1 Samuel
Old Testament · translated from the Hebrew
The move from the judges to the kings: the birth and ministry of Samuel, the reign of Saul, who disobeys YHWH, and the rise of David, the shepherd YHWH chooses because he sees the heart.
How it is laid out
Key verses
- 1 Samuel 16:7 — YHWH sees the heart
- 1 Samuel 15:22 — To listen is better than sacrifice
- 1 Samuel 3:10 — Speak, for your servant is listening
- 1 Samuel 2:2 — There is none holy like YHWH
- 1 Samuel 17:47 — The war is YHWH’s
Who wrote it
The book does not say who wrote it; Samuel dies in chapter 25. 1 Chronicles 29:29 mentions writings of Samuel, Nathan and Gad about David. Jewish tradition attributes the book to Samuel, finished by Gad and Nathan (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a). Authorship is debated.
When it was written
Debated. After David: 27:6 speaks of “the kings of Judah,” which assumes the kingdom was already divided, around 930 BC or later.
For whom, and in what situation
Israelites in the time of the kings. The book tells them how the monarchy began and why YHWH rejected Saul and sought “a man after his own heart” (13:14).
All the books
GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation