1 Samuel Introduction

General Background

The Book of First and Second Samuel were considered one book in the early Hebrew manuscripts. Later in 300-200 B.C. when the Hebrew text was being translated into a version called the Septuagint (LXX) which was a Greek translation completed via 70 Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt, the book was divided into two books. This occurred because the texts were substantially longer in the Greek language. (Hebrew has no vowels and only 22 consonants. The vowels of words are implied. However, the Greek language uses vowels. Thus translating the Hebrew texts into Greek yielded longer texts and required the longer books of the Old Testament to be divided into two books to fit onto papyrus scrolls.) The division of the book into two sections was followed by the Latin Vulgate, English translations and modern Hebrew transcripts. (*Please note, since First and Second Samuel were originally written as one book, I will refer to First and Second Samuel as simply the Book of Samuel.)

Authorship

Jewish tradition states the writer of the Book of Samuel was Samuel alone or a combination of Samuel, Nathan and Gad. Samuel very likely penned the first part of Samuel, but he cannot be the sole writer of the book because in the last part of 1 Samuel, we read of his death. (“Then Samuel died; and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him, and buried him at his house in Ramah.” 1 Samuel 25:1) Also, Samuel’s death occurs around 1024 B.C., which is before most of the events of King David took place as recorded in 2 Samuel. (King David reigned from about 1010-970 B.C.) Nathan and Gad were prophets during David’s lifetime and could have been the source of information for the second part of the Book of Samuel. (“Now the acts of King David, from the first to last, are written in the chronicles of Samuel the seer, in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet and in the chronicles of Gad the seer” 1 Chronicles 29:29.) 

The exact date and author of the Book of Samuel is unknown. There are many references to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. In 1 Samuel 27:6 we read, “…therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.” Thus, the completion of the Book of Samuel must have occurred after the division of the kingdom, around 931-722 B.C. (After the reign of King Solomon in 931, the kingdom of Israel split into the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel. This division remained until 722 B.C. when the northern kingdom of Israel was carried off by Assyria into exile. The southern kingdom remained until about 586 B.C. when the last of the inhabitants of Judah were carried off by Babylon into exile.)

Setting

The setting for the Book of Samuel is the central highlands of Israel. This is an area which is approximately 20-30 miles east to west and includes the hill country of Ephraim in the north to the hill country of Judah in the south (an area about 90 miles north to south). The major cities in the Book of Samuel are: Ramah (the hometown of Samuel), Shiloh (the location of the tabernacle and the Priests Eli, Hopni and Phinehas), Gibeah (the place from where Saul rules), Bethlehem (the birthplace of David), Hebron (the headquarters of David when he ruled over Judah), and Jerusalem (the headquarters of David when he ruled over all of Israel).

Historical Background

The Book of Samuel spans about 135 years. It starts with the birth of Samuel in 1105 B.C. (1 Samuel chapter 1) and ends with the final words of David around 971 B.C. (2 Samuel 23:1-7). Prior to and during the first part of the Book of Samuel, Judges ruled the land. In fact, the last judges to rule over Israel (Samson, Japhthah, Ibaz, Elon and Abdon) judged Israel from 1118-1070 B.C., which occurred during Samuel's lifetime. (Samuel was born in 1105 B.C. and died around 1024 B.C.)

At the start of the time of Judges, Israel’s great leader, Joshua, dies. Joshua assisted Moses through the wilderness wandering. He led Israel over the Jordan River and had many incredible conquests. Joshua was a mighty made of God. However, after Joshua dies, Israel is left without a leader. Spiritual decay quickly ensues. “Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of 110. And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the goods of the peoples which were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger.” (Judges 2:8-12)

During the time of the Judges, the land of Israel was very fragmented. God raised up leaders to overcome oppression of Israel’s enemies. After a triumphal victory by the judge, the land would have rest from the enemy for several years, until the judge died, and the people turned once again from God back to their idolatry. Israel was in chaos. Each tribe was separated from each; there was no general sense of unity or central government. This was the prevailing theme: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) Unfortunately, “everyone doing what was right in his own eyes” meant that no one was following after God. No one was following God’s commandments, and no one was seeking true justice.

The Book of Samuel highlights a very important time in Israel’s history. It bridges the gap between lawless, tribal Israel and a united Israel led by godly King David. The main characters of the book are Samuel, Saul and David. Samuel is the last and greatest judge in Israel. He was also a prophet (1 Samuel 3:20) and a priest (1 Samuel 9:12-13). In his later years, Samuel served as advisor to Israel’s first King, Saul. Samuel also anointed David to be king. First Samuel details Samuel's great contribution to Israel’s history. It also outlines the rise (and fall) of King Saul and also highlights the early years of Israel’s greatest King, David.

Israel’s Enemies

During the Book of Samuel, the biggest threats to Israel are the Philistines to the west and the Ammonites to the east. The ancient world empires were quiet during this time in history. Egypt, Babylon and Assyria were weak powers and did not pose a threat to Israel.

The Philistines were an immigrant people from the Island of Crete off the coast of Greece (Amos 9:7). Previously (during the time of Abraham) small numbers of Philistines were in the land. But soon after Israel came to the land of Canaan from Egypt, the Philistines became a formidable force. The majority of the Philistines immigrated from the Aegean Islands and Asia Minor in the 12^th Century. After being denied entry in the land of Egypt, the Philistines settled among other pre-existing Philistines along the Mediterranean Coast in Canaan. They were organized into five city-states: Ashkelon, Ekron, Ashdod, Gaza and Gath. The Philistines were a major threat to the Israelites because they had iron. (During this time in history, Greece became proficient at using iron to build shield, helmets, sword, spears and other warfare. The Philistine immigrants brought this knowledge with them when the settled in Canaan.)

The Ammonites lived in the land to the land east of the Jordan River. The Ammonites were the descendants of Lot. (Lot was the nephew of Abraham. When Abraham and Lot’s processions became too numerous, they separated. Lot took the fertile river valley which included the cities of Gomorrah and Sodom. God reveals His plan to Abraham that He is going to destroy these cities for their wickedness. Abraham pleads for God to save the righteous in the city. God sends two angels into Sodom to save Lot and his family. On the way out of God’s path of destruction, Lot’s wife turns back to Sodom and becomes a pillar of salt. Lot and his two daughters end up living in a cave. Lot’s two daughters get Lot drunk and rape their father. Both girls become pregnant. The older daughter bore a son, named him Moab, and he became the father of the Moabites. The younger daughter bore a son, named him Ben-Ammi, and he became the father of the Ammonites. (See Genesis 13, 18 and 19))

“Never did the time seem more hopeless than when Samuel arose. The Philistines, strengthened not merely by a constant influx of immigrants, but by the importation of arms from Greece, were fast reducing Israel to the condition of a subject race.” (Smith, Pulpit Commentary) Never was there a more perilous time in which Israel needed a leader to bring them into their glory years...and Samuel is that leader.