who was the first king of israel according to the bible
Saul Saul (/sɔːl/; Hebrew: שָׁאוּל, Šāʼûl; "asked for, prayed for"; Latin: Saul; Arabic: طالوت‎, Ṭālūt or Arabic: شاؤل‎, Ša'ūl), according to the Hebrew Bible, was the first king of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE,[1] marked a transition from a tribal society to statehood.[2]