therefore said I, Now will the Philistines come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven't entreated the favor of Yahweh: I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering.
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.