Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
Parallel translations
- WEB Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
- KJV Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
- NKJV Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
- NASB Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty-two years over Israel.
- NLT Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
This verse summarizes Saul's age and the length of his reign in standard regnal formula. Its numbers are textually difficult, so faithful translators handle them variously.
Overview
The verse follows the customary pattern for introducing a king's reign in Israel's history. The Hebrew text here is damaged, and the figures for Saul's age and years are uncertain, which is why translations differ; Acts 13:21 notes a reign of about forty years. The point is simply to frame the account of Saul's rule that now begins in earnest.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 13:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.