Samuel arose, and got him up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
The second problem is, what was the second number in 1 Samuel 13:1 that is absent in the Hebrew text? The NASB has "32," the NIV "42," and the AV "2." If the last part of 1 Samuel 13:1 gives us the length of Saul’s reign, as is customary in similar summaries of kings’ reigns (cf. 1 Kings 14:21; 1 Kings 22:42; 2 Kings 8:17; 2 Kings 8:26; et al.), the missing number probably should be 42. In this case, 40 in Acts 13:21 must be a round number. If the last part of 1 Samuel 13:1 gives the year of Saul’s reign in which the events of chapter 13 happened, the number probably should be 2. [Note: Wood, Israel’s United . . ., pp. 122-23.] I think probably the total length of Saul’s reign is in view in 1 Samuel 13:1. I prefer the NIV’s 42 years here.