הושע, פרק י״ג, פסוק י״א

The establishment of a human monarchy over the Israelites was not an ideal arrangement, but a divine concession made out of deep displeasure. Asking for a mortal king was viewed as a rebellion against God's direct rule over the nation. The entire span of this royal history, from its inception to its collapse, proves that true kingship belongs to God alone, as the monarchy was granted in anger and ultimately removed in wrath [רד״ק].

The primary approach among commentators views this history through the specific life of the very first king, Saul. God granted him the throne strictly out of anger, responding to the people's demand and their rejection of heavenly leadership. Just as his reign began in divine displeasure, it ended in tragic wrath when Saul was taken from the world after only a few years, dying in battle against the Philistines [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, מצודת דוד, צאינה וראינה].

Another perspective expands this timeline to cover the entire era of the kings. While the initial king granted in anger was indeed Saul—appointed with the knowledge that the nation would eventually divide and turn to idol worship—the final removal of the crown points to the very last monarchs. Some identify this final king as Zedekiah, whose fall marked the end of the Kingdom of Judah [רד״ק]. Others point to Hoshea son of Elah, the final ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Hoshea was a better leader than those who came before him and did not necessarily deserve his fate based on his own actions. However, he was swept away by a broader divine wrath. This reflects a subtle distinction in how God's anger operates: while standard anger is directed specifically at a sinner, overflowing wrath crosses boundaries, affecting even the innocent due to the overwhelming sins of the entire nation [מלבי״ם].

Finally, a different approach focuses this history entirely on the Northern Kingdom of Israel, a state defined by frequent rebellions and unstable dynasties [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. In this view, the monarchy began in anger with Jeroboam, who received the crown solely because God was angry with the royal house of David. It then ended in wrath with Hoshea son of Elah, bringing the entire kingdom to a permanent close [רד״ק].