King James Version
1 Samuel
1 Samuel in the King James Version (1769), public domain in the United States.
Background and History
The chapters above are the King James text. This essay is the setting of 1 Samuel: who is said to have written it, when and where, what happens in it, and how the text has been copied.
At a Glance
| Author | Samuel, with Gad and Nathan completing the work, in the Talmud. Samuel’s death is recorded in the book. Critical scholars treat Samuel as part of the Deuteronomistic History. |
|---|---|
| Date | 930–722 BC in one survey. Critical scholars commonly date the compilation to about 640–560 BC, with older sources. |
| Place written | Not stated. The setting is Israel, modern Israel and the West Bank. |
| Genre | Narrative history: the rise of kingship from Samuel to Saul and David. |
| Chapters | 31 |
| Verses | 810 in the King James Version |
| Key verse | 1 Samuel 16:71 Samuel 16:7 · King James VersionBut 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 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
Who Wrote It
The book is anonymous. Samuel and 2 Samuel are one book in the Hebrew Bible. 1 Samuel 25:11 Samuel 25:1 · King James VersionAnd Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
1 Samuel 25:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) reports Samuel’s death, so he did not write all of it. The Talmud in Bava Batra 14b–15a says Samuel wrote his book and that Gad the seer and Nathan the prophet completed it. (2) (3) 1 Chronicles 29:291 Chronicles 29:29 · King James VersionNow the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,
1 Chronicles 29:29 · King James VersionOpen the Source names the book of Samuel the seer, the book of Nathan the prophet, and the book of Gad the seer as records of David. Critical scholars see sources such as an ark narrative and a history of David’s rise joined in the Deuteronomistic History.
Who It Is Not
Samuel did not write the account of his death. 1 Samuel 27:61 Samuel 27:6 · King James VersionThen Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.
1 Samuel 27:6 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) says Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah unto this day, which implies a writer after the kingdom divided.
When and Where
Bible Gateway gives 930–722 BC and notes it may have been compiled under Josiah. (5)
Audience and Setting
Israel under the kings. The purpose is to show how Israel got a king, why Saul failed, and why God chose David.
Rulers at the Time
Eli the priest, Saul the king, and Achish king of Gath appear. Reign dates were not checked for this essay and are omitted.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Samuel’s birth and call | 1 Samuel 1–3 |
| The ark captured | 1 Samuel 4–7 |
| Saul made king | 1 Samuel 8–15 |
| David anointed and pursued | 1 Samuel 16–30 |
| Saul’s death | 1 Samuel 31 |
| Composition | 930–722 BC in one survey. (5) |
Places in This Book
| Ancient name | Modern-day location | References |
|---|---|---|
| Shiloh | Khirbet Seilun, West Bank. | 1 Samuel 1:31 Samuel 1:3 · King James VersionAnd this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.1 Samuel 1:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Gath | Tell es-Safi, Israel. | 1 Samuel 17:41 Samuel 17:4 · King James VersionAnd there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.1 Samuel 17:4 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Mount Gilboa | Mount Gilboa, northern Israel. | 1 Samuel 31:11 Samuel 31:1 · King James VersionNow the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.1 Samuel 31:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
What Is Happening
1 Samuel 1–7 tell of Samuel, Eli, and the ark. 1 Samuel 8–15 are Israel’s demand for a king and Saul’s reign. 1 Samuel 16–31 are David’s anointing, Goliath, Saul’s jealousy, and Saul’s death.
Key Themes
God looks on the heart in 1 Samuel 16:71 Samuel 16:7 · King James VersionBut 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 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Obedience over sacrifice in 1 Samuel 15:221 Samuel 15:22 · King James VersionAnd Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22 · King James VersionOpen the Source. God raises the humble in 1 Samuel 2:7–81 Samuel 2:7–8 · King James Version2:7 The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
2:8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
1 Samuel 2:7–8 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
Apologetics Questions
The Goliath story differs between the Hebrew and the shorter Greek Septuagint, and 2 Samuel 21:192 Samuel 21:19 · King James VersionAnd there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
2 Samuel 21:19 · King James VersionOpen the Source names Elhanan as killing Goliath. 1 Chronicles 20:51 Chronicles 20:5 · King James VersionAnd there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.
1 Chronicles 20:5 · King James VersionOpen the Source says Elhanan killed Goliath’s brother. Scholars explain the difference in several ways. The witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28 is also debated.
How the Book Points to Christ
David, the anointed king from Bethlehem, is the ancestor and type of the Messiah. Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2:101 Samuel 2:10 · King James VersionThe adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
1 Samuel 2:10 · King James VersionOpen the Source speaks of the Lord’s anointed. Jesus is God.
Text and Manuscripts
Samuel is among the books found at Qumran. (6) Scholars widely discuss Qumran Samuel readings that differ from the Masoretic text and agree with the Greek Septuagint. This page did not check a catalogue entry for that scroll and does not name it.
Canon Reception
Never disputed. (4)
Further Reading
References
- First Book of Samuel, 10:25; 25:1; 27:6
- Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b, 14b (The English on Sefaria is the William Davidson edition, which is copyrighted. This page paraphrases it and does not reprint it. The baraita gives the order of the Prophets and the Writings and asks who wrote each book.)
- Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 15a, 15a (The William Davidson English on Sefaria is copyrighted. This page paraphrases it and does not reprint it. The page continues the list of writers and the debate about it.)
- Against Apion, 1.8Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William Whiston
For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from, and contradicting one another: [as the Greeks have:] but only twenty two books: which contain the records of all the past times: which are justly believed to be divine. And of them five belong to Moses: which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind, till his death.
Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William WhistonOpen the Source (Flavius Josephus, Against Apion 1.8, translated by William Whiston. Josephus counts twenty-two books: five of Moses, thirteen of the prophets from Moses to Artaxerxes, and four of hymns and precepts.) - When Was Each Book of the Bible Written?, 1 Samuel (Jacob Edson, Bible Gateway, 16 September 2024. The survey gives 1 Samuel as 930–722 BC (1 and 2 Samuel), and says the books may have been mostly oral tradition compiled during the reign of Josiah (late 600s BC). It is one editor’s approximation, not a manuscript date.)
- Dead Sea Scrolls, introduction, Biblical manuscriptsDead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities Authority
Among the Scrolls are partial or complete copies of every book in the Hebrew Bible (except the book of Esther).
Dead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities AuthorityOpen the Source (Israel Antiquities Authority. Biblical manuscripts from the Qumran caves date from the third century BC into the first century AD, and every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther is represented.)
The King James Version (1769) is in the public domain in the United States.