Bible Person

Nahash

Meaning: snake; serpent · Male · 3 cross references

This Nahash entry refers to Nahash king of the Ammonites in Saul's day, the aggressor against Jabesh-gilead. He is a hostile regional ruler whose threat becomes the occasion for Saul's first major public deliverance. First appears in 1 Sam 11:1.1

AI summary: This Nahash matters because the cross references place him at the crisis that catalyzes Saul's emergence as a deliverer-king. His siege of Jabesh-gilead exposes Israel's vulnerability, but it also becomes the moment when Saul rallies the tribes and wins broad recognition. Taken together, the material presents this Nahash as an Ammonite enemy whose aggression helps define the opening shape of Saul's kingship.1

Central Figure

Nahash

Meaning: snake; serpent

King of the Ammonites in the time of Saul.