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2 Samuel

Bible Difficulties
Commentary

The original Hebrew Bible contained 1 and 2 Samuel as one book—not two. However, because these scrolls were so massive and cumbersome, the books were later separated into two books.

Authorship

According to the Babylonian Talmud, “Samuel wrote the book that bears his name” (Baba Bathra 14b). The book itself states that Samuel did some writing that was preserved—though this doesn’t mean that he wrote all of 1 Samuel. At one point, we read, “Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and placed it before the Lord” (1 Sam. 10:25). After all, Samuel dies in 1 Samuel 25:1. The Talmud notes this, but it states that Nathan and Gad finished the work (Baba Bathra 14b, 15a). 1 Chronicles 29:29 states, “Now the acts of King David, from 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.” It could be, however, that these were just the names of the books—not the authors.

Ronald Youngblood, Robert Bergen, Eugene Merrill, Joyce Baldwin, and David Tsumura state that the author is simply anonymous. However, according to Bergen, the author was concerned with (1) the “absolute authority of the Torah’s teachings,” (2) a “high estimation of the value of genuine prophetic activity,” (3) the importance of the “Levites in the history of Israel” and the “Zadokite priesthood,” and (4) “the divine right of the descendants of David to rule over Israel.”

The NT authors cite from this book and assume the historical veracity of it often. They cite David (54x), Samuel (3x), Saul (once), Uriah (once), and Abiathar (once). Paul summarizes a large swath of its history in Acts 13:21-22. Likewise, Peter affirmed Samuel’s propheticity: “All the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days” (Acts 3:24 NASB). Furthermore, the author of Hebrews affirms the historical events in these books (Heb. 11:32-34). Bergen adds, “The phrase ‘son of David’ is employed sixteen times in the New Testament, mostly in reference to Jesus; it has meaning, however, only in light of 2 Samuel 7."

Date

The internal evidence dates these books sometime between 930 and 722 BC:

  • The text states that Ziklag “belonged to the kings of Judah to this day” (1 Sam. 27:6). This implies that the nation of Israel was divided at the time of the writing.

  • The text doesn’t mention the death of David, but it is strongly implied by the end of the book, because it contains David’s “last words” (2 Sam. 23:1).

  • The text doesn’t mention the fall of Samaria, which would date the book sometime before 722 BC.

Consequently, Archer and Youngblood date 1 and 2 Samuel sometime between 930 and 722 BC. David Tsumura dates the book “no later than the late 10th century BC.”

Major Themes in 1 and 2 Samuel

First, it shows the arrival of the kings in Israel.

The book of Judges ends with the statement, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) The savage and deplorable events of Judges set up Israel’s need for a king, and Ruth is a short story in the time of the Judges that looks forward to the kingship.

1 Samuel records how Israel instituted their first king: Saul. This was a period of relative silence from God (1 Sam. 3:1). He was waiting to punctuate this period of history with visions and miracles, so he was allowing a long period of inactivity during the time of the judges. Similarly, for hundreds of years before Christ, there was no prophetic activity in Israel. Once Christ came, miraculous activity was obviously frequent.

Second, it shows the importance of prophets in Israel.

1 Samuel records Samuel’s birth and ministry, as well as how he instituted the prophets in Israel. Samuel plays a major role, anointing both Saul and David as kings. Later, when David falls into sin, Nathan—the prophet—exposes him and David finds repentance (2 Sam. 11). This shows the integration (and yet separation) of “church and state” in Israel. The kings and prophets held two separate offices.

Third, it shows the arrival of King David.

David is a major player in the Bible. He is a type of Christ, and he represents the ideal king in Israel until Christ arrives.

  1. ^

    Cave Four of Qumran shows that 1 and 2 Samuel were originally one book (4QSama). This manuscript contains “fragments from forty-three of the fifty-five chapters of 1, 2 Samuel.” Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), p.18 (see footnote). It wasn’t until the later Greek editions that the books were split into two. Bergen states that this was likely because the scrolls were simply two large to fit one book on one scroll.

  2. ^

    Cave Four of Qumran shows that 1 and 2 Samuel were originally one book (4QSama). This manuscript contains “fragments from forty-three of the fifty-five chapters of 1, 2 Samuel.” Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), p.18 (see footnote). It wasn’t until the later Greek editions that the books were split into two. Bergen states that this was likely because the scrolls were simply two large to fit one book on one scroll.

  3. ^

    Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 554.

  4. ^

    Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 19.

  5. ^

    Eugene H. Merrill, Mark F. Rooker, and Michael A. Grisanti, The World and the Word: An Introduction to the Old Testament (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2011), 307.

  6. ^

    Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 36.

  7. ^

    David Tsumura, The First Book of Samuel, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007), 11.

  8. ^

    Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 23-24.

  9. ^

    Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 54.

  10. ^

    Gleason Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 313.

  11. ^

    Gleason Archer Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 3rd. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1994), 313.

  12. ^

    Ronald F. Youngblood, “1, 2 Samuel,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 554.

  13. ^

    Tsumura holds that multiple historical accounts were pieced together by an author at this time. David Tsumura, The First Book of Samuel, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007), 11.

About The Author
James Rochford

James earned a Master’s degree in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, graduating magna cum laude. He is the founder of Evidence Unseen and the author of several books. James enjoys serving as a pastor at Dwell Community Church in Columbus, Ohio, where he lives with his wife and their two sons.