According to the Hebrew Bible, Saul (/sɔːl/; Hebrew: שָׁאוּל,Šāʼûl; "asked for, prayed for"; Latin:Saul; Arabic:طالوت, Ṭālūt or Arabic:شاؤل, Shā'ūl) was the first king of a united Kingdom of Israel and Judah. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, would have marked a switch from a tribal society to statehood.