Having subjected the occupants to a siege, the population sought terms for surrender, and were told by Nahash that they had a choice of death (by the sword) or having their right eyes gouged out.

The occupants sought help from the people of Israel, sending messengers throughout the whole territory, and Saul, a herdsman at this time, responded by raising an army which decisively defeated Nahash and his cohorts at Bezek.

A more complete explanation came to light with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls: although not present in either the Septuagint or masoretic text, an introductory passage, preceding this narrative, was found in a copy of the Books of Samuel among the scrolls found in cave 4:[2] [N]ahash, king of Ammonites would put hard pressure on the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Ruben and would gouge everyone’s right eye out, but no res(cuer) would be provided for Israel and there was not left anyone among the children of Israel in the Tr(ans Jordan) whose right eye Nahash the king of Ammonites did not gouge out but be(hold) seven thousand men (escaped the power of) Ammonites and they arrived at (Ya)besh Gilead.

A more complete picture may be drawn of a serpent figure, brazen and shining in appearance, deceiving Eve with his access of heavenly knowledge.

In his introduction in the story of 1 Samuel 11, an ancient reader may have thematically viewed Nahash through the lens of the deceptive serpent that preceded him.

The statement in Genesis 3:15, regarding the crushing of the serpent's head by the seed of the woman, finds partial fulfillment in the actions of the first king of Israel.