Saoul is a Greek form of the Hebrew name Saul, used primarily in translations of the Bible into Greek. In the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), Saoul appears as a transliteration of the Hebrew name Shaʾul, meaning "asked for" or "prayed for" (from the Hebrew verb shaʾal, "to ask"). This name is famously borne by the first king of Israel, Saul, who according to the Old Testament ruled before David. In the Greek New Testament, both Saoul and Saulos are used, the latter perhaps influenced by Greek morphology, to refer to the Apostle Paul, who was originally named Saul of Tarsus.EtymologyThe Hebrew name Shaʾul is derived from the verb shaʾal, which carries the sense of "to ask" or "to request." This fits the biblical narrative: in 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel ask God for a king, and Saul, whose name can be interpreted as "the one asked for," is chosen to be that king. The Greek transliteration Saoul preserves the two-syllable structure of the Hebrew name, in contrast to the more Hellenized doublet Saulos, which may reflect the Greek tendency to add an -os ending to foreign names.Biblical and Historical ContextIn the Old Testament, Saul (called Saoul in Greek) is introduced as the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was anointed by the prophet Samuel as the first king of Israel. His reign, however, was marred by disobedience to God's commands, leading to God's rejection of his dynasty. After his death in battle against the Philistines at Gilboa, he was succeeded by David (1 Samuel 31). In the New Testament, Saul of Tarsus is later known as Paul, apostle to the Gentiles. The use of Saoul in verse like Acts 9:4 ("Saoul, Saoul...") applies the biblical form, although many English translations use the more familiar "Saul."Usage and VariantsSaoul is not a commonly used given name in modern times, but it appears in Greek liturgical and Bible translations. Its variant spelling Saulos is occasionally used in scholarly contexts or theological works. The name's root, Saul, remains more widespread across various languages, including English, French (Saül), Spanish (Saúl), and Finnish (Sauli). Notably, the Lithuanian form Saulius is a common male given name. Other related names include the Hebrew Shaul and the Arabic Tālūt.Meaning: "Asked for" from Hebrew shaʾalOrigin: Greek transliteration of Hebrew ShaʾulType: Biblical, primarily Grecian contextRegions: Historical Jewish and Christian world