First king of Israel (4)
I believe the answer is:
saul
'first king of israel' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for saul that I've seen before include "St Paul's name when he started on the road to Damascus" , "Predecessor of King David" , "- - of Tarsus" , "Oratorio by Handel" , "First king of Israel" .)