Is There Covenant-Making in 1 Samuel 10:25? Reconsidering the Mizpah Narrative

Abstract This article reexamines 1 Samuel 10:25 and challenges Zafrira Ben-Barak’s proposal that it preserves an early Israelite monarchic »Mizpah covenant«. Through literary and comparative analysis, it argues that this view rests on analogical reconstruction rather than explicit textual evidence. The verse lacks key covenantal markers – covenant terminology, oaths, sanctions, and ritual ratification. Instead, its language aligns more closely with the promulgation, codification, and sacred deposition of constitutional law under divine and prophetic authority.