The biblical book of 1 Samuel contains memories of an early Israelite king by the name of Saul, who the texts allege was the first God-appointed king of Israel. Saul is said to have engaged in military conflicts with the Philistines to his south (1 Samuel 13-14; 17), the kingdom of Ammon in Transjordan (1…

According to the Hebrew Bible, Solomon was the fourth king of Israel sometime in the 10th century B.C.E (his predecessors being Saul, Eshbaal, and his father, David). The biblical accounts remember his reign as one of great peace, prosperity, and wealth in the Israelite kingdom. They further describe many of his building projects, including the…

Saul was an ancient Israelite king who ruled parts of the southern Levant around the time of the late 11th-early 10th century BC. He was the first king of Israel, who managed to unite the majority of the Israelite people under his centralized authority, and fought wars with surrounding peoples, most notably the Philistines. Saul…