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Comparative commentary by Peter Doebler

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The story of the suicide of Saul is one of the most devastating in the Bible. It concludes the narrative of his rise from obscurity to kingship and of a period of rule marked by ups and downs. His fate is sealed halfway through his reign when he fails to completely destroy the Amalekites and Samuel reports to him:

For rebellion is no less than divination, and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king. (1 Samuel 15:23 NRSV)

This foreshadowing indicates that all will not end well for Saul.

These three paintings give us different perspectives on his end, most notably in the way they relate us to his body and to different moments in his death.

Almost life-size, the Mattia Preti painting places us directly beside Saul, joining the other spectators. We get a glimpse of him just before his death. A kind of reverse Thomas-and-Christ scene (John 20:24–29), we view the wounded side that anticipates the suicidal blow to come. His chest is vulnerable, made more so by the contrast with his sunburned face and neck, and we see a very solid body still in its prime, with more to give—a life cut short too soon. It is a body we can empathize with.

Pieter Bruegel I’s epic scene advances us to the moment of Saul’s death, as the long sword awkwardly impales his neck, echoed in the parallel vertical of the chopped tree we see to the right of him. Saul is removed from the centre of focus, merely one person among hundreds. The scale of his body relative to the panel is minuscule and his flesh is ensconced in a shell of armour with only his face visible. This is a remote Saul we see from a distance, placed in the context of bigger events: the armies clashing and the invasion of Israel across the Jordan in the background. At this point, the narrative in both 1 Samuel and 1 Chronicles will leave him behind and move on to greater things.

The Flemish fire scene takes this a step further. Saul’s body becomes yet more removed. It is abstracted and flattened, dis-figured, to create an anamorphic effect. Including an anamorphic image in a painting requires the beholder to physically shift perspective to see the ‘secret’ image, which may lead to a deeper interpretation beyond what the straightforward image represents. Here, the figure discoverable at the bottom is a hermeneutical key that brings the other parts of the painting together. It is as if we see Saul the moment after he impales himself, that liminal moment between life and death when composite images of past and future may converge, and one grasps the whole of one’s life in a flash of insight. There is a vision of the future (the destruction the Philistines will inflict on Israel) merging with a vision of the past (his poor decision not to trust God and to consult the medium at Endor). Saul sees what went wrong and its consequences, and—dying—there is nothing that can be changed. In the painting, the wayside cross being placed on Saul’s head may then be read as a marker for Saul’s body and a commemoration of his life, an example of warning for others to heed. The inclusion of the anamorphic image, then, places an ethical demand on the viewer: if one has the eyes to see the hidden image does one also have the ability to learn from the example of Saul rather than seeing the tragic king as a historical curiosity? 

Through these three paintings, Saul transforms from a tangible presence whose pulse we feel, to a distant figure, to (finally) a form almost unrecognizable—even an abstract idea. We feel both his flesh-and-blood individuality and gain insight into the larger story he is embedded in. Given these different visual perspectives on his death, we are challenged to consider what motivates us and where our loyalties lie. In these ways, Saul embodies the position of all humans who live individual lives that are caught up in a network of relations, making daily decisions that will impact those around us and lead us closer to death or life.

See full exhibition for 1 Samuel 31; 1 Chronicles 10

1 Samuel 31; 1 Chronicles 10

Revised Standard Version

1 Samuel 31

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboʹa. 2And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinʹadab and Malʹchishuʹa, the sons of Saul. 3The battle pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him; and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make sport of me.” But his armor-bearer would not; for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it. 5And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword, and died with him. 6Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 7And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

8 On the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboʹa. 9And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. 10They put his armor in the temple of Ashʹtaroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 11But when the inhabitants of Jaʹbesh-gilʹead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh and burnt them there. 13And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

1 Chronicles 10

10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboʹa. 2And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinʹadab and Malʹchishuʹa, the sons of Saul. 3The battle pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him; and he was wounded by the archers. 4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and make sport of me.” But his armor-bearer would not; for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it. 5And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword, and died. 6Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. 7And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

8 On the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboʹa. 9And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. 10And they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. 11But when all Jaʹbesh-gilʹead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose, and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful to the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance, 14and did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord slew him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

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