3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated

On the forty-second page of “3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated” (which is truly a work of art) the famous computer scientist and author Donald E. Knuth wrote (emphasis & hyperlinks added):

The First Book of Samuel is the first half of what was originally a single, undivided work. It begins with the story of Israel's last two judges, Eli (4:18) and Samuel (7:15); it concludes with the story of Israel's first two kings, Saul (11:15) and David (16:1). Thus it tells about a significant turning point in Israel's history, when a loose federation of tribes became welded together into a single nation. This portion of the original Book of Samuel ends with an account of Saul's death and burial (31:6, 13).

The establishment of a monarchy was, of course, a highly controversial change in Israel's power structure and life style. Both sides of the debate are represented here. King Saul was not a smashing success, but David promised to be better. In retrospect, we can see that it was probably necessary for the Israelites to unify at this time, or they would have found it impossible to survive in the face of increased aggression from the Philistines, who had previously been content to live on the coast. The Israelites' forthcoming experiences as members of an affluent nation were destined to teach them important lessons about the dangers of material power and wealth; they gradually learned what sort of kingdom God really intended them to have.

This book can conveniently be regarded as a study of interactions between its leading characters. Chapters 1-7 are about Eli and Samuel; Chapters 8-15 are about Samuel and Saul; Chapters 16-31 are about Saul and David. The dominant personality is that of Samuel, a peaceful man who is especially influential as a spiritual leader; he points out that obedience to God is much more important than religious rituals (15:22). Later generations will remember Samuel as the first of the prophets, not only as the last of the judges (3:20; Acts 3:24, 13:20).

Like the other historical sections of the Old Testament, this book consists of a variety of heterogeneous accounts that were put together by later editors who have tried to include all the data at hand, even if the facts do not always dovetail perfectly. We find here a lively picture of Israel's early religious practices. The stories of Samuel throw considerable light on the pioneering activities of prophets and priests as well as kings.

The Hebrew text of Samuel has the dubious distinction of being the least well-preserved of all the Old Testament sources. For some reason, the ancient scribes who copied this material made more errors than usual, and the old manuscripts show considerable variation in small details. Some of the Dead Sea Scrolls have helped to resolve many of the textual riddles.

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