceptional source of energy.

Against the backdrop of the battle day, the author reveals not only the troubled and alienated relationship between father and son but primarily the worrying transformation in Saul's mental state.
Saul who had bowed his head before Samuel's wrathful words disappeared, replaced by a new, obsessive, and compulsive character.

The change in Saul's personality first appears in Chapter 14 when he learns of Jonathan's violated the oath - an oath he knew nothing about. For a single drop of honey, Saul intended to execute his son. Only the forceful intervention of his soldiers prevented the death sentence from being carried out.

From a literary perspective, Chapter 14 introduces the following chapters. Against the backdrop of the ongoing war with the Philistines, the author describes Saul's mental deterioration, until his descent into a world of hallucinations and threatening evil spirits.