How old was Saul when he began to reign?

“Saul was one year old1 when he began to reign; and he reigned two years over Israel.” (1 Sam 13:12 )

A faithful translation of the literal meaning of the hebrew is seemingly only found in Vulgata3.

Septuaginta does not have the verse.4 Peshitta mentions a wholly different wording.5

Bible researchers generally hold the view that one or several words have disappeared from the text, or that the verse has been corrupted in some way, which is easily proved by mentioning the choices made by contemporary translations:

  • New International Version mentions “thirty” (instead of “one”) and “forty-two” (instead of “two”) with the following footnotes: “Hebrew does not have thirty” and “Masoretic Text does not have forty” (link)
  • New Revised Standard Version mentions “…” (instead of “one”) with the following footnote: “The number is lacking in the Heb text” (link).
  • Bibel 2000 (swedish) mentions “…” (instead of “one”), with the following footnote: “MT incomplete; the information describing Sauls age has disappeared” (translated)67
  • New World Translation (Jehova’s Witnesses) mentions “[?]” (instead of “one”).8
  • Jewish Publication Society mentions “—-” (instead of “one”).9.
  • King James Version mentions that he had reigned for one year, not that he was one year when beginning to reign.10

    This solution seems dubious, though; “he had reigned for one year (full stop) – and when he had reigned for two years …”, rendering the first phrase without purpose.

This post is also available in: Arabic, Swedish

  1. בֶּן־שָׁנָה Ben Shana, “a son of one year” (link) ˄
  2. translation by Emanuel Tov, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, Second Revised Edition, page 10 (link) ˄
  3. Translation, “Saul was a child of one year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel” (link), original: “filius unius anni Saul cum regnare coepisset duobus autem annis regnavit super Israhel” (link) ˄
  4. (link) ˄
  5. Translation: “AND when Saul had reigned one or two years in his kingdom over Israel …” (link), original: “וכד שנתא חדא ותרְתין אמלך שאול במלכותה על איסריל” (link) ˄
  6. Original: “MT ofullständig; uppgiften om hur gammal Saul var har bortfallit. I Septuaginta saknas hela versen.” ˄
  7. “Saul var … år då han blev kung, och han regerade två år över Israel.” (link) ˄
  8. “Saul was [?] years old when he began to reign, and for two years he reigned over Israel.” (link) ˄
  9. “Saul was —- years old when he began to reign; and two years he reigned over Israel” (link) ˄
  10. “Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel …” (link) ˄