In brief
Kish is a Benjamite, son of Abiel, described as a mighty man of valor (1 Samuel 9:1). He is best known as the father of Saul, the first king of Israel. When his donkeys go missing, he sends Saul to look for them, and that search leads his son to the prophet Samuel, who anoints him king. The Bible says almost nothing else about him. The lesson to keep is that God uses the ordinary circumstances of a family to carry out his plan.
What does the name Kish Father of Saul mean?
The meaning of the name Kish is uncertain, and the proposed connections remain hypotheses. The Bible does not explain it; it only gives his Benjamite genealogy: son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath (1 Samuel 9:1).
The story of Kish Father of Saul
A strong Benjamite
1 Samuel 9:1-2Kish belongs to the tribe of Benjamin, son of Abiel, and his genealogy goes back several generations. The text describes him as a strong and capable man. His son Saul is young and handsome, and stands a head taller than all the people of Israel. According to 1 Samuel 14:51, Kish and Ner, father of Abner, were sons of Abiel.
The lost donkeys
1 Samuel 9:3-5Kish's donkeys go astray. He tells Saul to take a servant and go looking for them. The two men cross the hill country of Ephraim and several regions without finding anything. In the land of Zuph, Saul wants to turn back, afraid that his father, forgetting the donkeys, will be worried about them. A simple household matter opens a decisive page.
An appointment prepared by God
1 Samuel 9:15-20The day before, the LORD warned Samuel that he would send him a man from Benjamin to anoint as leader of his people. When Saul arrives, Samuel reassures him: the lost donkeys have been found. He adds that all that is desirable in Israel is reserved for Saul and for the whole house of his father, the house of Kish.
An anxious father
1 Samuel 10:1-2Samuel anoints Saul, then announces a sign: two men near Rachel's tomb will tell him that his father has stopped thinking about the donkeys and is worried about him, asking what he should do about his son. The text gives a glimpse of a father attached to his child.
The son of Kish becomes king
1 Samuel 10:11-24Saul prophesies with the prophets, and people are astonished, asking what has happened to the son of Kish. At Mizpah, the lot falls on the tribe of Benjamin, then on Saul, son of Kish. Samuel presents him to the people, who acclaim their king. The name of Kish will remain attached to that of Israel's first king, as far as Acts 13:21.
The tomb of Kish
2 Samuel 21:12-14Much later, David has the bones of Saul and Jonathan collected from the people of Jabesh Gilead. They are buried in the land of Benjamin, at Zela, in the tomb of Kish, Saul's father, together with the bones of the descendants of Saul who were put to death. After this, God is appeased toward the land.
What Kish Father of Saul teaches us
- God can use an ordinary event, like lost donkeys, to lead someone toward his will.
- An ordinary family is never too small for God's plan.
- A father's worry for his son is a reminder of the value of family ties before God.
- Coming from a respected family does not guarantee faithfulness: each person must walk with God for themselves.
Key verses
The text presents Kish as a strong and capable Benjamite, and tells how the loss of his donkeys sets his son Saul on the road to his meeting with Samuel.
Samuel reassures Saul about the donkeys and reveals to him that all that is desirable in Israel is reserved for him and for the whole house of his father.
In his speech at Pisidian Antioch, Paul recalls that God gave the people Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
Bible verses to meditate on
Frequently asked questions
Who was Kish in the Bible?
Kish was a man of the tribe of Benjamin, son of Abiel, described as strong and capable (1 Samuel 9:1). He is known as the father of Saul, the first king of Israel. While looking for his lost donkeys, Saul met the prophet Samuel, who anointed him king.
What does the name Kish mean?
The Bible does not give the meaning of the name Kish, and the suggestions of scholars remain uncertain. The text is more interested in his family and his role: he is a Benjamite, son of Abiel, and above all the father of Saul, the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 9:1-2).
Where can I find the story of Kish in the Bible?
Kish appears mainly in 1 Samuel 9 and 10, in the account of the lost donkeys and the anointing of Saul. He is also mentioned in 1 Samuel 14:51, in 2 Samuel 21:14 for his tomb at Zela, in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 8 and 9, and in Acts 13:21.