'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' Allah, the Exalted, said: "And their prophet said to them, 'Indeed, Allah has appointed for you Talut as a king.' They said, 'How can he have kingship over us while we are more deserving of kingship than he is, and he has not been given an abundance of wealth?' He said, 'Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique.'" Wahb ibn Munabbih said: When the elite of the Children of Israel said to Shamu'il ibn Ba'lu, what they said, he asked Allah, the Exalted, to send them a king and guide him to them. Allah, the Exalted, said to him: 'Look at the horn that has the oil in your house. When a man enters upon you and pours out the oil that is in the horn, he is the king of the Children of Israel. Anoint his head with it and appoint him over them.' He said: Talut was a tanner and was from the tribe of Benjamin, son of Ya'qub. His tribe had neither prophethood nor kingship. Talut went out in search of his lost animal, hoping that Shamu'il would pray for him regarding the matter of the animal or that he would find relief with him, so he poured out the oil. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It is the oil of the sanctuary, according to what they claim. He said: Then Shamu'il approached him, took him, and anointed Talut's head with it. He said to him: 'You are the king of the Children of Israel whom Allah has commanded me to present.' Then he said to the Children of Israel: "Indeed, Allah has appointed for you Talut as a king." Talut is a foreign name that has been Arabized, and for this reason, it does not decline. Al-Suddi said: Allah sent a staff to Shamu'il and said to him: 'Whoever enters upon you from the Children of Israel and is of the length of this staff, he is their king.' So he measured the Children of Israel with it, and it was longer than them until Talut passed by them while he was in search of his donkey that he was watering. He was a water carrier, so they called him, and they measured him with the staff, and he was of the same length. Their prophet said to them what he said. Then the Children of Israel became obstinate and deviated from the command of Allah, the Exalted, and they followed their own customs. They said: "How can he have kingship over us while we are more deserving of kingship than he is?" This is because he is not from a royal family, nor has he had any prior claim to it, and he has not been given ample wealth to gather the souls of men until he overcomes the people of pride with his wealth. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The people neglected the strongest reason, which is the decree of Allah and His prior judgment, and that He is the Owner of kingship. Their prophet, peace be upon him, argued with them with a decisive proof and clarified to them the reasoning behind the selection of Talut, and that he has abundance in knowledge, which is the essence of a person, and in physique, which aids him in war and is his equipment in battle. Ibn Abbas said: There were two tribes among the Children of Israel—one for prophethood and the other for kingship—so no prophet would be sent except from one of them, and no king except from the other. When Talut was appointed from outside of that, they said what they said. Mujahid said: The meaning of kingship in this verse is command over the army, but they were worried because it is customary for whoever takes charge of war and prevails to remain a king.

And He chose: It is derived from the word 'safwah'. Nafi' read 'bastatan' with a sad. Abu Amr and Ibn Kathir read 'bastatan' with a seen. The majority hold that the knowledge in this verse refers to the generality of knowledge. Some of the interpreters said: What is meant is the knowledge of warfare. As for his body, Wahb ibn Munabbih said: The tallest man among the Children of Israel was as tall as the shoulder of Talut.