Bible Strands
1 Samuel 14:51
Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator records genealogical details at the close of a narrative section detailing Saul’s early reign and military campaigns. This statement clarifies family relationships within the royal and military leadership of Israel.
The words — The text identifies Kish (קִישׁ, Kish) and Ner (נֵר, Ner) as sons of Abiel (אֲבִיאֵל, Abiel). This genealogical note establishes the shared ancestry of Saul and his chief military commander.
The thread — This lineage connects to 1 Samuel 9:1, which traces Kish as a Benjamite son of Abiel, and aligns with the tribal context of 1 Samuel 9:21. The shared descent explains the close familial bond between the king and his army commander.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to recognize how political and military authority in Israel was structured through extended family networks. It demands attention to the institutional ties that sustained Saul’s rule before its eventual collapse.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Kish was the father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 9:1 Now there was a Benjamite, a powerful man, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.
- 1 Samuel 9:21 Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?”