The application, however, of the term " king," with which we are here particularly concerned, is that of the name of the national ruler of the Hebrews during a pe- riod of about 500 years previous to the destruction of Jerusalem, B.C. 588. It was borne first by the ruler of the Twelve Tribes united, and then by the riders of Judali and Israel separately. See Kings, Book of.
2. Orii/in of the Ilebre^n Monarchy. — Regal authority was altogether alien to the institutions of Moses in their original and unadulterated form. Their fundamental idea was that Jehovah was the sole king of the nation (1 hSam. viii, 7) ; to use the emphatic words in Isa. xxxiii, 22, " the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our law- giver, the Lord is our king." Although Moses ventured, witli his half-civilized hordes, on tlie bold experiment of founding a society without a Iving, and in doing so evinced a rare patriotism and self-denial, for without doubt the man who rescued the Je^vs from bondage and conducted them to the land of Canaan might, had he chosen, have kept the dominion in his own hands, and transmitted a crown to his posterity, yet he well knew what were the elements with which he had to deal in framing institutions for tlie rescued Israelites. Slaves they had been, and the sjiirit of slavery was not yet wholly eradicated from their souls. They had witness- ed in Egypt the more than ordinary pomp and splendor which environ a throne. Not improliably the ]irospcrity and abundance which they had seen in Egypt, and in which they had been, in a measure, allowed to partake, might have been ascribed by them to the regal form of the Egyptian government. Moses may well, therefore, have appreliended a not very remote departure from the fundamental type of his institutions. Accordingly he makes a special provision for this contingency (Deut. xvii, 14), and labors, by anticipation, to guard against the abuses of royal power. ShoiUil a king be demanded by the people, then he was to be a native Israelite : lie was not to be drawn away by the love of show, especial-
ly by a desire for that regal display in which horses have always borne so large a part, to send down to Egypt, still less to cause the people to return to that land; he was to avoid the corrupting influence of a large harem, so common among Eastern monarchs ; he was to abstain from amassing silver and gold ; he was to have a copy of the law made expressly for his own studj' — a study which he was never to intermit till the end of his days, so that his heart might not be lifted up above his brethren, that he might not be turned aside from the living God, but, observing the divine statute?, and thus acknowledging himself to be no more than tie vicegerent of heaven, he might enjoy happiness, ar.d transmit his authority to liis descendants.
The removal of Moses and Joshua by death soon left the people to the natural residts of their own condition and character. Anarchy ensued. Noble minds, indeed, and stout hearts appeared in those who were termed judges; but the state of the countrj^ was not so satis- factory as to prevent an unenlightened people, having low and gross affections, from preferring the glare of a crown and the apparent protection of a sceptre to the invisible and, therefore, mostly imrecognised artn of Omnipotence. A king accordingly is requested (1 Sam. viii). The misconduct of Samuel's sons, who had been made judges, was the immediate cause of the demand being put forth. The request came with authority, for it emanated from all the elders of Israel, who, after holding a formal conference, proceeded to Samuel, in order to make him acquainted with their wish. Samuel was displeased ; but, having sought in prayer to learn the divine will, he was instructed to yield to the demand; yet at the same time he was directed to " protest sol- emnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them." Faithfully did the prophet depict the evils which a monarcliy would inflict on the people. In vain ; they said, " Nay, but we will have a king over us." Accordingly, Said, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, was, by divine direction, selected, and privately anointed by Samuel " to be cap- tain over God's inheritance;" thus he was to hold only a delegated and subordinate authoritj' (1 Sam. ix ; x, 1-16). Under the guidance of Samuel, Said was subse- quently chosen by lot from among the assembled tribes ; and though his personal appearance had no influence in the choice, yet, when he was plainly pointed out to he the individual designed for the sceptre, Samuel called attention to those personal qualities which in less civ- ilized nations have a preponderating influence, and are never without effect, at least, in supporting the physical dignity of a reign (1 Sam. x, 17-27). (For a fuller dis- cussion of this change in the Hebrew constitution, see Kitto's Daily Bible Illustrations under the portion of history in question.) See Samuel.
The special occasion of the substitution of a regal form of government for that of the judges seems to have been the siege of Jabesh-Gilead by Nahash, king of the Ammonites (1 Sam. xi, 1 ; xii, 12), and the re- fusal to allow the inhabitants of that city to capitulate except on humiliating and cruel conditions (1 Sam. xi, 2, 4-6). The conviction seems to have forced itself on the Israelites that they could not resist their formidable neighbor unless they placed themselves under the sway of a king, like surrounding nations. Concurrently with this conviction, disgust had been excited by the corrupt administration of justice under the sons of Samuel, and a radical change was desired by them in this respect also (1 Sam. viii, 3-5). Accordingly, the original idea of a Hebrew king was twofold : 1st, that he should lead the people to battle in time of war; and, 2dly, that he should execute judgment and justice to them in war and in peace (1 Sam. viii, 20). In both respects the desired end was attained. The righteous wrath and military capacity of Saul were immediately triumphant over the Ammonites ; and though idtimately he was defeated and slain in battle with the Philistines, he put even them to flight on more than one occasion (1 Sam. xiv, 23 ;