# Saul

/ˈsɔɫ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/saul
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. biblical king

noun · CEFR B2

the first king of Israel in the Old Testament of the Bible.

For teachers: The first monarch of the Kingdom of Israel, according to the Hebrew Bible.

- The story of Saul and David is one of the most famous in the Bible.
- In the First Book of Samuel, Saul is depicted as a tragic figure whose initial success as king eventually gives way to divine rejection.

### 2. Apostle Paul

noun · CEFR B2

the name used by the Apostle Paul before he became a Christian leader.

For teachers: The Hebrew name of the Apostle Paul, primarily used in the New Testament prior to his conversion on the road to Damascus.

- Before he was known as Paul, he was called Saul of Tarsus.
- The narrative in the Book of Acts describes Saul as a zealous persecutor of the early church before his transformative experience.

### 3. given name or surname

noun · CEFR B2

a common first name for men or a family name.

For teachers: A masculine given name or a surname of Hebrew origin.

- Saul Goodman is a famous fictional lawyer from a popular television show.
- The professor, whose surname was Saul, published several influential papers on ancient Mediterranean history during the late nineties.

### 4. soul

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

an old way of spelling the word 'soul'.

For teachers: An obsolete orthographic variant of 'soul'.

- In very old books, you might see the word 'soul' written as 'saul'.
- The manuscript contains several instances of the spelling 'saul', reflecting the phonetic variability common in Middle English texts.

## Examples

- The story of Saul is found in the Old Testament.
- In the biblical narrative, Saul eventually loses his kingdom because he fails to follow divine instructions.
- Scholars often analyze the character of Saul as a tragic hero whose psychological decline mirrors the political instability of early Israelite monarchy.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.