Saul was the first king of Israel, anointed by Samuel when the people insisted on having a king. Like all the kings, both good and bad, he represents the Lord, especially the idea of the Lord expressed in ways that the wise can understand. This seems contrary, because Saul turned evil as his reign went on, and many of the kings that followed were far worse. Because they were anointed with oil, which represents the Lord's pure, infinite love, they could represent the expression of that love even though they were personally evil. At specific points, however, the representation can turn into the exact opposite. In Saul's case, this was when he was taken over by his evil moods, the foul humors that caused him to try to kill both David and his own son, Jonathan. In those moments Saul represents false ideas that attack and try to destroy the idea of the Lord.

To “dwell” somewhere, then, is significant – it’s much more than just visiting – but is less permanent than living there. And indeed, to dwell somewhere in the Bible represents entering that spiritual state and engaging it, but not necessary permanently. A “dwelling,” meanwhile, represents the various loves that inspire the person who inhabits it, from the most evil – “those dwelling in the shadow of death” in Isaiah 9, for example – to the exalted state of the tabernacle itself, which was built as a dwelling-place for the Lord and represents heaven in all its details. Many people were nomadic in Biblical times, especially the times of the Old Testament, and lived in tents that could be struck, moved and raised quickly. Others, of course, lived in houses, generally made of stone and wood and quite permanent. In between the two were larger, more elaborate tent-style structures called tabernacles or dwellings; the tabernacle Moses built for the Ark of the Covenant is on this model.