Divine Approval and Support of the King Going into War

The Case of King Saul, Biblical and Hittite Descriptions

Abstract

One of the most pitiful incidents in the Hebrew Bible is the request of King Saul for divine support in his last battle against the Philistines in 1Samuel 28. The life of King Saul started with the inquiry of YHWH in chapter nine, where he was told he would become the king of Israel, and ended after his inquiry of YHWH by the woman of Ein-Dor. In both cases the mediator was Samuel the prophet. In both cases the deity sought was YHWH. The story of Saul will be read in light of the Hittite ritual texts mainly text CTH 423 which details the specific actions of the Hittite king during his pursuit of the support of his god for success in winning the war. The main issue to be discussed is the question of what indeed was the sin of Saul, for his punishment which was that he should die on the battlefield, was the most severe regarding Ancient Near Eastern rulers.