Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin. — It is natural to think of the Apostle as dwelling on the memory of the hero-king of the tribe to which he himself belonged. (Comp. Philippians 3:5.) The very fact that he had so recently renounced the name, would bring the associations connected with it more vividly to his recollection.
Forty years. — The duration of Saul’s reign is not given in the Old Testament, but Ish-bosheth, his youngest son (1 Chronicles 8:33), was forty years old at the time of Saul’s death (2 Samuel 2:10), and Saul himself was a “young man” when chosen as king (1 Samuel 9:2). A more definite corroboration of St. Paul’s statement is given by Josephus (Ant. vi. 14, § 9), who states that he reigned eighteen years before Samuel’s death and twenty-two after it.