Overview of 1 Samuel

    Thank you for joining us for our Bible Overview!  As always, here are our notes on 1 Samuel from the International Bible Society.  

1 Samuel 

TITLE 

1 and 2 Samuel are named after the person God used to establish monarchy in Israel. Samuel not only anointed both Saul and David, Israel’s first two kings, but he also gave definition to the new order of God’s rule over Israel. Samuel’s role as God’s representative in this period of Israel’s history is close to that of Moses (see Ps 99:6; Jer 15:1) since he, more than any other person, provided for covenant continuity in the transition from the rule of the judges to that of the monarchy.

1 and 2 Samuel were originally one book. It was divided into two parts by the translators of the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT)—a division subsequently followed by Jerome (in the Latin Vulgate, c. a.d. 400) and by modern versions. The title of the book has varied from time to time, having been designated “The First and Second Books of Kingdoms” (Septuagint), “First and Second Kings” (Vulgate) and “First and Second Samuel” (Hebrew tradition and most modern versions).

LITERARY FEATURES, AUTHORSHIP AND DATE

Many questions have arisen pertaining to the literary character, authorship and date of 1,2 Samuel. Certain features of the book suggest that it was compiled with the use of a number of originally independent sources, which the author may have incorporated into his own composition as much as possible in their original, unedited form.

Who the author was cannot be known since the book itself gives no indication of his identity. Whoever he was, he doubtless had access to records of the life and times of Samuel, Saul and David. Explicit reference in the book itself is made to only one such source (the Book of Jashar, 2Sa 1:18), but the writer of Chronicles refers to four others that pertain to this period (the book of the annals of King David, 1Ch 27:24; the records of Samuel the seer; the records of Nathan the prophet; the records of Gad the seer, 1Ch 29:29).

CONTENTS AND THEME: KINGSHIP AND COVENANT

1 Samuel relates God’s establishment of a political system in Israel headed by a human king. Before the author describes this momentous change in the structure of the theocracy (God’s kingly rule over his people), he effectively depicts the complexity of its context. The following events provide both historical and theological background for the beginning of the monarchy

1105 b.c.	Birth of Samuel (1Sa 1:20)
1080	Birth of Saul
1050	Saul anointed to be king (1Sa 10:1)
1040	Birth of David
1025	David anointed to be Saul’s successor (1Sa 16:1–13)
1010	Death of Saul and beginning of David’s reign over Judah in Hebron (1Sa 31:4–6; 2Sa 2:1,4,11)
1003	Beginning of David’s reign over all Israel and capture of Jerusalem (2Sa 5)
997–992	David’s wars (2Sa 8:1–14)
991	Birth of Solomon (2Sa 12:24)
980	David’s census (2Sa 24:1–9)
970	End of David’s reign (2Sa 5:4–5; 1Ki 2:10–11)

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OUTLINE

• Historical Setting for the Beginning of Kingship in Israel (chs. 1–7)

• Samuel’s Birth, Youth and Call to Be a Prophet (chs. 1–3)

• Israel Defeated by the Philistines; the Ark of God Taken and Restored (chs. 4–7)

• The Beginning of Kingship in Israel under the Guidance of Samuel (8:1—16:13)

• The Rise of Saul (chs. 8–12)

1. The people’s sinful request for a king (ch. 8)

2. Samuel anoints Saul privately (9:1—10:16)

3. Saul chosen to be king publicly (10:17–27)

4. Saul’s choice as king confirmed (11:1–13)

5. Saul’s reign inaugurated at a covenant renewal ceremony (11:14—12:25)

• Saul’s Kingship a Failure (13:1—16:13)

• The Establishment of Kingship in Israel (16:14—31:13)

• The Rise of David (16:14—27:12)

1. David enters Saul’s service (16:14—17:58)

2. David becomes alienated from Saul (chs. 18–19)

3. Jonathan protects David from Saul (ch. 20)

4. David continues to elude Saul (21:1—22:5)

5. Saul kills the priests at Nob (22:6–23)

6. David rescues the people of Keilah (23:1–6)

7. Saul continues to pursue David (23:7–29)

8. David spares Saul’s life (ch. 24)

9. David threatens Nabal’s life (ch. 25)

10. David spares Saul’s life again (ch. 26)

11. David enters Achish’s service (ch. 27)

• The End of Saul’s Reign (chs. 28–31)

• The Consolidation of Kingship in Israel (2Sa 1–20)

• David’s Lament over Saul and Jonathan (ch. 1)

• David Becomes King over Judah (chs. 2–4)

• David Becomes King over All Israel (5:1–5)

• David Conquers Jerusalem (5:6–25)

• David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem (ch. 6)

• God Promises David an Everlasting Dynasty (ch. 7)

• The Extension of David’s Kingdom (ch. 8)

• David’s Faithfulness to His Covenant with Jonathan (ch. 9)

• David Commits Adultery and Murder (chs. 10–12)

• David Loses His Son Amnon (chs. 13–14)

• David Loses His Son Absalom (chs. 15–20)

• Final Reflections on David’s Reign (2Sa 21–24)