1 Samuel
History · Old Testament · Book 9 of 66- Author
- Samuel, with Nathan and Gad; compiled later
- Written
- c. 950 BC
- Time covered
- c. 1100–1010 BC, from Samuel’s birth to Saul’s death
- Where
- Shiloh, Ramah, Gibeah and the wilderness of Judah
- Written to
- Israel under the monarchy it had asked for
- Genre
- Narrative history
- Chapters
- 31
“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”1 Samuel 16:7 KJV
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Overview
First Samuel is the story of three men: Samuel, the last judge and first of the great prophets; Saul, the king Israel wanted; and David, the king God chose.
The turning point is the demand for a king like the other nations. God grants it, warns them what it will cost, and gives them exactly the sort of man they had in mind — tall, impressive and hollow. Then He goes looking in a shepherd’s field.
Background
The book opens at Shiloh, where the tabernacle stood and Eli’s corrupt sons served. The ark is captured by the Philistines and returned, but Shiloh never recovers.
The Philistines held the coastal plain and a monopoly on ironworking, which is why Israel went to them even to sharpen farm tools. That imbalance shapes every battle in the book.
Key themes
- To obey is better than sacrifice.
- God looks on the heart while men look on the outward appearance.
- Asking for a king like the nations is a rejection of God’s own kingship.
- God builds a man in private years before he is needed in public.
- Jealousy hardens into madness when a man will not repent.
Outline
- SamuelChapters 1–3
Hannah’s prayer and song, a boy given to the LORD, and a voice in the night.
- The arkChapters 4–7
Captured in battle, trouble for every Philistine city, and Israel gathered at Mizpeh.
- A king like the nationsChapters 8–12
The demand, the warning, Saul anointed, and Samuel’s farewell.
- Saul rejectedChapters 13–15
An unlawful sacrifice, a rash oath, and Amalek spared against God’s word.
- David anointed and pursuedChapters 16–20
A shepherd chosen, Goliath fallen, and Jonathan’s friendship.
- The wilderness yearsChapters 21–31
Caves and outlaw bands, Saul spared twice, the witch at Endor, and Gilboa.
Key passages
- 1 Samuel 2:1-10 Hannah’s song of the God who raises the poor out of the dust.
- 1 Samuel 3:10 Speak; for thy servant heareth.
- 1 Samuel 8:7 They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me.
- 1 Samuel 15:22 To obey is better than sacrifice.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 The LORD looketh on the heart.
- 1 Samuel 17:45-47 Thou comest to me with a sword, but I come in the name of the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 18:1 The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David.
- 1 Samuel 24:6 David spares Saul in the cave.
Christ in 1 Samuel
David is the shepherd-king anointed long before he reigns, hunted by the man on the throne, gathering the distressed and indebted around him in the wilderness. Every part of that pattern is picked up later in Scripture, and the New Testament opens by calling Jesus the son of David.
Reading it
- Read Hannah’s song in chapter 2 beside Mary’s in Luke 1; the echoes are deliberate.
- Watch what Saul does when he is afraid, and what David does.
- Many psalms come from the years in chapters 21–30; read a few alongside.