1 Samuel Introducción

Introducción

1. Alcance y contenido. Los dos libros de Samuel estaban en el hebreo original contados como uno, y clasificados, como Jueces, entre 'los primeros profetas'. En la LXX se dividen y se denominan los dos primeros 'libros de los reinos': un título que la Vulgata alteró por 'libros de los reyes'. Nuestra propia traducción conserva el nombre original y la división posterior. Toda la obra abarca la historia de la nación elegida desde el final del período de los Jueces hasta el comienzo del reinado de Salomón ( 1 Reyes 1:2 realmente pertenecen al período cubierto por los libros de Samuel y en la LXX se cuentan como 2 25, 26). Los dos libros se dividen en tres grandes divisiones, a saber. 1 Samuel 1-14, 1 Samuel 1:1 Samuel 15 - 2 Samuel 8y 2 Samuel 9-24 que da las historias (1) de Israel bajo los filisteos y Samuel; (2) de Saúl y el surgimiento de David; y (3) del reinado de David sobre todo Israel. Todo el período es de aproximadamente un siglo (ver § 6); al final, nos encontramos en una atmósfera completamente diferente de aquella en la que comenzamos, aunque el cambio es completamente natural gracias a la narrativa.

La primera de las tres secciones comienza con el nacimiento, consagración y llamado de Samuel (caps. 1-3), y pasa a la muerte de Elí y sus hijos (c. 4), el cautiverio y restauración del arca (caps. 5, 6), y la liberación de los filisteos bajo Samuel (c. 7). Entonces los israelitas exigen un rey; Samuel protesta y advierte (c. 8); Saúl se revela a Samuel como el futuro rey, ungido y aceptado (caps. 9, 10); una victoria sobre Ammón fortalece la posición de Saúl (c. 11); y Samuel se retira formalmente del liderazgo (c. 12). Los filisteos son atacados y derrotados (cap. 13, 14), pero Saúl, por su desobediencia después de la conquista de Amalec, es rechazado (c. 15).
La segunda sección nos presenta de inmediato a David; es ungido en secreto ( 1 Samuel 16:1 ) y llevado ante Saulo (c.1 Samuel 16:14 ). Vence a Goliat (c. 17) y gana primero el favor de Saúl y luego sus celos (c. 18). A esto le sigue un relato largo y detallado de la persecución de David por parte de Saúl, quien pronto se ve reducido a vivir la vida de un forajido (caps. 19-26), y finalmente se refugia con el rey de Gat (c. 27). Mientras tanto, Saúl se ve obligado a enfrentarse a los filisteos en el monte. Gilboa (c. 28); David es expulsado del ejército filisteo y saquea Siclag (caps. 29, 30); y Saúl es derrotado y asesinado (c. 31). Entonces David es ungido como rey de Judá ( 2 Samuel 1 ), y gradualmente desgasta la rivalidad de Israel (caps. 2-4); es nombrado rey de toda la nación, toma Jerusalén, derrota a los filisteos (c. 5) y lleva el arca a su nueva capital (cap. 6, 7).

En la tercera sección lo encontramos primero mostrando cortesía a Meribbaal (c. 9) y sometiendo a Ammón y los sirios (c. 10). Luego sigue el episodio de Betsabé ( 1 Samuel 12:25 ), con la conquista final de Ammón (12: 26-31). Absalón, vengando el crimen de Amnón, es desterrado y llamado (caps. 13, 14); su usurpación del trono lo lleva a su derrota y muerte, y al regreso sin oposición de David (caps. 15-19). La revuelta de Sheba es sometida (c. 20). Se 1 Samuel 21:1 la venganza de los gabaonitas ( 1 Samuel 21:1 ) y las diversas hazañas de los héroes de David (21: 14-22); Se dan dos salmos de David ( 1 Samuel 23:7) y otra lista de los héroes de David (23: 8-39); y el libro se cierra con un relato del censo y arrepentimiento de David (c. 24). La revuelta de Adonías, que nubló los últimos días de David, se relata en 1 Reyes 1:2 .

Estructura del libro. Como se indicó anteriormente, 1 y 2 Samuel se dividen en tres divisiones; pero ninguna de estas divisiones se ha escrito tal como están. Cada uno (como tantos otros libros del Antiguo Testamento) es una recopilación de documentos anteriores. Dentro de las dos primeras secciones nos encontramos constantemente con diferentes relatos de los mismos hechos, junto con diferencias en el punto de vista. Esto quedará claro a partir de lo siguiente:

1 Samuel 1-15. ( a ) Los capítulos 1-4 contienen la historia de la infancia de Samuel, 7 y 8 su posición como líder reconocido de todo Israel, un punto de vista que se mantiene en 1 Samuel 10:17 ; 1 Samuel 12:15 ; 1 Samuel 12:15 . ( b ) Por otro lado, 9, 1 Samuel 10:1 dan una versión separada de la adhesión de Saúl, y 11, 13, 14 siguen continuamente en 1 Samuel 10:16 el relato del rechazo de Saulo en 1 Samuel 13:8siendo bastante distinta de la de 15. La canción de Hannah en 2 (que inspiró algunos de los pensamientos más nobles del Magnificat) contiene concepciones que son inconsistentes con lo que sabemos de la religión más primitiva de este período temprano, y es probablemente un poema posterior, aquí atribuido a Hannah. El relato del arca en 5 y 6 no tiene notas de tiempo, excepto que debe seguir la batalla de Afec: nos recuerda fuertemente las narraciones en Jueces. De las dos divisiones principales de esta sección, la segunda ( b ), que se ocupa principalmente de Saulo, debe ser la anterior. De 1 Samuel 13:20 , etc., difícilmente podemos pensar que una derrota tan total de los filisteos como está implícita en 1 Samuel 7:13 . tuvo lugar en un período tan temprano.

1 Samuel 16 - 2 Samuel 8 . En esta sección encontramos narraciones dobles de la introducción de David a Saúl, la oferta de Saúl de una hija suya a David y la salvación de David de la vida de Saúl. Las inconsistencias que así resultan (de las cuales la más notable es que mientras David es llevado a Saúl como un joven guerrero en 16, aparece en 17 como un pastorcillo del que Saúl ignora por completo) pueden evitarse si juntamos 2 Samuel 16:14 ; 2 Samuel 18:6 (con la excepción de 1 Samuel 1:14 ); 2 Samuel 19:11 ; 2 Samuel 21:1 ; 2 Samuel 22:1 a 2 Samuel 23:14; 2Sa 25-27; 2 de Samuel 29-30. El resto de 2Sa 16-31 se lee casi como una narración continua. Hay menos dificultad en los primeros 8 capítulos de 2 Samuel: toda la sección concluye con un resumen general del poder y el prestigio de David; y en el capítulo 2 tenemos un poema indudable del mismo David.

2 Samuel 9-24. Los capítulos 9-20 forman una narrativa muy clara y pintoresca, que es bastante coherente y debe haber sido escrita cerca de los eventos que describe. Por la distinción en su retrato de personajes menores, así como del propio David, y por su fiel descripción del lado oscuro y brillante de la corte del gran y amado rey de Israel, no tiene parangón entre todas las excelentes narraciones de la época. Viejo Testamento.

21-24 forman un apéndice; 2 Samuel 21:1 parecería referirse a los primeros años del reinado de David; los dos salmos (el primero de los cuales es casi idéntico a Salmo 18 ) están extrañamente encajados entre los avisos de los "valientes" de David;

En cualquier caso, 24 debería encontrar un lugar en 9-20, y 1 Reyes 1:2 debería seguir correctamente a 2 Samuel 20 .

El ascenso y crecimiento de la monarquía.Para nuestras mentes, la palabra "rey" sugiere una constitución definida. Incluso un monarca absoluto debe gobernar de acuerdo con leyes fijas. Para los hebreos, la idea de tal constitución era extraña. El crecimiento de nuestras constituciones monárquicas europeas ha estado controlado por dos factores: la organización militar de las naciones teutónicas y el derecho romano. Los hebreos no tenían nada que se correspondiera con ninguno de estos. En la época de los jueces (ver Introducción a los jueces) encontramos a la nación compuesta por un número de tribus en gran parte independientes entre sí, aunque mantenidas unidas (como lo eran los estados griegos antiguos) por ciertas costumbres morales y religiosas, y también por una fe común en Jehová, el Dios nacional. De vez en cuando surgen líderes militares de fuerte personalidad ("Jueces"); pero la esfera de su influencia es limitada,

La gran diferencia entre los Jueces y Saúl es que, a diferencia de los primeros, el segundo es elegido solemnemente por todo Israel en una reunión presidida por el líder moral y religioso de la nación, Samuel. Saúl es simplemente un líder militar, elegido para ofrecer una resistencia que de otro modo sería imposible a los filisteos. Por lo tanto, fue la opresión filistea la que unió a los israelitas, bajo el liderazgo de Saúl, en una nación. Su primer acto 'real' es convocar a las armas a toda la nación ( 1 Samuel 11:7 , 1 Samuel 11:7, Jueces 19:29 ): cuando se sacrifica, es como el jefe del ejército ( 1 Samuel 13:9): él, como los Jueces, recibe guía y mandato de Jehová, aunque, a diferencia de ellos, indirectamente a través de Samuel: su liderazgo militar, absoluto del lado de la nación, está estrictamente limitado del lado de Jehová.

¿Cuál fue el efecto de su gobierno en la vida interna de Israel? Simplemente se nos dice que 1 Samuel 28:9 adivinos y adivinos de la tierra ( 1 Samuel 28:9 ). Esto en sí mismo implica mucho; no implica, sin embargo, que se esperara que el rey promulgara nuevas leyes, sino solo que hiciera cumplir las antiguas; a lo sumo, como Asa ( 1 Reyes 15:18 ) y Ezequías ( 2 Reyes 18:4 ), fue un reformador.

Si Jonatán hubiera sobrevivido a la batalla de Gilboa, todo el curso de la historia de Israel podría haber sido diferente. De hecho, el hijo de Saúl fue aceptado de inmediato como rey por la mayor parte de la nación ( 2 Samuel 2:9 ). No fue sino hasta la muerte de Is-boset que se reconoció a David como rey de todo Israel. Comenzó donde lo dejó Saúl, como jefe militar reconocido de la nación. A diferencia de Saúl, no necesitaba ningún profeta para colocarlo en el trono; pero, como Saulo, ganó y mantuvo su posición gracias a su popularidad personal ( 2 Samuel 3:36 ). Al principio no es más que un guerrero; y durante todo su reinado es un 'hombre de guerra' ( 2 Samuel 17:8 ). Pero por su conquista de Jerusalén y su traslado allí del arca, también se convierte en el jefe religioso de la nación,2 Samuel 8:18 ; 2 Samuel 20:26 cp. 1 Reyes 2:35 ). Ahora está en condiciones de formar alianzas con el extranjero e instituir una vida cortesana elaborada y completamente oriental ( 2 Samuel 5:13 ). Él es también la fuente de la justicia ( 2 Samuel 12:5 ; 2 Samuel 14:4 ); pero mientras hace cumplir la ley tradicional, no hace leyes nuevas. La base de su autoridad interna (como la de los emperadores romanos) es la supremacía militar: cuando esta se rompe, debe refugiarse en la huida ( 2 Samuel 15:14 ). Tiene sus capitanes y altos oficiales ( 2 Samuel 20:23 ). Nombra y grava a su pueblo ( 2 Samuel 24:2 ), pero ellos tienen libre derecho de acceso y denuncia ( 2 Samuel 14:5; 2 Samuel 24:3 ), y reconoce la autoridad moral de los profetas ( 2 Samuel 12:25 ; 2 Samuel 24:11 ). Él es en todo el padre y el pastor más que el monarca de su pueblo: es el representante de Jehová en medio de ellos. Hizo de la realeza lo que permaneció durante cuatro siglos, una regla limitada por ninguna ley escrita (excepto quizás la de 1 Samuel 10:25 , que es solo 'constitucional' en un sentido restringido), pero claramente limitada por la extensión de las fuerzas armadas del rey. destreza y autoridad, e influencia moral con su pueblo, por las leyes de la nación (cp. 1 Reyes 21:3 ), y por la voluntad de Jehová expresada por los profetas.

Los comienzos de la profecía. En general, se acepta que la raíz de la que proviene la palabra hebrea para 'profeta' ( nabi ) significa 'anunciar' o 'comunicar'. Los profetas hebreos, sin embargo, fueron "narradores" de un tipo especial. Sus mensajes siempre tenían que ver con la nación y con Jehová, el Dios y protector de la nación. Eran los heraldos a la vez del patriotismo, la unidad nacional y la religión. Los 1 Samuel 10:5 muy temprano en 'bandas' o 'escuelas' ( 1 Samuel 10:5 ); parecen vagar de un lado a otro del país proclamando con entusiasmo su mensaje; ya menudo se les ha comparado con los derviches mahometanos. Se nos dice expresamente que Samuel no era un profeta en este sentido técnico; pero organizó las bandas proféticas ( 1 Samuel 19:20), y esta organización duró hasta los tiempos de Elías y Eliseo (por ejemplo, 1 Reyes 20:35 ; 2 Reyes 6:1 ). Estas 'bandas' probablemente se reunieron alrededor de algún maestro o líder influyente. No tenemos información sobre su modo de vida y medios de sustento. Posiblemente, cuando así se "agruparon", mantuvieron con Samuel la misma relación que los predicadores de Wycliffe tenían con el mismo Wycliffe. Pero desde el reinado de David, e incluso (según Jueces 6:8 ) mucho antes, nos encontramos con profetas individuales, cuya función es llamar a la nación, o más a menudo al rey, a la obediencia a la voluntad de Jehová; en muchos casos anuncian el castigo que sigue a la desobediencia (cp. 2 Samuel 7:2 ; 2 Samuel 12:25 ; 2 Samuel 24:11). En tiempos posteriores, tanto a Elías como a Eliseo se les atribuyen poderes milagrosos; pero Eliseo es el único profeta cuya actividad parece haber sido tanto privada como pública. Más tarde aún, a mediados del siglo VIII, la gran serie de los profetas "escritores" comienza con Amós; pero en las últimas etapas de la historia del orden profético, como en la primera, el profeta es aquel que aparece repentinamente del retiro o reclusión, encargado de un mensaje especial al pueblo o al rey, como una conciencia encarnada.

Por tanto, la profecía no se opone a la monarquía; es más bien el medio divinamente designado para mantener la monarquía fiel a su tarea. Durante el reinado de Saúl, Samuel desempeñó esta función ( 1 Samuel 15:3 and see § 6). His condemnation of the Israelite demand for a king is quite distinct from the general attitude of the prophets, who accepted the kings as Jehovah's appointed servants; but, like the later prophets, Samuel claimed that the prophetic word was to receive even from the king absolute and unquestioning obedience. It is easy to see from the above how completely the books of Samuel justify their place in the Hebrew canon as prophetic books. They describe and emphasise the ideals of the prophets, and are full of the prophetic spirit—the deep conviction that Jehovah is Israel's God, and that to Jehovah's service Israel is irrevocably bound.

The Ark and the Priesthood. In the books of Samuel the ark appears as the seat or dwelling-place of Jehovah; where the ark is, there in some special sense is Jehovah Himself (see also Josué 3:4; Josué 3:6 Jueces 20:27). It is placed in Shiloh, the centre of worship, where the sacred tent ('temple,' 1 Samuel 1:9) is set up. After Israel's defeat by the Philistines it is (to the dismay of the Philistines) taken to battle, but captured and carried off to various Philistine cities, in each of which it causes plagues. It is then returned to Kirjath-jearim, where Eleazar is 'sanctified' 'to keep' it (1 Samuel 3-7). After the conquest of Jerusalem David brings the ark thither (2 Samuel 6). In Israel its presence brings blessing: to foreigners, or those who touch it profanely, it causes disaster. Later, it is brought into Solomon's temple, after which it disappears from history (Jeremias 3:16). Probably the ark was, in form, a throne, on which Jehovah was regarded as sitting.

Priests (as in Judges 17, 18) are men specially consecrated to superintend worship and guard, sacred places and objects (1 Samuel 21:6 cp. 2 Reyes 25:18). Both Eli and his degenerate sons are priests at Shiloh (1 Samuel 2:13). The Philistines also have priests for their god (1 Samuel 5:5; 1 Samuel 6:2). The priest, wearing his official symbol—the ephod—consults Jehovah on behalf of the worshipper (1 Samuel 14). The office is hereditary (1 Samuel 14:3; 2 Samuel 8:17), and we also find a number of priests dwelling together (1 Samuel 22:19). We read of men being consecrated to serve apparently as priests (1 Samuel 7:1; 2 Samuel 8:18). After the ark was established at Jerusalem, we find the priests in close connexion with the royal court (2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 15:35; 2 Samuel 19:11; 2 Samuel 20:25). Later, Solomon, like subsequent kings, is anointed by the priest (1 Reyes 1:39), as Saul and David had been anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:13); the king is 'the Lord's anointed', and the same word (Messiah, 'anointed') is applied par excellence to the ideal king of the future.

The priests, like the prophets, thus stand in a direct relation to the monarchy as soon as the monarchy is established. Their presence is not, however, essential to worship. Saul sacrifices at Gilgal (1 Samuel 13:8), and he is blamed, not for dispensing with a priest, but for not waiting for Samuel. Samuel sacrifices at Bethlehem (1 Samuel 16:3) and David at Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:13).

Samuel. The foregoing discussion has been necessary in order to avoid obscurity, otherwise inevitable, in the portraiture of the leading characters and events in these books. Without it, we should find difficulty in defending them from the charge of carelessness and inaccuracy; with it, we can pass behind the actual narratives to something like the reality which the Israelites so lovingly handed on from generation to generation.

To take the case of Samuel first. In one instance (a), he is a little-known seer, who, however, has the insight to recognise the need of a king, and to find the fitting man in the youthful Saul. In the other (b), he is the acknowledged leader of Israel (a kind of civil Judge), whose headquarters are at Mizpah, and who bitterly resents Israel's wilfulness in repudiating the traditional theocracy. There can be little doubt that (a) gives the more correct picture; but it is easy to see how the Samuel of (a), who at a critical time takes the decisive step in the history of the nation, was elevated in the memory of Israel into a position higher than that of Deborah or Eli, and almost recalling the glory of Moses. The dread of the monarchy, so clearly set forth in (b), but absent in (a), reminds us of the attitude taken up towards it by the prophets Hosea, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. In 1 Samuel 9:9, the actual title of 'prophet' is denied to Samuel; but his relation to the kingdom after the accession of Saul is very similar to that of Isaiah to Ahaz and Hezekiah, just as his position previously had been similar to that of the earlier Judges. His action is uniform, consistent and highminded; and there is every reason for the veneration with which he came to be regarded in after years (Salmo 99:6; Jeremias 15:1).

He has been called 'the last of the Judges and the first of the Kings.' In reality, he was neither a judge (in the sense in which Ehud and Jephthah were Judges) nor a king. But he found Israel a loosely knit body of tribes; he left it a united people. Recognised as he was by the whole nation, he made a national monarchy possible; and at the foundation of it he laid firmly the conception of the responsibility of the national ruler to God.

Saul. In the case of Saul, as of Samuel, we find two distinct views of his character. He is first shown as a brave and vigorous hero, ably seconded by his son; for his 'rejection,' the incidents of 1 Samuel 13:9 and even 1 Samuel 15:9 hardly seem sufficient cause. As the melancholy of 1 Samuel 16:14 deepens on him, his character becomes less and less favourable; he is morose, jealous, cunning, violent, though not without gleams of a better nature (1 Samuel 24:17); and in the tragic isolation of his last days he reminds us of Macbeth. Yet it is noteworthy that from his accession onwards, his position is never seriously challenged, as was that of David himself subsequently. From his first years, he sets himself to the great business of his reign, the long struggle with the Philistines; he inflicts upon them blows they have never suffered before, and though he finally falls before them (or under the mental disease which paralysed his powers), his successor is able to bring all serious danger from them to an end. After the appearance of David, the interest of the book in Saul's career apart from David comes to an end; but it is noteworthy that not even in Judah did David, for all his charm and reputation, succeed in producing any real disloyalty to Saul. If, in his last days, he had recourse to necromancy, he had zealously enforced the laws against superstition in earlier times; and our judgment on his persistent hostility to David must be modified by David's own verdict upon his 'loveliness and pleasantness,' which throughout his life kept his people true to his rule. On the length of his reign, see § 9.

David. The strongest argument for the truthfulness of the portrait of David is that so much therein is repellent not only to our feeling, but to that of Israel also. He is preeminently a warrior (a 'man of war,' 1 Samuel 16:18; 1 Crónicas 28:3), with a true warrior's resourcefulness and perception of the need of the moment; relentless towards his foes, yet possessed of a peculiar personal charm which endeared him to his own people and to strangers alike; he can make himself at home with Achish of Gath, and one of his closest followers in later years is Ittai, another Gittite Philistine. He has notable skill in music (1 Samuel 16:18 cp. Amós 6:5). It is probable that his large harem was formed in part as the result of political considerations; in weakness and irresolution in dealing with his own family, he is like many otherwise vigorous Oriental monarchs—as also in his liability to sudden outbursts of strong feeling, both evil and good (2 Samuel 11:2; 2 Samuel 12:5; 2 Samuel 12:13;). He pushed the frontiers of Israel to their furthest extent—an achievement which was the easier since at this time both Egypt and Assyria and Babylon were occupied within their own borders, and never approached Palestine; he developed the simple rule of Saul (cp. 1 Samuel 22:6) into the royalty of a court and a capital; but subsequent events showed that he did not destroy the rivalry between the southern and northern halves of the kingdom. Curiously enough, the strength of Absalom's rebellion was in the king's own tribe of Judah. He was exalted by the affectionate memory of later years into the Saint and the Psalmist. It is no wonder that in thinking of the glorious future king of Israel, men should neglect David's degenerate successors and form the picture of their ideal, as 'a son of David,' on the frank generous character and strong vigorous rule of the man whom, in spite of all his faults, they felt to be after God's own. mind (1 Samuel 13:14). Not only was he 'prudent in speech' and 'of a comely person,' but 'Jehovah was with him' (1 Samuel 16:18).

The Chronology of the Period. The biblical writings themselves give us. the lengths of various periods (judgeships and reigns) and of the intervals between events (e.g. 1 Reyes 6:1). In the Assyrian canon we are able to fix the exact year of certain events; working back from these, and reckoning the reigns of David and Solomon as each equal to 40 years (2 Samuel 5:4; 1 Reyes 11:42), we arrive at 1017 b.c. as the date of David's accession and the death of Saul. The events of David's reign cannot well have been comprised in any shorter time. The Old Testament does not mention the length of Saul's reign; the 40 years of Hechos 13:21 are certainly too long; Saul can hardly have been older than 60 (if so old) at the battle of Gilboa, while almost at the beginning of his reign his eldest son is a powerful warrior. His actual age at his accession is wanting in the Hebrew text (1 Samuel 13:1), and the narrative of his reign suggests a very much shorter period than David's. We should therefore date his accession between 1040 and 1030 b.c.

For the length of Samuel's judgeship we have no information; he is introduced to us as already occupying his position; possibly he obtained it quite gradually after the death of Eli (of the date of this event, also, we are in ignorance). From 1 Samuel 7:2 (RM) it might be inferred that for 20 years after the deposition of the ark at Kirjath-jearim, Israel was satisfied with Jehovah and Samuel; hence we should place the beginning of Samuel's office in 1060-1050 b.c.; and as he would hardly have been much less than 30 years old when he became Judge, or than 50 years old when he committed the kingdom to Saul, we must place his birth somewhere about 1085 b.c.

The Religious Significance of the Book. The main religious lesson of the book is similar to that of Judges; it is that Israel's safety as a nation lies in union under the guidance of Jehovah and resistance to foreigners. Of this union, the kingship is a symbol. As we have seen, there are two views of the origin of the kingship in the elevation of Saul to the throne; but that of 1 Samuel 15 (as a defection from loyalty to Jehovah) is certainly not maintained, or even referred to, later on in the book. Both Saul and David were firm worshippers of Jehovah; in spite of their moral lapses, we hear nothing in their reigns of that falling away into idolatry which is so common both before and after. The references (without any suggestion of blame) to the 'teraphim' (1 Samuel 19:13 contrast 1 Samuel 15:23) and to the offering of sacrifices in other places besides the central sanctuary, and by others than priests, as well as the omission of all those ritual details which fill the pages of the parallel narrative in Chronicles, show that the religious ideas of the time (as also of the time in which the book was written) are still somewhat primitive (cp. also 2 Samuel 16:14, 'the evil spirit from Jehovah,' and 2 Samuel 24:1 contrasted with 1 Crónicas 21:1; 'the Satan stood up'). But though we are still in the childhood of Israel's religion, it is a childhood that is full of promise; for it rests, with a loving confidence which is unshaken, on the firm mercy and judgment (Salmo 101:1) of Israel's God.

Date, Text, etc. A few miscellaneous points remain to be considered. When was the book written? This question must mean, in view of § 2, when did the two books reach their present form? It is impossible to reply with certainty; the bulk of the three large narratives must have been written comparatively soon after the events they refer to, though we can have no means of knowing when the poetical additions were actually made. Apart from these, there is very little to suggest a date later than the 8th cent.

What is its relation to Chronicles? The reader will easily see the similarities and the differences in the two parallel narratives. That Chronicles was written at a far later date is shown, apart from internal evidence, by its place in the Hebrew canon, almost at the end, and not, like Samuel, among the 'prophets'—a fact which is emphasised in the name which the book bears in the Septuagint, 'things left out.' These omissions are for the most part lists and genealogies and details connected with the ark or (later on) the Temple, which are either new, or much more fully given in the later book (cp. 1 Crónicas 11:26; 1 Crónicas 12:15 with 2 Samuel 6:12 and the additions in chapter 21). On the other hand, some of the most interesting and vividly narrated events in Samuel are passed over entirely, especially anything (except David's numbering of Israel) which is to the disadvantage of the king himself (including the story of Bathsheba and the whole rebellion of Absalom). In the earlier book, Israel is as important as Judah, apart from the fact that David's prominence gives special weight to the southern tribe; in the later book (written long after the disappearance of the northern kingdom) Israel is of no importance at all. It is certain that the books of Samuel were among the sources used by the Chronicler, and the smaller additions seem intended either to be didactic, or to fill up apparent gaps in the earlier narrative. See Intro. to Chronicles. A careful comparison with Chronicles will bring out very clearly the impartiality and thoroughness of the books of Samuel.

Have we the best text of Samuel before us? This question is suggested by the fact (pointed out several times in the notes) that the text is often very corrupt, and also by the divergences constantly to be observed in the Greek translation (the Septuagint—LXX). This Greek translation is itself found in three types of text; where they agree, we may conclude, with Prof. H. P. Smith, that they represent an ancient Hebrew text. This text (now only recoverable through the Greek translation) would seem to have been free from several errors contained in the Hebrew text from which our own translation has been made. It is, however, unsafe to argue that because a reading is simpler, it is therefore more correct; in some cases, the reading of our text has been misunderstood; but in others, we must certainly make corrections by the help of the Greek version.